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Climate change: Hottest ever summer/Sustainability: Journey Toward a Circular Economy/PHIST calls for sustainable development/Resort helps plant 500 mangroves/B.Grimm Power drives energy future/‘Kids for a Sustainable World’/Energy: Focus on Thai solar expansion/Green Campus with Solar Power/Transition to green energy that wasn’t/24M Manufacturing Facility in Rayong/Air: University working on solutions to PM2.5/Thai cities tackle emission problems/Reducing air pollution pays for itself/Plastics: Tackle plastic waste now/Burning an alarming amount of plastic/Recycling: Phitsanulok addresses waste crisis/Marubeni Ventures into Recycling/Hazwaste: Win Process to pay for environmental rehabilitation/Electric vehicles: Which EV markets and models have performed strongest?/Wildlife: Practices toward wildlife in Tak and Mae Hong Son/1.3 million kilograms of invasive fish/Starved dead whale choked on garbage/
World has hottest ever summer with Mediterranean hard hit
This summer was the hottest ever in the Northern Hemisphere, putting the Earth on track for another record-breaking year.
The European Union’s (EU) Copernicus Climate Change Service reported that for June to August, global temperatures were 0.69 degrees Celsius above historical averages, beating the previous high set last year. The record for the world’s highest average temperature was broken on a number of days over the summer. Continued …
Thailand’s Journey Toward a Circular Economy
Thailand is making significant strides toward a sustainable future with its commitment to a circular economy. This innovative approach emphasizes the importance of reusing resources to minimize waste and maximize value, moving away from the traditional take-make-dispose model.
The circular economy model is based on the pillars of production and consumption through leasing, reusing, repairing, renewing, and recycling existing materials and products for as long as possible. Continued …
PHIST 2024 calls for sustainable development in Thailand
“They paved paradise and put up a parking lot,” Joni Mitchell once sang — a line that now eerily echoes the over-development plaguing Thailand’s top tourist hotspots. With the recent catastrophic floods in Phuket raising alarm bells, are these disasters a grim glimpse of the future? And is anyone paying attention to the growing environmental crisis?
These questions took center stage at the Phuket Hotels for Islands Sustaining Tourism(PHIST), Southeast Asia’s biggest sustainability event for the travel and hospitality sectors, which returned this week to spark conversation and drive a green agenda. At this year’s event, tourism leaders called for an urgent sustainable development masterplan in Thailand’s idyllic islands. Continued …
Wyndham Hua Hin Pranburi Resort helps plant 500 new mangroves
Staff and executives from the Wyndham Hua Hin Pranburi Resort & Villas joined with local community members and the Office of Marine and Coastal Resources to plant 500 mangroves along the Pranburi River.
This initiative underscores the resort’s commitment to environmental conservation and promoting sustainable tourism practices. By planting mangroves, participants aim to enhance the local ecosystem, protect communities from river overflow or erosion, and support marine life habitats. Continued …
B.Grimm power drives Thailand’s sustainable energy future
As a leading corporation in the energy sector, B.Grimm Power leverages advanced technology, promotes renewable energy, and implements ESG (environmental, social, and governance) practices to drive green transformation. At the heart of this strategy is a commitment to creating a greener, more sustainable future for Thailand and the region.
In recent times, the company has dedicated significant effort and resources to developing its business in tandem with sustainability, environmental preservation, and community care. B.Grimm Power has implemented various projects to promote and drive its green and sustainable strategies forward. Continued …
CKP Joins Teach For Thailand in ‘Kids for a Sustainable World’ Project
CKPower Public Co., one of the region’s largest producers of electricity from renewables, with one of the lowest carbon footprints, has joined forces with Teach For Thailand – the foundation, in the “Empowering Kids for a Sustainable World” project, which imparts knowledge on clean energy to Thai youths.
As part of the project, the company also installed solar panels for Udomseel Witthaya School in Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya and Pak Thong Chai Chunhawan Wittayakhan School in Nakhon Ratchasima, both located near CKPower’s power plants. The solar panels will supply 18,700 watts of renewable-based electricity to the schools. Continued …
Super Energy puts focus on Thai solar expansion
Super Energy Corp., a local solar farm operator, is emphasizing expansion in Thailand to benefit from the country’s growing renewable energy development, including the government’s efforts to facilitate clean power usage in the data center business.
