A young climate activist from Thailand named Sanathorn Ratananapoompinyo, also called Joy, was greatly affected by the impacts of climate change in her country. Joy has experienced first-hand the impacts of climate change in Thailand in the form of hotter temperatures in the winter season. According to Joy, who has experienced Thailand’s winters from childhood, “the hotter temperatures during the winter are a sign of changing climate as Thailand normally experiences colder winters”. In order to address climate change concerns in Thailand, Joy initiated an event called “Fridays for Future” on September 20, 2019. Fridays for the Future is a global movement led by young people concerned about the impact of climate change on their generation.

The “Fridays for Future” Thailand event was held at Siam Discovery in Bangkok. To describe the event, Joy explained “on upcoming Friday, 20th September 2019 there will be a global strike march again. I think it is a good opportunity to do something. Why don’t we sit down and have a talk? Where are we now and will we make it by 2030? It would be great if we can express our opinion and express how much we are worried about climate change. The government organizations probably want to tell us about their progress. Both sides will have a better understanding”. 

This event held a “debate talk between government organizations and citizens about climate change”. Talk sessions and open floor question and answer sessions were organized for the event. There was also an interactive exhibition about Climate Change that displayed the “causes of climate change, effects that already happened, effects that are expected to occur in 2050, and how to help prevent climate change”. The event also included a visual trash room which displayed to visitors the amount of damage being done.

Different government organizations and government representatives attended the event, such as the Thailand Greenhouse Gas Management Organization, The Office of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy and Planning Bangkok Office, Pollution Control Department, and Dr. Suchana Chavanitch, professor of marine science at Chulalongkorn University. Citizens representatives including Greenpeace, Rereef, Trash Hero, Climate Strike Thailand, and Climate Activist Lily from “Grin Green International” also attended the event.

To know more about the event please visit the blog written by Joy at http://th.boell.org/en/2019/09/16/climate-call-thailand

The “Fridays for the Future” event, initiated by Joy is a positive step for addressing climate change issues in Thailand. However, more is yet to be done by climate activists and the Thai Government in order to address climate change issues in the country. Joy and other climate activists in Thailand along with the Thai government should jointly facilitate different initiatives like community-based workshops, awareness campaigns, and public exhibitions. These initiatives will provide appropriate strategies for addressing climate change issues. 

In order to ensure that climate change issues are properly addressed in Thailand, you can contact the members of the Office of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy and Planning with the following Action Alert message:

We congratulate the Government of Thailand for its active participation in the “Fridays for Future” event, which was recently organized by Thai Climate Activist Joy. Thai Government’s participation in this event is indeed a positive sign, which indicates that the Government is active in its effort to mitigate climate change in the country. To address climate change issues in Thailand in a systematic manner, more is yet to be done. Here, your role will be crucial. As a prominent member of the Office of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy and Planning (ONEP), I request you kindly to consider two recommendations. First, climate activists like Joy and the Thai Government should jointly facilitate different initiatives like community-based workshops, awareness campaigns, and public exhibitions. Second, to address climate change issues in a transparent manner, there should be regular meetings, debates and joint-discussions between the Thai Government, climate activists and the concerned stakeholders.

Send Action Alert Message to:

Dr. Raweewan Bhuridej

Secretary General

Office of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy and Planning

60/1 Soi Pibulwatana 7, Rama VI Road,

Phayathai, Bangkok 10400 Thailand

Telephone: 0-2265-6506, Fax: 0-2265-6506

Email: rawewan@onep.go.th

Dr. Asadaporn Kraipanont

Deputy Secretary General

Office of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy and Planning

60/1 Soi Pibulwatana 7, Rama VI Road,

Phayathai, Bangkok 10400 Thailand

Telephone: 0-2265-6505, Fax: 0-2265-6506

Email: kasdaporn@gmail.com