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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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…
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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…
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Race against time to prevent Rayong oil spill reaching the shore, 3 kilometres away
Officials in Rayong are pulling out all the stops to protect the eastern province’s beaches from an oil spill 3 kilometres off-shore. According to a Nation Thailand report, provincial governor Channa Iamsaeng says the crude oil is currently headed for the beaches of Mae Rampueng and Khao Laemya. Workers have placed a “beach boom”, or barrier line, in the sea,…
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Oil spill threatening tourism recovery on Thailand’s Koh Samet
Koh Samet’s fragile tourism sector, already battered by the restrictions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, now faces another threat from an oil spill heading for the island’s, and nearby, beaches. Sarinthip Tupmongkholsup from the Tourism Association of Koh Samet is reminded of a 2013 oil spill at the island’s Ao Phrao and is desperate to avoid a repeat scenario. “We…
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Harmful dust levels reported in Greater Bangkok – Pollution Control Department
Thailand’s Pollution Control Department is warning of harmful amounts of fine particulate dust in Greater Bangkok during today and tomorrow, as well as this coming weekend. The dust has been caused by stagnant air over the city. This morning, the department stated that over the past 24 hours the level of PM 2.5, which is fine particulate matter around 2.5…
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Students suffer minor injuries after apparent wild elephant attack on Doi Mon Jong trail
A popular trail in the Doi Mon Jong ranges has been closed indefinitely after a female student was attacked by at least 2 wild elephants. The trail is about 4 hours out of Chiang Mai and reaches one of the ten highest peaks in Thailand. The chief of the Omkoi wildlife sanctuary, Navee Silsuphakul, says that the trail, opened for…
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Prachuap Khiri Khan, Koh Samui beaches have the cleanest water
The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has just completed their 2021 Environmental Quality Audit of Thailand, and Prachuap Khiri Khan and Koh Samui dominated the list of cleanest sea water beaches. All top 5 beaches with the cleanest sea water were in the Gulf of Thailand. The best seawater was one of 4 categories assessed by the study, which…
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Bangkok 14th worst air quality globally, more PM2.5 next week
Not quite as pride-inducing as being ranked the number 1 city for a workation in the world or the 4th best place to live in Southeast Asia, but Bangkok has recently been listed as having the 14th worst air pollution globally on the World Air Quality Index. The dubious honour was awarded on Wednesday as Bangkok faces more days where…
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Toll fee waived for Motorways 7 and 9 for 4-day New Year’s weekend
As a New Year’s gift for motorists in Bangkok and the surrounding areas, the Cabinet has approved a waiver for every toll fee on the busy number 7 and number 9 Motorways from December 30 to January 3. The move is not just a chance for drivers to save money, but also will half reduce traffic congestion and in turn,…
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No confirmation on whether January 1 re-opening of Maya Bay can go ahead
The Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation says it’s still waiting to hear from the Natural Resources and Environment Minister if the re-opening of Maya Bay can go ahead. The hugely popular tourist draw was expected to re-open from January 1 and Damras Phoprasit from the DNP says he’s already reassured Minister Varawut Silpa-archa that the newly-constructed pier…
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Authorities warn of “unhealthy” levels of air pollution in Bangkok, elsewhere this week
Authorities have warned that particulate matter 2.5 levels in Bangkok and other parts of Thailand will reach an unhealthy stage this week. According to a Pattaya News report, the Centre for Air Pollution Mitigation says PM2.5 pollution levels are exceeding safe standards in many central parts of the country, including the capital. The CAPM operates under the authority of the…
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Krathong cleanup: Prayers to the water goddess trash Thailand’s rivers
Under the full moon on Friday, Thais gathered by rivers and canals to float their intricately-made offerings, known as krathongs, to give thanks to the water goddess. But overnight garbage collectors in Bangkok quickly cleaned the waterways before sunrise, loading dump trucks with krathongs and other debris. The Loy Krathong festival is a known as a popular tradition where Thais…
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Thailand coast along the Andaman Sea eyed to be UNESCO World Heritage site
A large swath of coastline in Southern Thailand has been approved by the Cabinet to be a potential new UNESCO World Heritage site. This area runs along the Andaman sea from Phuket up through Phang nga and Ranong, and much of it is already approved nature reserves and national park land. The total site comprises around 1,160 square kilometres. A…
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Thailand now generating electricity at world’s biggest hydro-solar farm
As part of Thailand’s push to become a carbon-neutral country by 2050, the world’s largest hydro-solar hybrid energy farm has officially gone online and is now generating electricity. The solar farm floats atop the Sirindhorn Dam in Ubon Ratchathani and is as big as 70 football fields. The massive installation floats on Sirindhorn Reservoir along Lam Dom Noi River, about…
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4.4 billion baht Supreme Court corruption case about futsal courts
The Supreme Court of Thailand has accepted a major corruption case to go to trial regarding low-quality futsal courts nearly 10 years ago worth 4.4 billion baht. The wide-reaching case regarding poorly built playing areas for futsal, a game similar to football that is popular in Thailand, will require Thailand’s chief whip, Wirat Rattanaseth, to cease his MP role while…
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Thailand ranks ninth on Global Climate Risk Index for “extreme weather events”
When it rains, it pours in Thailand… and torrential downpours during the country’s monsoon season is known to cause severe flooding, damaging property and leading to injuries, sometimes deaths. The weather in Thailand is considered so intense that the country is ranked ninth on the Global Climate Risk Index 2021 on nations most affected by “extreme weather events” between 2010…
