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.
-
Air pollution at unsafe levels in Bangkok
Bangkok residents should pay close attention to the air-quality in their vicinity and protect themselves, according to Bangkok Environment Department. The capital’s air quality is invariably appalling at this time of year, due to still air and is expected to remain unsafe over the weekend. The deteriorating air quality is attributed to a cold front from China and only weak breezes.…
-
Toyota boss pumps brakes on shifting to EVs
The boss of Toyota, Akio Toyoda, is trying to pump the brakes on the shift to electric vehicles. During a recent visit to Thailand, Toyota warned that many insiders, a “silent majority,” are quietly wondering if it is a smart move for car makers to retool exclusively for electric cars. Toyoda said… “People involved in the auto industry are largely…
-
Thailand creates new department to tackle climate change
Thailand has created a new department to tackle climate change. The new department, named the Department of Climate Change and Environment, aims to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions by 2065. The new department is responsible for proposing and developing strategies, plans, and programmes on climate change and greenhouse gas reduction as agreed at the COP26 meeting. The ministry of Natural Resources…
-
The UN reaches historic biodiversity agreement to protect one-third of planet by 2030
The United Nations has reached a historic biodiversity agreement that will aim to protect one-third of the planet by 2030. The landmark deal is aimed at safeguarding diversity by protecting vital ecosystems such as wetlands and rainforests and indigenous peoples’ rights. The agreement came at the COP15 UN biodiversity summit in Montreal, Canada. Previously the summit was set to be…
-
Hunger calling at villagers doors amid drought in central Thailand
A hungry herd of elephants went knocking on doors in a Prachin Buri village early yesterday morning, searching for food or water as drought drives them out of their reserve. Frightened villagers awoke to the sounds of wild elephants shuffling around in their yards, rooting for veggies, early on Saturday. Residents of Nong Pradu reported that some elephants from the…
-
Hippos swallows toddler in Uganda, spits him out again
A two-year-old boy survived being half-eaten by a hippopotamus near his home in southwestern Uganda. Iga Paul was playing near the shores of Lake Edward when the hippo grabbed the toddler and swallowed half of his body, according to the BBC. Iga was saved and has made a full recovery, police say. The hippo had the boy in its jaws…
-
Battle lines drawn in Koh Lipe turf war
Thailand’s human rights commission (NHRC) is calling for the government to take urgent action in the Koh Lipe turf war to help sea gypsies living on the island in Satun province. The Moken are a semi-nomadic tribe that lives in Thai coastal provinces and inhabits over 800 islands in the Andaman Sea. They number less than 3,000 people. The Moken have…
-
Bill committee removes section stating cannabis isn’t a narcotic
Section 3 of the draft law being debated in the government right now states that cannabis and hemp are not considered narcotic substances under the Narcotics Act. The House committee that is currently scrutinizing the bill agreed to remove that section, causing controversy and hinting at the possibility of redefining the status of cannabis in Thailand. Ever since legalising cannabis…
-
Breaking: Huge fire erupts in Bangkok’s Sukhumvit Soi 3 near traffic lights
A huge fire has reportedly erupted on Sukhumvit Soi 3 in Bangkok, near the traffic lights. The story is developing. Smoke is engulfing the air above, in what seems to be a fire from a building. Videos below courtesy of Khun Steve and ASEANNOW.
-
Over 100 tonnes of garbage estimated near Phuket Fishing Port
Over 100 tonnes of garbage are estimated to have accumulated in a village near Phuket Fishing Port in Ratsada. The garbage has been building up for over 20 years and was recently brought to light through social media posts. The director-general of the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR), Atthaphon Charoenchansa, visited the village yesterday. Attaphon spoke to villagers…
-
Thailand’s Board of Investment unveils transformation plans
Thailand’s Board of Investment (BOI) has come up with new ways to attract more investment into Thailand. The board’s target is an easy-to-swallow group of companies dubbed “smart and sustainable” according to Bangkok Post. The government’s effort to create a “new” economy in Thailand is focused, like almost every other Asian nation, on buzzwords. The board’s chosen buzzwords are “innovation”…
-
Environmental police arrest 7 over illegal dumping in Bangkok
Bangkok’s pollution problem is rearing its ugly head once again. Environmental police arrested and charged seven people over illegal dumping at 16 sites in the Thai capital. The chief of the Crime Suppression Division ordered environmental police to inspect 16 spots, following reports of illegal dumping causing foul-smelling air. The dumping also reportedly led to the spreading of germs to…
-
Greenpeace join fishers’ campaign to save Thailand’s mackerel
Greenpeace has joined a campaign to save Thailand’s mackerel from extinction. The Canadian-based independent campaigning group reported that Thai mackerel today is not as abundant and cheap as it was before because of years of unregulated overfishing. As a consequence, the fish sold in the markets are getting smaller, most of it is imported from other countries, and many believe…
-
Venomous snake rescued from beer in Australia
Australian reptile rescuers have come to the rescue of a thirsty snake found with its head wedged inside the ring-pull opening at the top of a beer can. Photos and video posted to Facebook by Brisbane North Snake Catchers and Relocation show rescuers responding to a report of a snake trapped in a beer can in Brighton, Queensland. The rescuers arrived to…
-
Three rare cetaceans sighted in Gulf of Thailand
Three rare species of cetacean (whales and dolphins) have been sighted by members of the Marine and Coastal Resources Department trawling the Gulf of Thailand. Scientists were surveying waters along Samut Sakhon, Samut Songkhram, and Phetchaburi last week when they observed an Irrawaddy dolphin (Orcaella brevirostris) at the mouth of Tha Chin River in Samut Sakhon and near the coast…
