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.
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Bangkok officials launch “big cleaning” attack on air pollution | VIDEO
If all else fails, spray water at it … That seems to be the motto of officials in Bangkok, who have resorted to spraying large plumes of water into the air, in an effort to rid the capital of the smog that has plagued it for months now. Bangkok Governor Aswin Kwanmuang has launched the “Bangkok Big Cleaning Day”, in…
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Smoke and mirrors – the truth about Bangkok’s air pollution | VIDEO
OPINION TRANSCRIPT Smoke, haze, smog. Every year it’s the same culprits in Bangkok. It’s all the cars sitting in traffic, it’s the old diesel buses, it’s people burning too many incense sticks… yes, that was actually used a reason to explain Bangkok’s bad air at one stage last year during Chinese New Year. Of course all those things contribute to…
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Discounts on services for old cars to reduce vehicle emissions, improve air quality
To help ease air pollution in Bangkok, several car manufacturers are offering discounts on maintenance services for old cars as part of a campaign launched by the Automotive Industry Club Federation of Thai Industries, known as the FTI. Deals on car inspections, oil changes and other services will be going on from now until the end of February. This week,…
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Police commander suggests people in Bangkok work at home once a week to reduce vehicle emissions
While air pollution in Bangkok has largely been linked to field crop burning in the North, deputy commander of the Royal Thai Police, Damrongsak Kittipraphat, suggests those in the city work from home once a week to keep pollution levels down. Damrongsak says that if people stay at home like they did during the lockdown, it could help reduce vehicle…
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The smog returns to Bangkok
The air pollutant PM2.5 is at unhealthy levels in and around Bangkok. 34 areas in the city and in surrounding provinces have levels of PM2.5 exceeding the safety standard, according to an air quality report by the Department of Pollution Control. The air pollutant PM2.5 is fine particulate matter less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter. At high levels, the pollutant…
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Air pollutant PM2.5 rises to unhealthy levels in Bangkok
Start wearing a N95 face mask when walking in Bangkok, the air pollutant PM2.5 is at unhealthy levels. 34 areas in the city and in surrounding provinces have levels of PM2.5 exceeding the safety standard, according to an air quality report by the Department of Pollution Control. The air pollutant PM2.5 is fine particulate matter less than 2.5 micrometers in…
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New forum to tackle Mekong challenges
For nearly 20 years, activists have called against the development of hydro-dams and water projects along the Mekong River. But now, the campaign is taking the next step with plans to focus on taking action at the policy level. It took 2 decades, but activists have now launched the “Mekong People’s Forum.” 200 people attended the forum including local villagers, conservationists,…
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More trees for Bangkok, city’s arborist says a “green future” will take time
More trees will be planted throughout Bangkok as part of the city’s master plan “Green Bangkok 2030.” While in western countries, eco-friendly master plans are driven by science, Thailand has spiritual influences that also come into play. Photos and news of big trees being cut down are often shared on social media. Some people in Thailand believe spirits inhabit some…
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Protected hornbill dies from gunshot wound, 2 suspects in police custody
A protected great hornbill died after 5 days of medical treatment for a severe gunshot wound. 2 suspects are now in police custody and officers have seized a .22 calibre rifle, according to Thai PBS. A tourist found the injured bird near the Khiriphet waterfall on Koh Chang. The hornbill, known in Thai as a nok nguek, was treated at…
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Economic concerns put Bangkok’s ban on 10-wheel trucks on hold
Officials in Bangkok have decided to delay a proposed ban on 10 wheel trucks in light of the current economic challenges affecting the transportation and industrial sectors. The proposed ban was aimed at reducing PM2.5 air pollution in the capital and was expected to come into force from December 1 – 28. Particulates – also known as atmospheric aerosol particles,…
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Health officials call for smoking to be banned in residential buildings in Thailand
Thai health officials are calling for a ban on smoking in residential buildings, such as condominiums, hotels, and dormitories. Those campaigning for a change in the law say it’s needed to protect the health of residents, and children in particular. Paisan Limsathit, from the Health Laws and Ethics Centre at Thamassat University, says residential buildings should be smoke-free in order…
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New national haze forecast website gives 3 day forecasts at 70% accuracy rate
Thailand is getting a new national haze forecasting website that is capable of giving a 3 day forecast at a 70% accuracy rate. The Pollution Control Department is unveiling the “Mekong Air Quality Explorer” platform, which was named after the area is was originally designed to monitor. The PCD teamed with the USAID and NASA, the latter of which has…
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Crackdown on vehicles emitting black exhaust to tackle Bangkok pollution
Buses, trucks and other vehicles that puff out clouds of black exhaust could be fined and may even be suspended from driving on the road. The Pollution Control Department says the government plans to tighten vehicle inspections in Bangkok to tackle air pollution. In Bangkok, the air quality fluctuates throughout the day and week. Recently, levels of PM2.5 in some…
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Human feces dumped in watershed contaminates Karen people’s drinking water
A truck allegedly dumped a tank of human feces in a watershed that drains into water sources used by a group of Karen people, leaving the community in Northern Thailand’s Tak province with no clean drinking water. Around 200 Karen people gathered at a police station in the Phop Phra district to file a complaint. For generations, water drained from…
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Homeless hermit crabs in Koh Lanta need seashell donations
Hermit crabs on Moo Koh Lanta Marine National Park have been seen making homes out of broken glass bottles and other pieces of trash. With the shortage of shells on the Krabi beaches, park officials have launched a project called “Returning Homes to Hermit Crabs.” The park made a post on Facebook with photo a hermit crab that appears to…
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Urgent plan to reduce PM2.5 – National Environment Board
