Strengthen Thailand's climate change law prior to its implementation

Strengthen Thailand's climate change law prior to its implementation

In the heart of Southeast Asia, Thailand faces a pressing challenge in addressing climate change and its impact on its coastal communities, biodiversity, and agricultural productivity. A recent article published in Fulcrum, ISEAS - Yusof Ishak Institute's blogsite, sheds light on the proposed Climate Change Act and the key challenges it faces in its implementation.

Thailand, ranked as the ninth most affected country by climate change in 2021, according to the Global Climate Risk Index, has seen environmental devastation in the form of intense droughts, flooding, and declining biodiversity. This has undermined coastal communities dependent on fisheries for income, posing a significant threat to their livelihoods.

The passage of the Climate Change Act is a crucial step towards addressing these issues. However, the Act faces several challenges. A fragmented, politicised, and lethargic bureaucracy, strong resistance from powerful industries with vested interests, and weak enforcement mechanisms have led to slow or insufficient climate action, despite government commitments and election promises.

To overcome these challenges, the article suggests strengthening the Act and its regulatory framework before enactment. This includes clarifying climate targets and making business responsibilities explicit, mandating renewable energy use, enforcing penalties effectively against powerful business interests, expanding the Climate Fund, and increasing civil society oversight to compensate for bureaucratic inefficiency.

Enhancing inter-ministerial coordination and improving monitoring and performance management through government centres like the Strategic Transformation Office (STS) are also recommended. Addressing the STS's temporary status to ensure long-term oversight is essential to better govern cross-cutting climate issues.

Developing market-based mechanisms such as Thailand’s Emissions Trading Scheme (TH-ETS) through broad stakeholder consultations is seen as an essential step to facilitate a sustainable low-carbon transition aligned with national net-zero goals.

The proposed Act also includes a Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) to put a carbon price on imported goods for emissions exceeding specific thresholds. Additionally, it proposes the creation of an Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) and enhanced carbon tax provisions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The Climate Change Act aims to establish effective mechanisms for addressing climate change, with the expectation of its implementation in 2026. The Act would also establish a Climate Fund to support business innovation in emissions reduction and climate adaptation projects.

These climate-related issues have reduced agricultural productivity and exacerbated rural poverty and food insecurity. Therefore, the successful implementation of the Climate Change Act is not just about addressing climate change but also about ensuring the well-being of Thailand's people and the sustainability of its economy.

The article is relevant to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 7 (Energy), 11 (Cities), 13 (Climate), 15 (Biodiversity), and 16 (Peace). It is related to topics such as Carbon & Climate, Energy, and Policy & Finance, and regions like the Asia Pacific and Thailand.

Notable contributors to this discussion include Watcharapol Supajakwattana, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science and Public Administration at Naresuan University, Thailand, and Paul Chambers, a Visiting Fellow at ISEAS, the German-Southeast Asian Center of Excellence for Public Policy and Good Governance.

The article's tags include biodiversity, carbon accounting, carbon tax, carbon trading, clean energy, emissions, fossil fuels, renewable energy, climate, decarbonisation, climate law, energy transition, climate risk.

In conclusion, overcoming bureaucratic inertia, vested economic interests, and weak enforcement while reinforcing legal clarity, accountability, monitoring, and stakeholder engagement are crucial for Thailand’s Climate Change Act to be effectively implemented. This will pave the way for a sustainable future for Thailand and its people.

1. Thailand, experiencing intense impacts of climate change such as droughts, flooding, and declining biodiversity, requires the Climate Change Act to address these environmental challenges.
2. The Climate Change Act, planned for implementation in 2026, aims to set up effective climate change mechanisms, contributing to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 7, 11, 13, 15, and 16.
3. To ensure the Act's success, it's recommended to strengthen its regulatory framework, including the clarification of climate targets, mandating renewable energy use, and enhancing civil society oversight.
4. Inter-ministerial coordination, improving monitoring, and performance management through the Strategic Transformation Office (STS) are essential for efficient cross-cutting climate issue governance.
5. Market-based mechanisms like Thailand’s Emissions Trading Scheme (TH-ETS) and carbon pricing mechanisms, such as the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), can encourage sustainable low-carbon transitions.
6. The Act proposes the creation of a Climate Fund to support business innovation in emissions reduction and climate adaptation projects, targeting areas like agricultural productivity and rural poverty alleviation.
7. To reach a sustainable future for Thailand, overcoming bureaucratic inertia, economic vested interests, and weak enforcement, while maintaining legal clarity, accountability, monitoring, and stakeholder engagement is critical.

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