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 5 ways retirees in Thailand lose money (and how to stop it)
Retiring in Thailand can be affordable and enjoyable, but many retirees lose money due to common mistakes. High living costs, scams, and unexpected expenses can quickly drain savings. There are five ways that retirees in Thailand can lose money and...
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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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Graphic shows Thailand in top 10 countries with most ocean plastic waste
A new graphic shows that Asian countries, including Thailand, are among the top ocean plastic polluters due to mismanaged waste. The graphic by Louis Lugas Wicaksono is based on data from a 2021 research paper by Dutch academic Lourens JJ Meijer. The graphic shows a pie chart made up of plastic waste, labelling each country’s amount of ocean plastic waste…
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Thai ecologist sounds alarm on declining shark numbers
A Thai ecologist is sounding the alarm on the decline in the number of sharks in the country’s waters. The marine ecologist, Assistant Professor Thon Thamrongnawasawat, the deputy dean of the Faculty of Fisheries at Kasetsart University, presented some worrying facts about the situation. Dr Thon said that around 75 of the 87 shark species in Thai waters are endangered.…
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Undersea kingdom: Bangkok to sink beneath the waves
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned that Bangkok will go underwater as low-lying communities and entire countries disappear under rising seas. According to Al Jazeera, Guterres warned of the threat posed by rising sea levels to hundreds of millions of people living in low-lying coastal areas and small island states as new data reveals seas have risen rapidly since…
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Thailand’s plastic bag use plunges by 148,000 tonnes in 3 years
Thailand‘s use of plastic bags plunged by over 148,000 tonnes in about three years. The Pollution Control Department (PCD) launched campaigns in 2018 to cut the use of single-use plastic and plastic shopping bags, in cooperation with the Environmental Quality Promotion Department (EQPD). The campaign aimed to reduce the use of plastic bags by 43% by 2021. According to an…
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Australia and New Zealand best places to survive nuclear apocalypse
As Valentine’s Day casts its mushroom-cloud shadow over ambivalent or forgetful lovers everywhere, it’s heartening to know where the best places to survive a nuclear apocalypse really are. A recent study by the University of Otago, Wellington, reaches the same conclusion as every other such survey in living memory. ‘Continuing’ civilisation It’s probably best not to survive, but if you…
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Thailand’s forest fires close Mae Hong Son Airport
Thailand’s forest fires were so bad, with many parts of Mae Hong Son‘s Muang district covered in such dense smoke Sunday that several airlines rescheduled morning flights. The local pollution control department in Mae Hong Son reported that PM2.5 – particles of dust less than 2.5 microns in diameter – in the Muang and Pai districts reached 90 micrograms and…
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Do fewer shark bites mean fewer sharks?
Shark attacks worldwide fell in 2022, resulting in fewer shark bite incidents compared to the past decade. In 2020, travel restrictions and beach closures were thought to have resulted in fewer encounters between humans and sharks and fewer shark bites. The majority of the 57 unprovoked bites last year occurred in the USA and Australia. Five proved fatal, down from…
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Chiang Mai tackles PM2.5 pollution with giant vacuum cleaner
Thailand‘s Disaster Department is testing out a giant vacuum cleaner as a way to tackle the PM2.5 dust pollution problem that plagues the northern city of Chiang Mai every ‘burning season.’ Every year, farmers around Thailand send their forests and fields up in smoke because it’s the cheapest way to prepare to plant new crops causing PM2.5 levels to shoot…
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Tarmacked forest in Thai conservation area sparks outrage
Netizens are scratching their heads at the Department of National Park‘s decision to tarmac a forest inside a conservation area at a wildlife sanctuary in Chiang Mai province in northern Thailand. No space at all was left around the tree trunks to allow the trees to breathe and grow. An outraged Facebook user posted a picture of the newly tarmacked…
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Swedish ‘plogging’ trend reaches Koh Lanta, Thailand
Koh Lanta – an island along Thailand‘s Andaman coast – saw its first ever plogging event last week, according to the Embassy of Sweden in Bangkok. There’s nothing worse than a beautiful landscape spoiled by plastic waste and debris. A movement in Sweden has come up with a solution. ‘Plogging’ is an activity that combines jogging with picking up litter.…
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Earthquake rocks Turkey – buildings tumble and fear takes over (videos)
A massive 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck southeast Turkey early this morning, sending shockwaves throughout the region and causing several buildings to crumble. The US Geological Survey reported that the earthquake was centred about 33 kilometres from Gaziantep, a major city, and had a depth of 18 kilometres. The disaster was felt in neighbouring provinces, as well as in Lebanon and…
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Russian tourists lend a hand by cleaning Koh Samui beach
A group of Russian tourists demonstrated their environmental responsibility this week by lending a hand to clean up a beach on Koh Samui. On the morning of January 31, a group of Russian tourists helped to collect garbage from Baan Mae Nam Beach before enjoying their day swimming, sunbathing, and exercising. The Phuket Express reported the cleanup yesterday. The tourists found a…
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Thai officials provide safety guidelines for students, school staff amidst pollution
As Thailand continues to grapple with the ongoing air pollution crisis, officials provided guidelines for students and school staff. Yesterday, the Ministry of Education provided school safety guidelines for students and staff to protect themselves from PM2.5. The guidelines include: avoiding outdoor activities for extended periods, wearing face masks when outdoors, wearing long-sleeved shirts, taking showers or washing skin after…
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Thai parks boss sacked in corruption scandal