-
Thailand plans nuclear reactors with US help
US Vice President Kamala Harris announced that the United States would work with Thailand to create new small nuclear reactors. The programme is aimed at producing nuclear power in the country to fight climate change. The nuclear reactors are part of the Net Zero World programme launched last year. Right now, Thailand doesn’t have any nuclear power. Public sentiment has…
-
Thailand leading race in climate change ahead of COP27
It is fitting ahead of the COP27 in Egypt that little Thailand appears to be leading the race in climate change. Last week more than 90 heads of state and an estimated 35,000 representatives of 190 countries gathered at the 27th United Nations Climate Change Conference in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt to discuss how to limit global temperature rises and…
-
Dangerously ill elephant returns to Thailand for veterinary treatment
Muthu Raja, a 30-year-old bull elephant who was born in Thailand, is dangerously ill and has been handed over to the Thai Embassy in Sri Lanka to be repatriated for veterinary treatment. Muthu Raja is one of two elephants given by Queen Mother Rajawongse Sirikit Kitiyakar to former Sri Lankan President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga back in 2001. He was chosen…
-
Subsidised Toyota bZ4X finally on sale in Thailand
The long-awaited new electric Toyota bZ4X went on sale in Thailand Wednesday, taking advantage of new government subsidies. In February, the Thai government introduced subsidies of up to 150,000 baht (US$4,000) per electric vehicle (EV). The new Toyota is the first Japanese car to qualify. The tax break for battery electric vehicles (BEVs) covers passenger cars with no more than 10…
-
TerraCycle crusade to rid Bangkok canals of plastic goes on
The TerraCycle Global Foundation’s crusade to rid Bangkok canals of waste goes on. The US New Jersey-based non-profit organization believes it is winning the battle to remove toxic waste and plastic from the Thai capital’s polluted canals but admits the fight continues. Thailand has been identified as one of the top contributors to plastic pollution in the oceans. The kingdom’s…
-
Mass tree-planting planned for Phuket beach after illegal structures removed
After police removed removed illegal structures from a beach in Phuket‘s Thalang district, they now plan to recover the beach’s nature. Phuket Vice Governor Amnuay announced at a meeting on Monday that a mass tree-planting would start at Layan Beach on Tuesday, November 15. The tree-planting event will begin at 9am, and will include a beach cleanup, he said. Amnuay…
-
Banged up abroad – Sweden’s escaped cobra slips home
A king cobra that escaped from his new home in a Swedish aquarium turned up back in his terrarium about a week after he made his daring midnight escape. Skansen Aquarium in Stockholm said in a Facebook post that the cobra, named Sir Vas, or Sir Hiss (before being clumsily rebranded “Houdini”) had returned of his own free will. The deadly…
-
Coming soon – giant asteroid ‘hiding in the sun’ dazzles astronomers
Starry-eyed optimists – or astronomers as they are sometimes known – have found a giant asteroid, lurking near the sun. They hadn’t noticed it before, because the sun was in their eyes. It’s the biggest potentially hazardous asteroid (PHA), – known to some sensationalists as “planet killers” – found in eight years, and has been discovered lurking in the sun’s…
-
Korat elephants face further persecution from farmers
As if the remains of Thailand’s decimated elephant population have not suffered enough persecution, farmers in Nakhon Ratchasima (Korat) still refuse to live in harmony with their big grey neighbours. A local leader has called on authorities to address the problem – if it is one – of wild elephants from Thap Lan National Park invading farmland and destroying crops. Oraya…
-
Stockholm’s fugitive king cobra found hiding in wall cavity
While Thailand suffers a plague of serpents, driven out of their natural hiding places by recent flooding, a king cobra, broke out of a new enclosure in a Swedish zoo only days after it arrived. The frightened reptile was found early on Thursday morning, hiding only a few metres from its enclosure. The reptile escaped by squirming through a light…
-
Burmese escapees rounded up in annual Florida snake wrangle
In stark contrast to the activities of a single reticulated python that recently swallowed a woman in Indonesia, a 19-year-old south Florida man has captured 28 Burmese pythons in an annual 10-day competition to rid the state of invasive species. Matthew Concepcion was among the 1,000 people who participated in the annual snake hunt, which this year “removed” 231 of…
-
Greenpeace study reveals most plastic cannot be recycled
A new study by Greenpeace reveals most of the plastic generated in the world today cannot be recycled. The report, Circular Claims Fall Flat Again, released yesterday, says that while paper, cardboard, and metals are all recycled at a high percentage rate, plastic fails on a massive scale. The Greenpeace study reported that households in the United States generated about 51…
-
Carmageddon – Bangkok’s boy racers left standing by Cheshire’s EPL stars
Wilmslow might be one of northwest England’s most desirable postcodes, but the name of the town has a simple ring of humour. Wilmslow in the heart of Cheshire sounds like the place where Monty Python sketches take place. Not exactly Purley, but close. One expects Wilmslow residents to sell insurance for a living, to be avid collectors of used bus…
-
Dying of laughter – animals on the brink say ‘cheesy’
The Comedy Wildlife Photo awards have rolled around yet again, annual prizes for bad photography where technical flaws like unwanted foreshortening are revered and the welfare of subjects irrelevant. Presumably, a picture of an adolescent lion falling from a tree in the Serengeti is as funny as an adolescent human falling from a Bangkok balcony. The planet is dying and…
-
Google Maps update makes it easy to find EV charging stations in Thailand
As more and more people opt for electric vehicles (EVs) in Thailand, Google Maps has added a feature to make it easy to find a place to charge your car. Google added the feature after searches for EV charging stations in the kingdom grew by 350% over the past year. Simply launch the app and search for EV charging stations…
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.