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RR RUEHCHI RUEHDT RUEHHM RUEHLN RUEHMA RUEHNH RUEHPB RUEHPOD
DE RUEHBK #4172/01 2140112
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 020112Z AUG 07
FM AMEMBASSY BANGKOK
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 8628
INFO RUCNASE/ASEAN MEMBER COLLECTIVE
RUEHZN/ENVIRONMENT SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY COLLECTIVE
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 4644
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RUEHCHI/AMCONSUL CHIANG MAI 3911
RUEHCN/AMCONSUL CHENGDU 0468
RUEHGZ/AMCONSUL GUANGZHOU 3644
RUEHHK/AMCONSUL HONG KONG 3876
RUEHHM/AMCONSUL HO CHI MINH CITY 0609

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 BANGKOK 004172 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR OES/PCI/ACOVINGTON AND OES/EGC/TTALLEY 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: SENV PGOV PREL SOCI EAID TH
 
SUBJECT: THAILAND'S RESPONSE TO GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE 
 
 
BANGKOK 00004172  001.2 OF 003 
 
 
¶1.  Summary:  Thailand is vulnerable to the risks posed by global 
climate change and is taking initial steps to respond to those 
risks.  The Royal Thai Government (RTG) participates in 
international fora on climate change and is signatory to several 
international agreements, including the United Nations Framework 
Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Kyoto Protocol.  In 
addition to these commitments, Thailand has drafted national and 
local strategies to reduce its green house gas (GHG) emissions and 
mitigate the potential effects of rising sea levels.  While the 
national strategy is still on the bureaucratic back burner, the 
Bangkok provincial government is moving forward with its own 
strategy, taking the lead in Thailand's response to global climate 
change.  End summary. 
 
Potential Impacts of Climate Change in Thailand 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
 
¶2.  In 2006, the Southeast Asian System for Research Analysis (SEA 
START), a regional think tank dedicated to climate research, 
produced a technical report that used several simulations to 
determine the impacts of an increase in temperature of 1-2 degrees 
Celsius in Thailand.  The results predict that the hot season would 
last longer and the cool season would be shorter.  According to the 
report, the duration of the rainy season would remain the same, but 
the total amount of precipitation would increase. 
 
¶3.  Any increase in rainfall would further exacerbate Thailand's 
seasonal flooding problem. According to the Department of Disaster 
Mitigation and Prevention, Thailand's most frequent natural disaster 
is flooding with an average of 60 of its 76 provinces affected every 
year.  Seasonal flooding has caused 135 deaths and 5.5 billion baht 
(USD 166 million) in property damage on average during the years 
2000-2004 (the most recent years for which this data is available). 
Ironically, a separate agricultural simulation by SEA START 
predicted that the increased precipitation resulting from climate 
change would lead to a significant increase, three to six percent, 
in Thai rice production. 
 
Disaster Mitigation and Response 
-------------------------------- 
 
¶4.  According to Dr. Louis Lebel of the Unit for Social and 
Environmental Research (USER) at Chiang Mai University, Thailand, 
and Bangkok in particular, is under threat from rising sea levels. 
Dr. Lebel notes the importance of conducting disaster response 
exercises in order to respond effectively to natural disasters, such 
as flooding. Bangkok is only 40 centimeters above sea level, and 
sizeable communities live along the banks of the Chao Phraya River 
that runs through the city. The Bangkok Post reported that 55 
percent of Bangkok will be underwater if mean sea level rises by 50 
centimeters and 72 percent if it rises 100 centimeters. 
 
¶5.  At a meeting with Ambassador Boyce on July 12, Bangkok Governor 
Apirak Kosayothin acknowledged that communities along the Chao 
Phraya River would be vulnerable to flooding from a rise in sea 
level and requested points of contact in the U.S. with expertise in 
'flood-proofing' cities, such as through the construction of a 
series of dikes and levees.  The Regional Environmental Officer 
based in Embassy Bangkok has already coordinated with the OES Bureau 
and USAID to identify appropriate individuals in response to the 
Governor's request. 
 
National Strategy to Respond to Climate Change 
--------------------------------------------- - 
 
¶6.  Under Thailand's Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, 
the Office of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy and 
Planning (ONEP) is developing a new draft strategy to respond to 
climate change, titled "Thailand's Five-Year Strategies on Climate 
Change, 2008-2012". The draft lists six broad strategies, the key 
elements of which are the following: 
- Reduce the vulnerability of Thailand to the impacts of climate 
change by identifying 'hotspot' areas that are especially vulnerable 
to the effects of climate change and by establishing early warning 
systems and evacuation plans for natural disasters such as 
 
BANGKOK 00004172  002.2 OF 003 
 
 
flooding. 
- Reduce GHG emissions by improving energy efficiency in 
transportation, industry and commercial and residential buildings 
and by increasing green space in cities. 
- Support research and development about the impacts of climate 
change in Thailand. 
- Raise public awareness of climate change. 
- Build the capacity of scientists, engineers, technicians, public 
officials and others involved with climate change issues through 
training programs and the establishment of a national climate change 
information center. 
- Support international cooperation on issues of climate change, 
especially cooperation among ASEAN countries. 
 
¶7.  ONEP's national plan still has several bureaucratic hurdles to 
clear before it becomes operational.  The draft plan is still being 
written and is expected to be completed in August. Once the draft is 
finished, a working committee consisting of representatives from 
relevant ministries will use the strategy to develop a national 
action plan. The newly-formed National Climate Change Committee will 
then review the action plan and after it completes its revisions, 
will pass the strategy and action plan to the full Cabinet for final 
review and approval.  An ONEP official told the Embassy's Regional 
Environmental Office that she expects the entire process to be 
completed by September. 
 
