Road map for a low-carbon Thailand

Following global policies and actions to avoid catastrophic climate change through greater practical methodologies, a joint "Road Map for a Low-carbon Thailand towards 2050" initiative is aimed at contributing to widespread climate-policy planning in the Kingdom.

The low-carbon Thailand (LCT) road map is one of the joint research outcomes of support and collaboration between Thammasat University's Sirindhorn International Institute of Technology (SIIT), the Asian Institute of Technology, the National Institute for Environmental Studies at Japan's Kyoto University, and the Mizuho Information and Research Institute in Japan.

Starting in 2010, the research was undertaken in the hope that it would be interpreted into policies for sustainable energy and the environmental transition of Thailand towards a low-carbon society.

Bundit Limmeechokchai, SIIT associate professor and head of the Thai-Japanese research team, said the study was aimed at creating awareness among Thailand's policy-makers, administrators, stakeholders and communities for discussion on decisive actions to be taken to realise robust growth and a low-carbon Thailand.

All measures were grouped into six main action categories in the road map: clean power, green industry, smart passenger transport, effective freight transport, Thai-style comfortable houses, and modern buildings. 

Sources of renewable energy such as solar, wind and biomass, and biofuels have been included in some of these actions.

Short- and long-term goals

The short-term road-map is intended for Thailand's proposed Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Action (NAMA), while the long-term road map is provided for discussion of a sustainable Thailand.

Bundit also suggested that as Thailand had adopted climate-change mitigation and adaptation paths in accordance with the 11th National Economic and Social Development Plan (2012-2016) and the National Master Plan on Climate Change (2011-2050) prepared by the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry, the country should apply for NAMA facility support.

During the international climate-change negotiations last December, the United Kingdom together with other industrialised countries committed to mobilising US$100 billion (about Bt3 trillion) in international climate finance per year by 2020. 

The facility is designed to support developing countries that show strong leadership on tackling climate change and want to implement transformational NAMA.

"There are many investment projects related to climate-change mitigation, but the government does not [to date] seek global financial support provided for developing countries," said Bundit.

In this study, only selected GHG (greenhouse gas) mitigation options, which have been found to be cost-effective, are included in the 2050 LCS (low-carbon societies) scenario. It is regarded as the first road map to be accomplished for LCT using an optimisation model called "AIM/Enduse".

Under the scenario without mitigation measures, that is, the 2050 BAU (business-as-usual) scenario, Thai GHG emissions would increase to 769,896kt-CO2 (kilotonnes of carbon dioxide), 4.6 times higher than in the base year, 2005. 

In 2050, the per-capita emission of Thailand is estimated to increase from 2.9 tonnes of CO2 per year to 7.1t-CO2/year or 9.9t-CO2/year, with and without countermeasures, respectively.

In order to mitigate emissions to a lower level, several comprehensive measures such as diffusion of low-carbon technologies in the residential sector, energy-efficient buildings, energy-efficient industry and fuel-switching, fuel substitution and new mass-transit systems in the transport sector,Adidas Adilette Slides