Environment News
Discover the latest Environment News in Thailand, providing comprehensive coverage on environmental issues, climate change solutions, and natural disasters in Thailand and the world. We bring compelling stories, investigate eco-friendly initiatives, and bring you closer to the rapidly evolving green landscape. Stay informed about Thailand’s efforts towards sustainable living, biodiversity conversation, and renewable energy promotion to better understand the world’s ecological challenges.
To keep up with the most reliable environment news source, subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on social media.
-
Sponsored Do foreigners get free healthcare in Thailand?
Thailand’s healthcare system is well-regarded across Southeast Asia, with options ranging from public hospitals to world-class private facilities. But when it comes to foreign residents or tourists, healthcare access isn’t as straightforward. So, do foreigners get free healthcare in Thailand?...
-
Trash still a major problem for Phuket beach
Although Phuket officials have repeatedly called on local administrations to clean their areas, one beach on the island province continues to struggle with its trash problem. At Nai Harn beach, plastic trays are often left near the water, and sometimes, people even leave their trash right next to a garbage bin (instead of in it). One unnamed local resident told…
-
Thailand slides down world’s marine plastic index
Thailand’s spot on the list of countries with the highest levels of marine plastic pollution is down from #6 to #10 in light of the country’s efforts to combat plastic waste. Thailand recently reached an international agreement to combat the looming problem of plastic waste at the UN’s most recent Environmental Assembly, or UNEA, meeting held in Nairobi, Kenya. Thailand…
-
Songkran crowds flock to the new, improved, wider, better Jomtien Beach
Pattaya, the seaside playground 2 hours south east of Bangkok, never had really good beaches. But these days the popular resort boasts huge expanses of sand as far as the eye can see. Most of the earlier efforts were concentrated on the popular Pattaya beachfront but recently the efforts moved to Jomtien, about 3 kilometres south of the main party…
-
Floods cause mass buffalo starvation at Thale Noi park in southern Thailand
More than 200 dead water buffaloes have been found floating today at the Thale Noi Waterfowl Park in the southern Thai province of Pattalung. Prolonged flooding in the region had destroyed the grasses that the buffalo rely on for food. Without it, they starved to death. Local authorities quickly rescued another 300 buffaloes, giving them dry grass and supplementary food…
-
Independent candidate for Pattaya mayor vows to solve flooding, waste problems
One Pattaya mayoral candidate, who is running independent of any party, vows to solve the city’s flooding and waste problems. Independent candidate Sakchai Taenghor visited a market in Bang Lamung district of Chon Buri on Wednesday, where he spoke with local residents and vendors to promote his campaign to solve the issues. Flooding is a major problem in Pattaya during…
-
Thailand cold spell kills 200 chickens in Chaiyaphum
A poultry farm in the northeastern province of Chaiyaphum reported that over 200 chickens died after the temperature dropped to 17 degrees Celsius earlier this week. The Department of Livestock Development reported that sudden changes in weather patterns are affecting the animal husbandry sector in Thailand. Chickens can tolerate cold temperatures below freezing, but sudden changes in temperature can affect…
-
Thailand bans single-use plastics from national parks, know before you go
The next time you go for a hike, swim or boat ride in Thailand’s protected great outdoors, make sure to leave disposable plastics at home — except for a water bottle. Beginning April 6, all single-use plastics and styrofoam products are banned from entering national parks in Thailand. Specifically, single-use plastic items such as bags, spoons, forks, straws, cups and…
-
Agriculture ministry to give one million farms in Thailand solar panels
Thailand’s agriculture ministry plans to install solar panels on at least one million of Thailand’s farms in a new pilot project aiming to reduce farms’ electricity bills by 20-30% in 15-20 years. The ministry plans to issue a non-fungible token named “Solar Panels NFT for Thai Farmers” worth around 697 billion baht to legally trade with international investors in Singapore.…
-
Thai government pushes use of electric vehicles to reduce carbon emissions