The head of Thailand’s national parks was sacked on Friday as an investigation into a cash-for-placement scandal engulfs the environmental body. Thai parks boss Rutchada Suriyakul Na Ayutya has been removed from his post to “pave the way for a transparent investigation” into corruption, at least according to Jatuporn Buruspat the Ministry permanent secretary. Any kind of thorough investigation is…
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Thailand to adjust air pollution safety level from June 1
Thailand is set to adjust its standard safety level of air pollution from June 1, 2023. The adjustment will see the safety level change from 50 microns to 37.5 microns as part of a move to help the Pollution Control Department manage air pollution more efficiently. Pollution Control Department Director-General, Pinsak Suraswadi, says currently the PCD has implemented its Level…
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Uncontrollable landfill site fire in Samut Prakan worsens air quality
Bangkok, Thailand, has seen the worst air pollution levels of the year so far today. An uncontrollable fire raging for two days straight at a rubbish dump in Samut Prakan province, just south of the capital, has pumped more PM2.5 dust into the air. A fire has plagued a landfill site in the Phraeksa district since Tuesday night in an…
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More trees in Bangkok could cut heatwave mortality by a third
Planting more trees in Bangkok to lower summertime temperatures could decrease deaths directly linked to hot weather and heatwaves by a third. Increasing tree cover to 30% would shave off 0.4 degrees Celsius locally, on average, during hot summer months. Thai PBS World tells us that of the 6,700 premature deaths attributed to higher temperatures in 93 European cities during…
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Bangkok is third most polluted city in the world
Bangkok was ranked the third worst city in the world for air pollution after PM2.5 dust reached unhealthy levels. A heavy blanket of smog encased the capital’s skyscrapers as nationwide agricultural burning and forest fires pumped tiny dust particulates into the air, exacerbated by the city’s chockablock traffic and stone-dry weather. At 10am, Bangkok’s air quality index (AQI) measured 198,…
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Foreign tourist under investigation for free climbing in southern Thailand
A foreign tourist is under investigation for free climbing up a limestone cliff on an island off the coast of Krabi province in southern Thailand within national park boundaries. The Chief of Hat Noppharat Thara-Mu Ko Phi Phi National Park, Teekhawut Sriburin, is investigating a foreign tourist and a Thai boat operator after photos of a foreigner climbing up a limestone…
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Bangkok and six northern provinces to see air quality worsen over weekend
Bangkok and six northern provinces in Thailand are expected to see air quality worsen over the weekend, according to Thailand’s Pollution Control Department (PCD). The PCD reported yesterday that air quality across the country ranged from very good down to a health-threatening level at 11 am. The amount of PM2.5 dust particles in the atmosphere also exceeded the standard level…
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Locals seek 5 billion baht from oil spill
After an oil spill a year ago, villagers and small businesses in Rayong are suing all involved and seeking 5 billion baht in damages. Star Petroleum Refining (SPRC), PTT Global Chemical and several government agencies are named in the suit for their part in the oil spill last January. The lawsuits have been filed by the Rising Sun law firm, which…
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Bangkok governor urges the capital to work remotely as pollution deteriorates
Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt urged the capital’s workers and car drivers to stay at home and work remotely as the pollution levels continue to deteriorate in the city. The 56 year old city chief advised residents to refrain from going to the office, wear masks outdoors, and if drivers must travel, use public transport. “Residents should work from home if…
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Sick wild elephant treated in central Thailand
A sick wild elephant had to be shot with a tranquilliser dart and sedated before wildlife officials and veterinarians could treat the animal in a forest in Tha Takiap district of Chachoengsao Province on Wednesday. Two elephants were found wandering in Ang Toei forest on Tuesday. One of them was clearly very sick, with a bad wound on the left…
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Why the house lizards came home
House lizards that once lived in forests but now occupy urban areas are very familiar to anyone who lives in Thailand. House lizards are common throughout the tropics, but what makes one species into a house lizard and other… dead? The Puerto Rican crested anole, a brown lizard with a bright orange throat fan, unique to the island, has sprouted…
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Young tiger found dead in Mae Wong National Park
The carcass of a young tiger named Vichit was discovered by wildlife officials in Mae Wong National Park in Kamphaeng Phet province. The tiger was believed to be five years old and had likely wandered out of Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary where it lives naturally before meeting its demise. The chief of Nakhon Sawan’s Protected Areas Regional Office 12,…
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Bangkok air pollution to persist
Most of the capital will be coughing and spluttering on Monday and Tuesday under a dense grey blanket of filthy Bangkok air. The air will be filled with dust on Monday and Tuesday due to the lack of breeze and airflow. The city Environment Department said Saturday that the lack of breeze in Bangkok eventually traps the pollution in the city.…
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ExxonMobil sells interest in Esso Thailand
ExxonMobil is to sell its interest in Esso Thailand to Thai energy firm Bangchak in a deal valued at about 20 billion baht (US$600 million). The deal came on the day Exxon’s astonishingly accurate global-warming predictions came to light, and includes the Sriracha refinery and its network of filling stations. ExxonMobil Asia Holdings previously held 66% of Esso Thailand. The…
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Biodegradable tax incentives to reduce plastic waste
Thailand is taking a big step to tackle plastic waste, and it’s all about incentives. The country’s Ministry of Finance has teamed up with the Ministry of Industry to announce a new program that offers a 25% corporate income tax reduction for businesses that buy biodegradable plastic products between 2022 and 2024. This move is aimed at encouraging companies to…
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