TDRI urges rollout of ‘greener’ policies

The Thailand Development Research Institute (TDRI) is demanding that the government put strategies in place to cope with the impact of climate change given the huge risks to the economy and society in general.
TDRI President Somkiat Tangkitvanich said yesterday that the country’s flooding, which is occurring more frequently and with greater severity, is partly because the average global temperature keeps rising to the point of being considered “global boiling.”
Mr Somkiat said the severe floods cause significant damage to the economy and society. Many countries have accelerated their adaptation to the risks posed by climate change and have reduced their greenhouse gas emissions, a major cause of global temperature rises.
“What is worrisome is that the government, private sector, and Thai people still attach relatively little importance to climate adaptation. Although the government has some policies, such as water management, to cope with droughts and floods, there are almost no strategies to cope with the impact in other areas,” he said.
He said the key issue is how to make Thailand immune to climate change and survive in the “global boiling” era, whether it be adjusting the agricultural sector to cope with the drought and flash flood crisis, improving the infrastructure of big cities, developing a more accurate disaster warning system, or developing a financial system and insurance measures that will help adapt and distribute risks from various natural disasters.
“We must safeguard the public, especially the most vulnerable and least adaptive groups, in addition to developing a suitable plan for adjusting to the era of global warming. We need to ensure that any actions taken to mitigate the effects in one area won’t have unintended consequences or raise risks in other areas,” Mr Somkiat said.
For these reasons, this year’s TDRI Annual Academic Conference, which marks the 40th anniversary of the organisation, TDRI research teams will present policy directions and measures to prepare Thailand for transforming into a climate-resilient economy and society under the topic “Adjusting Thailand … to survive in the global warming era” on Oct 30 at Samyan Mitrtown, the TDRI president revealed.
TDRI Vice President Sumet Ongkittikul said cities will be another area that will become more severely affected by climate change.
Living and doing business will become more difficult for individuals and the economy if we are unable to adapt to climate change,” he noted.