The Thai government has approved a budget of 3 billion baht to subsidise the price of electric vehicles and has installed free-to-use EV charging stations at Benjakitti Park in Bangkok to promote the shift to a low carbon society. The spokesperson for the prime minister, Thanakorn Wangboonkongchan, announced today that PM Prayut Chan-o-cha aims to promote electric vehicles and make…
-
Chiang Mai forest used as illegal landfill
A forest in Chiang Mai has been illegally used a a landfill. Information about the suspects have not yet been reported, but they will be charged with violating the National Reserved Forest Act. A police chief said police flew a drone over the protected area in Wiang Haeng district after they got reports of possible illegal burning there. He said…
-
Wildlife at Krabi beach from Leonardo DiCaprio film recovers from tourist overrun
A famous beach in Krabi, featured in Leonardo DiCaprio’s The Beach, is now recovering its wildlife after having been overrun by tourists in the past. The beach, the focus of visiting Maya Bay, closed in 2018, before the Covid-19 pandemic hit, because of how much tourism had damaged the ecosystem. Now, plant and animal species that disappeared are returning. The bay…
-
Bleaching damages Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, corals drained of colour
Bleaching has damaged Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, including in its marine park. Bleaching occurs when rising ocean temperatures drain corals of their colours. Marine park authorities say the bleaching is “widespread” across multiple regions, ranging from minor to severe. High sea temperatures have caused bleaching in the reef since 1997, and many corals struggle to survive. Meanwhile, starfish also eat…
-
112 endangered green sea turtle eggs found at Koh Surin National Park
A nest containing 112 eggs from an endangered green sea turtle was found by park rangers at Koh Surin National Park in the southern province of Phang Nga on Sunday. Since the nest was in a potential flood zone, and the eggs were at risk of being eaten by animals, park rangers decided to relocate the eggs to a safe…
-
Much of Australian state under water as 200,000 people ordered to flee flood
A devastating storm that started last week has killed 13 people so far in the Australian state of New South Wales. Emergency services have ordered 200,000 people to flee, warning of dangerous wind and rain across 400 kilometres of the coast. A meteorologist predicts there will be 50-150 milimetres of rain in and around Sydney, which he warned will cause…
-
Phuket international school petitions against slaughterhouse being built nearby
On Tuesday, administrators from an international school in Phuket submitted a petition to the province’s governor against a slaughterhouse being built within 400 metres of the school. The administrators claimed construction of the slaughterhouse would have “long term environmental effects” on people in the area. The slaughterhouse is planned to be 300-400 metres from the school. A report by Phuket’s…
-
Southern houses damaged by rainstorms and sea waves
Rainstorms and big sea waves damaged about 200 homes in the Southern province of Nakhon Si Thammarat between Thursday and this morning. The storms hit the Gulf of Thailand, and drastically eroded about 500 metres of the beach at Na Saton village. The deputy provincial governor inspected the damage this morning, and the Na Satorn Municipality gave people tiles and…
-
After pipeline spills, Rayong officials say beach is “still unsafe”
After 3 separate oil spills from the same company within a month, Rayong officials say the Mae Ramphueng beach is still unsafe. Health officials tested urine samples of officials who had to collect the oil. Out of 534 officials, 3 showed unsafe levels of volatile compounds. 18 other officials still await their results. The Rayong Pollution Control Centre also said…
-
Star Petroleum vows to seal underwater pipeline and “clean up” oil slicks in Rayong
Star Petroleum Refining, the petrochemical company behind 3 separate oil leaks about 20 kilometres off the Rayong coastline, has now been approved by Map Ta Phut Provincial police and Marine Department to seal leaks in their underwater pipeline. The company says that works have begun today, starting with clearing the most recent oil leak of around 12,000 spare metres that…
-
Another leak found in underwater oil pipeline off the Rayong coast
Another oil leak in the pipeline off the coast of Rayong has been reported by the Star Petroleum Refining Public Company, which has sent a letter to the Map Ta Phut Provincial Police Station asking permission to repair the pipe and prevent further environmental damage. Since late January, oil leaking from the pipes have polluted Rayong’s Mae Ramphueng Beach, with…
-
3 men arrested after allegedly selling tiger, leopard skins to undercover police
