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 Where to travel in Thailand in April [2025]
Travelling in Thailand is peak during April if you are looking for a real taste of summer. With high temperatures, amazing beaches, and exciting events, April is an amazing time to visit the country as a whole. Due to 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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Pollution Control Department sets checkpoints for black exhaust
Not only has the Pollution Control Department set up 20 checkpoints to find vehicles with black exhaust emissions on the roads going in and out of Bangkok, but they announced tighter regulations for next year as the country attempts to reduce the PM2.5 air pollution issue. Cars older than 7 years, along with trucks and diesel cars were being stopped…
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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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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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PM says Thailand will step up fight against climate change
Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha has vowed to step up Thailand’s focus on tackling climate change. He made this announcement yesterday in Glasgow at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Conference of the Parties, also known as the COP26. This convention is a forum in which world leaders can meet and make plans to address relevant climate issues. Prayut…
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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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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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Global Covid-19 recovery efforts will have lasting impact on climate
A comprehensive environmental assessment has warned that the global Covid-19 recovery efforts will have a long lasting impact on the climate. The assessment highlighted countries’ heightened use of fossil fuels as a part of their recoveries, and explained the risk that this poses to the environment and human health. The Lancet Countdown is the largest annual assessment on what impacts…
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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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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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6 warrants out for death of 1 million swiftlets, theft of bird’s nest
Six arrests have been made in connection with the shocking story last month of caves raided in Phatthalung where 1 million swiftlets were killed and their valuable birds’ nest plundered. Swiftlets, unlike other birds, make their nests entirely out of their own saliva which has been prized, especially in Asian culture, as a healing delicacy. Authorities estimated a 5 billion…
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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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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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Island of rubbish: Koh Samui’s pollution problem remains unsolved
No one can argue with the appeal of visiting Thailand’s exotic, tropical islands. With their glistening palm trees, crystal-clear waters, and powdery, white sands, a trip down south is what many yearn to cross off their bucket lists. One of Thailand’s most iconic islands is that of Koh Samui. As the largest and most developed island in the Gulf of…
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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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Turtle full of plastic waste being treated in Phuket
An alarming sign of pollution was found in a young green turtle rescued from a Phuket beach last month and found to have over 150 pieces of garbage and plastic clogging its stomach and intestines. The turtle was first found on Kata Beach in Phuket on July 23rd looking weak and sick. The sea turtle was taken in by veterinarians…
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Saint-Tropez wildfire forces thousands to leave French resort hotspot
A wildfire in the Saint-Tropez region of Southern France has forced thousands of people to evacuate, says the fire service today. AFP reports that round around 750 firefighters responded to the fire while Reuters estimates the number of firefighters is closer to 900. Aircraft also dropped water on the blaze. The high temperatures and strong winds made the situation even more…
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Report contradicts Thai government’s claim that wild tiger numbers are increasing
A new report from the World Wildlife Fund says Thailand’s progress in doubling its wild tiger population by 2022 could be better. However, the findings are contradicted by the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, with department boss Thanya Nethithammakul saying numbers have gone up from 166 in 2020 to 177 this year and that his staff are…
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Environmental groups urge government to ban the import of plastic waste
The Thai government is being urged to push ahead with a ban on importing plastic waste, instead promoting the recycling of domestic plastic waste. Over 100 environmental groups say this is essential to protecting the environment, as well as creating a circular economy. According to a Bangkok Post report, 107 groups have released a joint statement calling for a ban…
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Indian landslide kills 9, injures 3
Yesterday, 9 people died and 3 were injured after their car was struck by falling boulders in Himachal Pradesh, a northern Indian state. The landslide also sent rocks crashing down on a bridge that crossed the Bapsa river Jairam Thakur, the chief minister of Himachal Pradesh characterised the incident as “heart wrenching”. India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi offers his “heartfelt…
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Tak landslides blocks highway 105, army helps clear
Highway 105 in Northern Thailand’s Tak province was blocked by trees/landslides between the Mae Ramat and Tha Song Yang district due to result of heavy rains last night. The highway had to be closed at approximately the 81 kilometre marker in the Tha Song Yang district, also between Ban Samae and Mae Tuen. Tha Song Yang and Mae Ramat chiefs…
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Samut Prakan plastics factory told to move
Following the fire in central Thailand’s Samut Prakan that cost one rescue worker his life, 39 injuries, and saw 80,000 people affected, the government is telling the Ming Dih Chemical factory to move its operation to an industrial location if they want to stay in Thailand. The Department of Industrial Works has told the company to shut down the factory,…
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Chemicals being used to prevent further fires at Samut Prakan factory
Today, 2 chemicals are being employed to help prevent more fires from breaking out at the Ming Dih Chemical factory, in Samut Prakan, says the Department of Pollution Control. The chemicals being used are the F-500 encapsulator agent and Diethyl hydroxylamine, or DEHA. F-500 stops the styrene monomer from igniting and evaporating. DEHA halts polymerisation wherein reacting monomer molecules join…
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Calls for factories to be moved out of residential areas after blaze at plastics plant
The Federation of Thai Industries is calling on the government to move factories away from residential neighbourhoods, following the devastating blaze in Samut Prakan, outside Bangkok. According to a Bangkok Post report, FTI chairman Supant Mongkolsuthree suggests factory owners could be given incentives to relocate, such as a reduction in corporate income tax and land tax. “Factory relocation requires support…
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Crocodiles escape from farm in Trat
Yesterday, dozens of crocodiles managed to escape from their enclosures in a crocodile farm. Due to heavy rains, the crocodiles were able to swim through a flooded “ditch area” that was conveniently located near the farm. The flash flood and subsequent crocodile escape happened in the eastern province of Trat, which is next to the Cambodian border. The farm owner, Pirom Kannak…
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