With the air pollutant PM2.5 rising to harmful levels in some areas of Bangkok and increasing in other cities, the National Environment Board has approved an urgent plan. Pollution Control Department chief Atthaphon Charoenchansa says the plan has 12 measures to tackle pollution. It will be submitted to the Cabinet for review. A “pollution information centre” will be formed with…
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Koh Phi Phi marine park dive site closed off for the next 2 years after karst island collapse
A popular dive site in the Koh Phi Phi National Park will be closed off for the next 2 years after 30,000 tonnes of rock broke off of a karst island, falling into sea and onto a coral reef. Koh Mae Urai is a karst formation between Koh Phi Phi and the Krabi mainland. A large chunk of the rock…
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Bangkok air pollution predicted to reach “unhealthy” levels
At least some good news, Bangkok’s air quality has improved during the lockdown period. In January, it was listed as the “third most polluted city in the world.” By April, air pollution levels dropped down to a “safe” and “healthy”, according to the US Air Quality Index, or AQI. Now the bad news, forecasts predict Bangkok’s air pollution will reach…
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Large “chunk” breaks off Krabi island, damaging coral reef at popular dive site
A large chunk of an island near Koh Phi Phi in southern Thailand has broken off and collapsed on top of a coral reef at a popular dive site. No one was around when the cliffsides sheered off and collapsed into the sea, but national park officers on a routine patrol noticed a section of the island had broken off…
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New delivery application focuses on reducing Thailand’s food waste
The following story was sent to The Thaiger from the Yindii, a business focused on sustainability and reducing waste produced from the food industry. Yindii, a Thai anti-food-waste startup, launches a mobile application designed to match hungry, deal-seeking Bangkok residents with environmentally-conscious restaurants, grocery stores and cafes offering delicious food that could otherwise go to waste. Through its discounted “flash…
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PM pledges to protect Thailand’s natural resources at virtual biodiversity summit
Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha has said he’ll do his best to protect the country’s natural resources and tackle the issue of biodiversity losses in Thailand. He was speaking at a UN biodiversity summit, being held online. The term biodiversity encompasses all living organisms, whether plant, animal, fungi or micro-organisms. According to a report in Nation Thailand, the PM acknowledges the…
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Thailand’s ban on hazardous farming chemicals to remain in place
Despite fears to the contrary among those in favour of it, the ban on paraquat and chlorpyrifos is to remain in place. The Hazardous Substances Committee has confirmed that production, possession, and importing or exporting either substance remains illegal, under legislation introduced on June 1 of this year. Thai PBS World reports that Industry Minister, Suriya Juangroongruangkit, says a discussion…
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Little has changed: 9 years after devastating floods, Bangkok remains defenceless
Parts of Bangkok remain at risk of catastrophic floods, as happened in 2011, when thousands of people were displaced and homes partially or totally destroyed. Now, 9 years later, a report in the Bangkok Post says city officials have made little progress in shoring up the capital’s flood defences, and the upper-eastern area remains as exposed as ever. Back in…
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More than 1,000 pigs killed in effort to contain spread of virus in Lampang
The outbreak of ‘porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome’ caused the Department of Livestock Development to order the slaying of pigs in several subdistricts of Mae Tha district in the northern Lampang province. The head of the department says it has been able to prevent the outbreak from spreading out of the declared areas due to the elimination order, but the…
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Alcohol banned at national parks after complaints of trash and drunk tourists
Alcohol is now banned at national parks after tourists allegedly got drunk at a waterfall and others left a load of trash by their campsite. The Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation has updated other park rules to make sure parks are kept clean and the wildlife isn’t disturbed. Just last week, trash left at a campsite at…
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Richest 1% responsible for twice the amount of carbon emissions than the poorest 50%
The richest people in the world, who make up just 1% of the population, are responsible for a significant amount of carbon emissions. A study shows that the “1 percenters” make up twice as much carbon pollution than the poorest half of the world. Some say the poor are the least responsible for climate change, but have to deal with…
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Khao Yai National Park litterers will get their trash back in the mail
“We purposefully collected all your rubbish in a box and sent them to your home as a souvenir as a lesson to not litter anywhere ever again.” So much trash was left at the Khao Yai National Park campsite that park officials have packed it in parcel boxes and sent it back to the campers. The Minister of Natural Resources…
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Hunt for wild tiger sighted at maize plantation in northern Thailand
A drone has been deployed in the hunt for a wild tiger believed to have wandered outside its natural habitat at the Huey Kha Kheng wildlife sanctuary. The sanctuary, in the northern province of Uthai Thani, has brought in forest rangers in an attempt to track down the tiger, whose footprints were spotted in a nearby maize plantation. PHOTO: Thai…
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PM denies government split over toxic chemical ban
As officials continue to debate a recently-introduced ban on paraquat and chlorpyrifos, the PM, Prayut Chan-o-cha denies the government is split on the matter. He points out that coalition governments will always have differing viewpoints and that such differences will not affect the administration’s overall unity. Currently Glyphosate hasn’t been included in the ban. “Our core priorities are public health…
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National parks may close annually to recover wildlife
Environmentalist think Thailand’s national parks need to take a break. They’re considering closing the parks once a year to give wildlife time to rehabilitate. Since many parks have been closed during the coronavirus pandemic, wildlife has returned to areas, according to Environment and Natural resources Minister Varawut Silpa-archa. By closing the parks for a 2 to 4 months out of…
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