The National Energy Policy Council resolved in June to approve a pilot direct power purchase agreement (PPA), enabling foreign investors, especially in data center and cloud service businesses, to directly buy clean electricity from power companies. Continued …
LONGi Partners with Fatoni University to Build a Green Campus with Solar Power
Solar panel manufacturer LONGi has partnered with Smart Solar Corp. to install solar modules at Fatoni University in Thailand, helping the university to embrace sustainable development energy solutions to meet its growing energy needs.
Fatoni University, lnown for its programs in business, engineering, information technology, and education, like many higher education institutions is grappling with rising electricity costs while striving to maintain its high standards of education. Continued …
The transition to green energy that wasn’t
Despite much hype, the much-vaunted green energy transition away from fossil fuels isn’t happening. Achieving a meaningful shift with current policies turns out to be unaffordably costly. We need to drastically change policy direction.
Globally, we are already spending almost US$2 trillion (67.4 trillion baht) annually to try to force an energy transition. Over the past decade, solar and wind energy use has increased to their highest-ever levels. But it hasn’t reduced fossil fuels – over the same time, we have added even more fossil fuels. Continued …
24M Announces New R&D and Manufacturing Facility in Rayong
24M has announced a new manufacturing and R&D facility located in Rayong. Co-developed with and acquired from Nuovo+, a 24M partner and licensee, this 71,000-square-foot (6,600 square meters) is a fully integrated, pilot manufacturing facility capable of producing up to 100 MWh of 24M SemiSolid™ battery cells.
The new facility will accelerate the commercialization of 24M’s suite of battery technologies and enable it to work closely with and be more responsive to its global partners. 24M has already begun pilot production in the Rayong plant for a leading India-based mobility OEM and will deliver initial validation samples this fall. Continued …
Thai university working on solutions to PM2.5 pollution in north
Severe PM 2.5 pollution is having a dire effect on the environment and way of life in northern Thailand, forcing many businesses to close and leading to increased health problems. The resultant shift in the area’s social structure is of such concern that Rajamangala University of Technology Lanna (RMUTL) has made it a priority to address and reduce the impact of this deadly pollution.
Associate Prof. Uthen Kamnarn, the university’s acting president, said that RMUTL has numerous experts working on solutions for PM 2.5 dust pollution and developing innovations to address this issue. Continued …
German agency to help three Thai cities tackle emission problems
Chiang Mai, Phuket and Khon Kaen will be developed into low-carbon cities for climate change mitigation under a project initiated by the German International Cooperation Agency (GIZ).
The Urban-Act: Integrated Urban Climate Action for Low-Carbon & Resilient Cities came as greenhouse gas emissions in cities accounted for 75% of total emissions, which are likely to increase due to the increasing urban populations. Continued …
Why reducing air pollution pays for itself
The news is often filled with stories of smog thick enough to blanket entire cities, shut down schools and offices and disrupt major sporting events, drawing attention to the disastrous impact of air pollution on both people and the planet. This global scourge is responsible for the deaths of over 8 million people each year and is poisoning our economies.
Right now, 99% of us are breathing poor-quality air and pollution is fueling the increasingly dramatic impacts of climate change. The huge costs of air pollution to public health, economies and the environment are clear, with global health damages totaling $8.1 trillion annually — over 6% of global gross domestic product (GDP). But action to address air pollution remains grossly insufficient and underfunded. Continued …
Tackle plastic waste now
The death of a pregnant whale from consuming plastic waste has brought tears to many animal lovers’ eyes and sparked anger over the government’s failure to manage plastic pollution.
The viral image of the deceased dwarf sperm whale is both heartbreaking and graphic. Alongside the image of the dead whale is a picture of her unborn male calf, as well as the bubble wrap and plastic sheet that marine officials removed from her body after she was found on a Phuket beach earlier this week. Continued …
The world is burning an alarming amount of plastic
The world produces around 250 million tons of plastic waste in municipalities in one year — plastic bottles, cigarette butts, plastic packaging and much more. Much of that waste — equivalent to about the weight of 42 Great Pyramids of Giza — is put into landfills; some of it is recycled.
