Environment News
Thailand environment news, climate change, sustainability, and natural disasters—stay updated on eco-initiatives, biodiversity conservation, and renewable energy efforts. Get the latest from The Thaiger, your trusted source for environmental news in Thailand.
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Sponsored How to reduce out-of-pocket medical expenses in Thailand?
Managing medical expenses in Thailand is important as healthcare costs continue to rise. The country’s healthcare system includes both public and private options, but even with the Universal Coverage Scheme (UCS) for citizens, many still face high out-of-pocket medical expenses....
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Chiang Mai residents sue govt over perpetual air pollution crisis
Residents in Chiang Mai are suing the Government of Thailand for years of neglect in failing to tackle the region’s perpetual air pollution problem. Yesterday, about 1,700 Chiang Mai residents filed a lawsuit in the Administrative Court against Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and two state agencies for their failure to address the annual dense smog that blankets the region. The…
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Efforts doubled to preserve Koh Kradan, the Best Beach of Earth 2023
Koh Kradan took centre stage last week after being voted the “best beach” on earth. Now, Hat Chao Mai National Park made public it is doubling its effort to ensure it stays at the top of the list by preserving the beach and the surrounding area’s ecosystem. Hat Chao Mai National Park chief Prit Narasrit Koh Kradan revealed the marine…
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Work from home measure in Chiang Mai continues today and tomorrow
Chiang Mai’s air pollution problem is continuing to wreak havoc on the province. Chiang Mai‘s work from home measure, introduced by the provincial administration yesterday will continue until tomorrow (Sunday), Thai PBS reported. This is due to the PM2.5 pollution problem in the province, which has not improved. Governor Nirat Pongsitthavorn announced that the public will be informed if there…
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WasteShark provides solution for polluted Chao Phraya River in Thailand (video)
A marine environment company in the Netherlands has created WasteShark, a ground-breaking robotic shark that could provide a solution to the serious pollution problem in the Chao Phraya River in Thailand. The device patrols rivers and canals and swallows discarded plastic waste. Invented by Netherlands-based RanMarine, WasteShark is a battery-powered electric catamaran that can travel up to 5 kilometres through water…
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Managing blacktip reef sharks in Maya Bay, Thailand
The National Parks Department of Thailand aims to enhance the management of the country’s popular tourist conservation areas following the return of blacktip reef sharks to Maya Bay. Maya Bay was closed for four years, from 2018 to 2022, to facilitate the recovery of the island’s wildlife. The bay’s popularity surged after the release of the 2000 movie The Beach,…
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UN calls for urgent action on global water resources
A harsh new warning has been issued by the United Nations about the urgency to protect the Earth’s water resources. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for immediate action to safeguard water resources and prevent conflicts. Speaking at a three-day UN conference, Guterres warned that the world is not on track to meet its 2030 water goals, including access to…
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Fruit to the rescue: governor eases contamination worries by eating some mango
To alleviate concerns about radioactive contamination in the province following the theft of a Caesium-137 cylinder last week, the Governor of the Prachinburi Provincial Office organized a fruit-eating exercise. The caesium-137 cylinder was stolen from a National Power Plant 5A Company facility at 304 Industrial Park in Prachinburi province, central Thailand on February 23, but it wasn’t reported missing until…
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Phuket beach cleanup removes 100 kilograms of garbage
Thailand is facing a pollution crisis but many people in the kingdom are pitching in to fight the problem. Officials and volunteers cleaned up 100 kilograms of garbage from beaches in Phuket last week, The Phuket News reported yesterday. The cleanup at Mai Khao and Sai Kaew beaches was organised by the Sustainable Mai Khao foundation from March 15 to…
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Gold mine reopens in northern Thailand to the dismay of residents
A gold mine has reopened in northern Thailand shocking locals who say the mine had poisoned their livestock, produce, and themselves. According to the Straits Times, the Chatree complex in Pichit province was closed more than six years ago due to health and environmental concerns. Now, despite legal disputes and protests by villagers, the controversial gold mine is back in…