Three men were arrested yesterday after they were allegedly caught selling clouded leopard and tiger hides to an undercover officer. Along with three live leopard kittens, tiger and leopard hides valued at two million baht were seized by national park officers and police at a resort in Kanchanaburi, which borders Myanmar. Officers had received a tip that illegal wildlife traders…
-
Oil still pollutes Rayong beach, Thai tourist says oil on his body after a swim
Following the second oil leak in Rayong, not only was leaked crude oil still on Mae Ramphueng Beach, but a Thai tourist says water reeked of oil and his body was covered in oily stains after a swim. Another local shared a picture of what looks like a coral-covered with a black strain. Locals say they are worried about the…
-
Fisheries Department will temporarily halt gulf fishing for marine breeding season
The deputy director-general of the Fisheries Department announced yesterday that in coming months, four areas of the gulf will be closed to fishermen for marine breeding season. From February 15 to May 15, waters near the coasts of Prachuap Khiri Khan, Chumphon, and Surat Thani will close. From May 16 to June 14, the foot of Khao Ta Mong Lai…
-
Volunteer teams clean trash and weeds from Phuket canal
Two volunteer organisations are joining forces to clear garbage and weeds from the Bang Yai Canal, which runs from Samkong into Phuket Town on Phuket’s east coast. The organisations are the Royal Thai Volunteers and the Rak Bang Yai Club, who announced the cleanup plan on video teleconference yesterday. The groups say they hope to clear the “bad smells” coming…
-
Second oil leak from undersea pipeline discovered in waters off Rayong
Officials in Rayong are once again dealing with an oil leak from an undersea pipeline belonging to Star Petroleum. According to the Pollution Control Department, the oil slick has been spotted in the Map Ta Phut sea. Department boss Atthaphol Charoenchansa says Star Petroleum has confirmed that around 5,000 litres of oil have created the slick, which extends for about…
-
Oil-affected Rayong beach will host Valentine’s Day event to celebrate reopening
Love will conquer all, including an oil spill off the Thai coastline. The Rayong beach where oil reached its shores last month will host a Valentine’s Day event called “Rayong in Love” to celebrate the beach’s reopening. The event at Mae Ram Phueng Beach will start on Saturday, February 12, and end on Monday, February 14. The Rayong governor said…
-
Petrochemical firm apologises for oil spill in Rayong
The oil firm that is responsible for an oil spill off the coast of Rayong along the eastern Gulf of Thailand e on January 25, has now apologised for the spill. Although the estimated amount of spilled oil was over 50,000 litres, the firm insists it was only 47,000. The firm, Star Petroleum Refining Company Limited, 60% owned by the…
-
Phuket vice governor says water shortage not a concern
Phuket’s vice governor announced yesterday in a meeting that even though the island’s rainfall was below average in 2021, there was still lots of water from the three main reservoirs, and water shortage is “not a concern.” He said plans still need to be made to prevent water shortages in Phuket, though. Phuket had severe water shortages in 2019 and…
-
Rayong officials say no contaminated seafood found following crude oil leak
Officials in the eastern province of Rayong continue to test seafood from the surrounding waters amid contamination concerns but so far, all’s good. So says Rayong’s public health chief, Dr Soonthorn Rianphoomkarnkit. Concerns were raised following a devastating oil spill on January 25 that has affected the surrounding waters. The crude oil leak, from an undersea pipeline owned by Star…
-
Thailand’s Rayong province declares emergency as oil slick reaches beach
Attempts since last Tuesday morning have failed to avert the oil spill reaching the Gulf of Thailand’s east coast beaches. Yesterday the oil started washing up on the Mae Ramphueng beach in Rayong, an hour’s drive south of Pattaya. Up to 200 people were patrolling the stricken beach using back hoes to try and scoop up the oil. Other volunteers…
-
Oil from the Rayong pipeline leak reaches the beach
Despite frantic efforts to contain the leak before it reached the shore, oil from the pipeline leak in the waters about 20 kilometres off the coast of Rayong, south of Pattaya, has begun to hit the shores. The Royal Thai Navy has been leading the efforts to contain the oil that was leaked out into the sea. They warn that…
Don't forget to check out some other things to do in Thailand - get help starting a business or finding a job in Thailand, buy Thailand property, rent a yacht or book a medical procedure worldwide.