But now, a new study published Wednesday in the journal Nature shows that a large proportion of the plastic waste created across the world is burned in the open air, threatening human health and demonstrating the world’s ongoing struggle to manage its plastic pollution. Continued …
Phitsanulok governor addresses waste crisis after landfill closure
Phitsanulok’s provincial governor issued an urgent directive to local government organizations to address the overflowing rubbish problem after a private landfill was closed. Residents have complained about the stench and need for a solution.
Previously, Hua Ro subdistrict submitted a request to the Ministry of Interior to establish a waste-to-energy plant, but progress has been slow. Meanwhile, some private entities have started buying household waste for 50 baht per bag to manage disposal. Continued …
Marubeni Ventures into Recycling of End-of-Life Tires in Thailand
Marubeni Corp. has invested in Green Rubber Energy Co. (GRE), which operates an end-of-life tire (ELT) pyrolysis recycling business in Thailand. With 30 million tons of tires discarded annually worldwide, many are disposed of through harmful methods like landfilling and incineration. Countries are increasingly enforcing regulations on ELT disposal, making sustainable recycling technologies vital for reducing environmental impacts.
GRE has developed technology over the past decade to extract recovered carbon black (rCB) and tire pyrolysis oil (TPO) from ELTs. Previously, the quality of rCB was inconsistent due to impurities, complicating its use in tire manufacturing. However, GRE has achieved stable production of high-quality rCB suitable for tire applications. Continued …
Win Process ordered to pay Bt1.7 billion for environmental rehabilitation
The Rayong Provincial Court ordered the Win Process Co. to pay 1.7 billion baht in compensation for the rehabilitation of the environment damaged by industrial waste leaked from the company’s storage facility since 2011.
The civil lawsuit was brought against Win Process by the Pollution Control Department (PCD) after it discovered that the company had breached the law by not recycling hazardous waste, but had discharged the waste into the environment instead, damaging farmland and contaminating natural watercourses. Continued …
Which EV markets and models have performed strongest so far in 2024?
In terms of new electric vehicle (EV) volumes, no market was able to pull ahead of China. In the first six months of 2024, the country recorded nearly 4.3 million plug-in deliveries. This meant that battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) and plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) made up 43% of the market. BEVs alone made up 25% of sales in this period.
With 41,000 EV registrations, Thailand’s plug-in market recorded growth of 5% in the first half of 2024. This followed a surge in deliveries during the same point last year, when 89,000 units hit the roads, up 327% year on year. However, the market could soon see electrification accelerate again. Continued …
Practices toward wildlife among different ethnicities in Tak and Mae Hong Son provinces
Every ethnicity in the northern region of Thailand has a solid connection to nature and the environment, which they incorporate into their daily lives and activities, such as entering the forest to collect forestry products and hunting wildlife for consumption.
Respect for nature’s sustainability is demonstrated through practices and taboos derived from beliefs and cultural contexts, as manifested in ceremonies, rituals, and cultural prohibitions, which include beliefs and taboos regarding wildlife contact and consumption, because many ethnicities in Thailand have practiced traditional hunting and gathering to meet their food needs. Continued …
Thailand nets 1.3 million kilograms of invasive fish
Thailand has netted more than 1.3 million kilograms of highly destructive blackchin tilapia fish, the government said Tuesday, as it battles to stamp out the invasive species.
Shoals of blackchin tilapia, which can produce up to 500 young at a time, have been found in 19 Thai provinces, damaging ecosystems in rivers, swamps and canals by preying on small fish, shrimp and snail larvae. Continued …
Starved dead whale choked on garbage
A pregnant whale found dead on a beach in Phuket on Monday had choked to death after ingesting large amounts of floating garbage. The dead whale was found on Bang Tao beach in tambon Choeng Thale of Thalang district on Monday morning.
The Upper Andaman Marine and Coastal Resources Research Center said it was a fully grown 2.24-meter-long female Dwarf Sperm Whale. It was found to be pregnant, carrying a 50-centimeter-long male calf. Continued …