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Beachgoers find giant sea turtle carcass in Pattaya
While there’s been a lot of happy news about turtles in Phang Nga recently, there’s unfortunately been some sad turtle news in Pattaya. A giant sea turtle carcass washed up on Pattaya Beach on Tuesday. Beachgoers noticed the carcass and detected a foul odour in the early hours of the morning. They promptly informed the authorities of the discovery. Officials…
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Recovered Caesium-137 cannister ‘not a threat to local Thai produce’
Thai officials say the recently recovered Caesium-137 canister is not a threat to local produce, despite it being smelted. The concerns over the effects of the tube’s radioactive properties were raised as contaminated furnace dust was discovered at a steel plant in Prachin Buri’s Kabin Buri district this week. Out of fear, customers cancelled purchase orders of fruit from the province,…
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New climate change report says world has slim window
A United Nations panel of top scientists warned that the world now has just a slim chance to prevent the worst of climate change’s future harms. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) says humanity must act fast and cut carbon pollution by almost two-thirds by 2035. The Paris climate agreement calls for nations to agree now on a climate action…
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RTN mobilised to deal with oil leak off Gulf of Thailand
Thailand today mobilised the Royal Thai Navy (RTN) to aid in the rescue of an oil storage vessel and contain damage to the environment. The vessel suffered damage during routine maintenance in the Gulf of Thailand earlier this week. According to government spokesman Anucha Burapachaisri, the RTN will focus on assisting the crew in plugging a leak that resulted in…
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Search intensifies for Prachin Buri’s missing radioactive Caesium-137 canister
The search for Prachin Buri’s missing radioactive isotope Caesium-137 canister is intensifying after officials have come up empty-handed. Yesterday, workers equipped with radiation detectors, searched scrap shops in the Si Maha Phot district of Thailand’s central province of Prachin Buri but found nothing. The National Power Plant 5A Company is offering a 50,000 baht reward for information which leads to…
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Phuket villager stumbles upon mother sea turtle laying 107 eggs
A Phuket villager stumbled upon a mother sea turtle as she was laying 107 eggs. Sirinat National Park said in a Facebook post that the villager, Kriangkrai Dejom, found the mother turtle laying eggs on a beach near Sai Khu Bay at around 5am on Monday. The beach is located in the Sakhu sub-district of Thalang district. Kriangkrai patiently waited…
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Over 1.4 million people in Thailand suffers diseases related to PM2.5
According to a report released by the Ministry of Public Health (MOPH), 1,449,716 people in Thailand and 31,695 people in Bangkok are suffering from diseases caused by PM2.5 pollution. Skin irritation, stroke, and eye inflammation were the most commonly reported illnesses. The Inspector-General of the MOPH, Pathomporn Siraprapasiri, disclosed the results of a survey last week that was conducted between…
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Coral Rehabilitation for Divers Volunteers protects reefs
A new Coral Rehabilitation for a Divers Volunteers training program in Phuket has attracted several foreign divers interested in the restoration project. The course aims to provide participants with knowledge of how to operate procedures in coral rehabilitation following academic principles. The program, created by the Royal Thai Navy (RTN) and the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR) has…
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People in central Thailand have no place to hide from landfill emissions
Residents of Thailand’s central provinces of Lop Buri and Sa Kaeo have no place to hide from emissions caused by landfill fires. In Lop Buri’s Hua Samrong sub-district, residents complained about the foul smell and smoke emanating from the burning landfill operated by Tha Wung sub-district municipal office. The smoke and smell are said to be penetrating their homes, even…
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Oriental dollarbird falls from the sky in Bangkok due to suspected PM2.5 poisoning
A sick Oriental dollarbird fell from Bangkok‘s polluted sky near Lumpini Park on Wednesday. Veterinarians examined the bird to find that it was suffering from severe pneumonia in both lungs. They suspected it was caused by PM2.5 dust pollution poisoning. Kaset Sudecha, a veterinarian from the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at Kasetsart University, posted a photo of the bird on…
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Chiang Mai residents to get free face masks as dangerous air pollution soars
