A GREENER GROWTH PATH TO SUSTAIN THAILAND’S FUTURE
Global experience shows that growing first and cleaning up later rarely works. Rather, it is in countries’ interest to prioritise green and clean growth. This also holds true for Thailand, a country with rich natural resources contributing significantly to its wealth.
According to World Bank data, annual natural resource depletion in Thailand accounted for 4.4% of gross national income in 2012, and it has been rising rapidly since 2002. The rate of depletion is comparable to that in other countries in East Asia and the Pacific, but it is almost three times faster than the rate in the 1980s.
Rapid natural resource depletion in Thailand is increasingly visible in reduced forest areas. Illegal logging and smuggling have led to a decline from 171 million rai of forested area in 1961 to 107.6 million in 2009. Coastal communities face erosion and ocean waste, as well as the effects of illegal, destructive fishing. The coasts are also increasingly vulnerable to storm surges and rising sea levels, due to continued destruction of mangroves and coral reefs.
How does natural resource depletion affect people? The effects are ubiquitous, every day:
A Karen villager, for example, will have a more difficult time finding food and herbs to use as medicine in a forest that is disappearing.
A local operator or a boatman making a living from a diving business will face a decline in income as coral reef bleaching becomes a more serious threat.
Some key tourist destinations may have to close temporarily for recovery, or shut down completely.
As air pollution in Bangkok is above the World Health Organization’s recommended standard, it can cause breathing problems, respiratory diseases and a range of adverse long-term health effects.
Only about 50% of wastewater is treated in Thailand, and communities along rivers risk using unsafe water for consumption. Urban residents must be concerned about the safety of food grown with contaminated water in food-producing areas.
But the future need not be bleak. On the contrary, the opportunities for Thailand to enjoy the benefits of sustainable growth are plenty. Such opportunities are outlined in a recent report by the World Bank. The systematic country diagnostic report, “Getting Back on Track: Reviving Growth and Securing Prosperity for All”, includes some options for Thailand to make concrete progress on green growth.
How can Thailand enjoy economic growth and also protect the environment? Aware of the need for change, policymakers have put in place strategies to address dwindling natural resources. For example, a clear target has been set to increase forest coverage to 40% of the country’s total land area.
Actions to accelerate identification and clarification of forest boundaries will be the first step to achieving this target. Investment in sustainable forest management is also important to increase forest areas — both public and private investment. Such investments have proved successful, for example, in Latin America and Brazil.
Since 2012, regulations to keep water pollution in check have become more stringent. As is often the case elsewhere, the weakest link is enforcement. But simple improvements can be made by taking advantage of data. A real-time digital monitoring system can be put in place to monitor pollution and wastewater discharges.
Enforcement has improved with the introduction of monitoring systems for wastewater discharges at almost 300 large factories. Expanding the systems to strengthen enforcement further will be important — including sharing the data with the public, so citizens can play a more active role in enforcing the laws.
Putting a price on pollutants such as carbon emissions can encourage businesses and consumers to develop and use cleaner energy opportunities and technologies. More than 40 countries have adopted carbon pricing mechanisms. Payments for environmental services, with governments paying nearby communities in return for protecting the forest, could also be considered.
Green growth is a driver of economic expansion and job creation in other countries, such as South Korea and the United Kingdom, and it can be for Thailand too. Incentives for renewable energy producers have yielded encouraging results in the gradual growth of renewable energy production and use.
Some 44 billion baht in renewable energy investments are expected this year alone — investments that will lead to more jobs for the country. Still, there is scope for much further and faster renewable energy growth, especially solar energy.
What can people do? What can we do? Green growth and a clean country starts with us. We all can become more environmentally conscious consumers and contribute to a clean and green Thailand. For example, we can buy environmentally friendly appliances, such as energyefficient light bulbs and refrigerators with fewer ozone-damaging coolants.
We can also take shorter showers, reduce waste (especially plastic waste) and recycle at home. And we can engage in public debate to support policies and projects that are good for the environment.
Thailand is on the right track in addressing its key energy and environmental challenges. Greener growth will be critical for ensuring the availability of resources to power future growth, and for protecting Thailand’s wealth of natural resources for generations to come.
Ulrich Zachau is the World Bank’s country director for Southeast Asia and Pajnapa Peamsilpakulchorn is an environmental consultant at the bank.