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Thai PM expected to embark on first overseas trip since start of pandemic
The Thai PM is expected to attend the COP26 climate summit in Scotland, his first overseas trip since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. According to a Pattaya News report, there are reports Prayut Chan-o-cha will travel to Glasgow for the conference, which kicks off at the end of this month. Over 120 world leaders are expected to attend the…
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Control measures set to reduce pollution in Bangkok from vehicle emissions
To tackle the seasonal haze in Bangkok, Thai officials are coming up with ways to reduce pollution from car and truck exhaust. Road checkpoints will be set up to look out for vehicles emitting clouds of black smoke and drivers of vehicles emitting exhaust that exceeds legal limits will face a 5,000 baht fine. According to the National News Bureau…
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Bangkok and surrounding provinces warned to prepare for dust pollution
Now’s a good time to shore up your collection of PM2.5 masks and make sure your air purifier is running smoothly, with dust pollution forecast to hit Bangkok and its surrounding provinces from the end of October. According to a Thai PBS World report, weather conditions – namely the arrival of high atmospheric pressure – will be ripe for the…
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Largest petrochemical producer to cut greenhouse gas emissions
Thailand’s largest petrochemical producer has vowed to do its part in helping in the fight against climate change. PTT Global Chemical Plc announced that by 2030, it intends to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 20%. The company also aims to accomplish the goal of net-zero, or carbon neutrality, by 2050. Carbon neutrality is achieved when the emissions of carbon dioxide…
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UK government calls on Thailand to accelerate its net-zero target
As the UK prepares to host the 26th UN Climate Change Conference, the British government is urging Thailand to sign a key pact. The UK is hosting the climate talks, known as COP26, in partnership with Italy. The event takes place in Glasgow, Scotland, between October 31 and November 12. The Bangkok Post reports that a press briefing was held…
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Phuket’s Khai Islands overwhelmed by rubbish
Phuket’s UWC Thailand and 5 Star Marine have collaborated with government departments to help clean up the rubbish stricken Khai Islands off the coast of Phuket. Yesterday, staff and students from UWC Thailand International School and 5 Star Marine collaborated as part of the tourism restart plan and program. The popular islands needed a major clean up before they were…
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Return of the tar balls on Phuket’s northern beaches
The tar balls are back. During a scheduled beach clean yesterday along Phuket’s north-coast Nai Yang Beach, volunteers noticed the return of the mysterious tar balls that were washing up along the coast in the weeks before Phuket’s Sandbox started on July 1. Michelle from Sustainable Mai Khao Foundation contacted The Thaiger this morning with the news of the return…
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Pattaya Waterfront Condo building requests to resume construction
An infamous Pattaya eyesore has been scheduled for demolition, but the owners submitted a surprise request to resume construction on the Waterfront Condo building on Bali Hai Pier. The 53-story condominium at the entrance to the Bali Hai Pier has been abandoned for years since 2014 and last September authorities served a legal demolition order against the owners of the…
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Sri Panwa resort face punishment for illegally acquired land
Just as the National Anti-Corruption Commission probed Trisara resort, the luxury resort Sri Panwa in Southeast Phuket is facing legal action for land the Department of Special Investigation says was acquired illegally. The resort is accused of acquiring one plot over 3 rai in area with a Nor Sor 3 Gor land document – papers with ownership privileged just short…
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NACC: Trisara resort faces illegal land ownership charges
Following on from last week’s disclosure of a probe into the upscale Sri Panwa property in Phuket, another luxury property, Trisara resort, faces a similar investigation into illegal land ownership by the National Anti-Corruption Commission. The probe by the NACC into Trisara resort named 29 officials involved in the illegal document issuing, with ex-Phuket Vice Governor Weeraway Janpen being singled…
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British Airways tests first ever net-zero carbon emissions flight
British Airways has tested the first passenger flight operating on sustainable aviation fuel, while off-setting the remainder of emissions. TTR Weekly reports that BA1476 flew from London Heathrow to Glasgow last week, after the airline pledged to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. BA says it will achieve its goal through a series of short, medium, and long-term measures. The…
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Government seeks to regulate infectious waste disposal charges
Government officials are seeking ways in which to regulate the fees being charged for the disposal of infectious waste. According to a Bangkok Post report, the Internal Trade Department will meet tomorrow with the National Municipal League of Thailand, the Health Department, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, and waste disposal companies. The rates for disposing of contaminated waste have jumped significantly…
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Major earthquake near Acapulco, Mexico kills 1
A major earthquake shook the southwestern Mexican beach town Acapulco, yesterday. The earthquake has killed at least 1 person after a post fell on him. There were also rockfalls that damaged buildings, and power outages across several states as a result of the earthquake, says local officials. The earthquake, or temblor, had a magnitude of 7.0, which Michigan Tech estimates…
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Koh Larn resorts accused of encroaching on coastlines
The island of Koh Larn, just off the coast of Pattaya, is the centre of a controversy as officials are threatening to pursue 39 private resorts accused of illegally encroaching on the coastlines. The Pattaya Marine Office says these resorts are cutting off the sea from the public, violating the Thai law that reserves beaches as state land and not…
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