Chiang Mai residents are getting free face masks as dangerous air pollution in the province soars. Authorities say they will hand out the masks to the public as forest fires continue to pollute the air. The fires have been a problem for years as farmers continue to set ablaze fields to clear the way for the next crop cycle. Several…
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Officials say 90% of northern Thailand’s hotspots caused by human activity
The director-general of Thailand’s Pollution Control Department says around 90% of the hotspots in northern Thailand are caused by human activities. Director-General Pinsak Suraswadi said the PM2.5 atmospheric pollution in the region is expected to increase before it improves. Pinsak said that 90% of the hotspots were detected in conserved forests and that the problem would be worse between Saturday, March…
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Tourism in Chiang Mai may be damaged by air pollution
The Northern region of Thailand, especially Chiang Mai, is experiencing a hazardous level of ultra-fine PM2.5 dust particles in the air. This is causing concerns among tourism operators in the city that the situation will negatively impact the industry. Pallop Saejiew, the president of Chiang Mai’s Tourism Industrial Council, worries about the long-term effects on the province’s tourism industry. Demand…
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Northern Thailand sees thousands of fire hotspots
Northern Thailand is seeing thousands of fire hotspots, with some 2,201 detected yesterday. The majority of these hotspots are located in conservation forests, according to the Region 3 centre for prevention and mitigation of air pollution. The upper part of the region had 1,388 hotspots, while the lower north had 813. Provinces with the highest number of hotspots included Tak,…
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Phuket officials respond to black water at beach
UPDATE Phuket officials have responded to the incident involving black water flowing into the sea at a beach. The black wastewater at Karon Beach near Nong Harn Lake came to officials’ attention on Sunday. A report by the Phuket office of the Public Relations Department said the water was “causing tourists to panic and run away from the sea.” Officers from…
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Thai national park wins prestigious environmental award
Thailand struggles to maintain its environment due to pollution, but some national parks are fighting to protect the country’s natural beauty. A national park in Thailand‘s Prachuap Khirik Khan province won a prestigious environmental award. The country’s Department of Environmental Quality Promotion and the Department of National Parks awarded Khao Sam Roi Yot National Park with the Green National Park…
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Officials find illegal houses encroaching on Phuket mangrove area
Officials found illegal houses encroaching on a protected mangrove area in Phuket. The team of officers from the Mangrove Resource Conservation Division of the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR) found the six illegal houses on Wednesday. The team found the illegal houses on Soi Rong Foam in Moo 1 in Ratsada. The houses had been built in an…
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Forest encroachment at Thap Lan puts tigers at risk
Forest encroachment at Thap Lan National Park in Prachin Buri – the heartland of Thailand’s tiger population – has become so severe that Natural Resources and Environment Minister Varawut Silpa-archa is considering the possibility of new borders being drawn up. Varawut said… “I’m confident the government won’t be disadvantaged by using forest borderlines to solve this problem inside the park.…
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Restoration of Maya Bay balances tourism, sustainability
The restoration of Maya Bay, Thailand, balances tourism with sustainability. Phi Phi Islands’ tropical paradise, made famous by Leonardo DiCaprio’s movie The Beach, has drastically reduced visitor numbers, and sea life is flourishing. The beach was closed in 2018 and before the pandemic hit, and in many respects, the past two years without pressure from great numbers of visitors have…
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Thailand to ban all plastic waste imports in 2025
Thailand has taken a significant step toward reducing its plastic waste by announcing a complete ban on plastic waste imports from January 1, 2025. The decision, made by the Thai Cabinet today, is part of the country’s ongoing efforts to tackle the escalating problem of plastic waste, which is contributing to environmental degradation and posing a threat to human health.…
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Pattaya’s air suffers unhealthy PM2.5 dust levels
Pattaya’s air is suffering from unhealthy PM2.5 dust levels. The health-hazardous dust level has risen to 174 microgrammes per cubic meter, far above the safety threshold of 50 microgrammes per cubic meter, The Pattaya News reported yesterday. AQI readings above 100 are considered “unhealthy” (red), above 200 are considered “very unhealthy” (purple) and beyond 300 are considered “hazardous.” The dust…
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