Bangkok Takes the Lead 
---------------------- 
 
¶8.  Bangkok is home to just over 10% of Thailand's population of 65 
million, but is estimated to produce up to 40 percent of Thailand's 
total carbon dioxide emissions, which was 181,310 metric tons in 
¶2000. The two largest producers of CO2 emissions are the energy 
production sector and the transportation sector, which produced 38% 
and 33% of Thailand's total CO2 emissions in 1999. Any program to 
reduce Thailand's greenhouse gas emissions will require Bangkok to 
play a leading role. 
 
¶9.  Fortunately, Governor Apirak has traditionally championed 
environmental issues, and his recent campaign to confront global 
warming has become the flagship issue for his last year in office. 
Under his leadership, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) 
is moving forward with an array of projects aimed at reducing GHG 
emissions.  The BMA has issued a five-year plan outlining several 
projects to reduce Bangkok's GHG emissions by 15 percent by 2012. 
The plan is currently undergoing a mandatory 60-day period of public 
hearings prior to implementation.  The hearings are expected to be 
completed by August 12. 
 
¶10.  In the meeting with Ambassador Boyce, Governor Apirak described 
the BMA strategy for reducing GHG emissions as a multi-faceted 
approach that includes, but is not limited to, promoting sustainable 
building, reducing energy consumption, improving waste removal and 
recycling, switching to cleaner burning fuel, reducing vehicle 
emissions, and conducting public awareness campaigns. 
 
¶11.  Sustainable Building: While at the Large Cities Climate Summit 
in New York from May 14-17, 2007, Governor Apirak committed Bangkok 
to the list of cities willing to retro-fit existing buildings with 
technology that will help reduce energy consumption.  In addition to 
retro-fitting existing buildings, Apirak is encouraging architects 
and planners to develop sustainable building models, which for 
example, would include more windows to let in natural light and 
improved insulation to reduce the loss of cool air. 
 
¶12.  Reducing Energy Consumption: At his meeting with Ambassador 
Boyce, Governor Apirak discussed his campaign to promote the use of 
energy-saving compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) by city 
businesses and residents.  Ambassador Boyce noted that USAID's 
Environmental Cooperation-Asia Clean Development and Climate Program 
(ECO-Asia CDCP), in partnership with private companies such as 
Philips Lighting and OSRAM, recently launched a regional initiative 
to certify the quality of compact fluorescent lights sold in markets 
in Asia.  The Governor was receptive to the Ambassador's suggestion 
that the BMA and ECO-Asia CDCP could work together to both promote 
 
BANGKOK 00004172  003.2 OF 003 
 
 
the use and ensure the quality of CFLs in the region. 
 
¶13.  Recycling and Cleaner Burning Fuel: The BMA, in conjunction 
with Bang Chak Petroleum, a private Thai company, has instituted a 
program in Bangkok's Pra Khanong District to buy used cooking oil 
from households to make biofuel.  In addition to producing cleaner 
burning fuel, this program recycles waste that would otherwise be 
dumped into the city's drains and sewers, clogging them, and 
reducing their ability to drain surface runoff of seasonal rainwater 
and prevent flooding in the city. 
 
¶14.  Reducing Vehicle Emissions: In order to reduce GHG emissions 
from vehicles, the BMA plans to enhance public transportation 
through the extension of the subway and elevated train lines, 
introduction of a rapid bus system powered by natural gas, and the 
levying of congestion charges for traffic within certain districts 
in Bangkok. Governor Apirak, however, stressed the impossibility of 
imposing congestion charges until the public transportation system 
is improved and expanded. 
 
¶15.  Public Awareness: The BMA has initiated monthly energy 
conservation awareness campaigns each with a different theme. At 
7:00 p.m. on May 9, the BMA turned off the lights in city 
administered buildings and encouraged businesses and residents to 
turn off their lights for 15 minutes, to demonstrate that small 
deeds by many people can conserve significant amounts of energy.  In 
June, the BMA distributed 44,000 compact fluorescent bulbs to 
vendors at 200 wet markets located in the city as a gesture to 
encourage businesses and residents to use energy efficient 
fluorescent lighting.  The theme for July is to be aware of 
emissions from idling cars. 
 
Cooperation with International Organizations 
-------------------------------------------- 
 
 
¶16.  Following the New York Summit, Governor Apirak met with World 
Bank (WB) officials in New York and Bangkok to confirm the WB's 
support for the BMA's efforts in urban planning, including mass 
transit. They also discussed environmental stewardship, including 
developing and promoting renewable energy, recycling solid wastes, 
and reducing water and air pollution. 
 
¶17.  Governor Apirak also met with the UN Environmental Program's 
(UNEP) Regional Office in Bangkok to discuss the retrofitting 
project and his plans to reduce Bangkok's GHG emissions.  UNEP 
pledged support for BMA's plan to publish and distribute public 
awareness tips on how citizens can personally help to reduce GHG 
emissions. 
 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶18.  Nationally, ONEP is advancing its strategy to respond to 
climate change, but the projected date of September for the plan to 
become operational is probably unrealistic.  The municipal 
leadership in Bangkok, however is moving forward without waiting for 
the national bureaucracy.  It has already begun acting on its plan 
to reduce GHG emissions, and it is looking ahead to seek ways to 
mitigate the impact of future rising sea levels.  Embassy's Regional 
Environmental Office is following up with the BMA as well as with 
ONEP to assist Thailand in its response to global climate change. 
 
Entwistle