Adapt to Live, Learn to Survive with TEI: Is Thai Politics Truly Ready!? Confronting Climate Change!

Thematic Areas: Climate Adaptation

A question for Thai politicians: Are you truly prepared!? The challenge of Global Boiling is not just about rising temperatures—it is a severe threat to the lives and livelihoods of the people. Past crises serve as a painful mirror: has Thai politics ever been fast enough? From the Hat Yai floods and the disasters in the North to the persistent PM2.5 smog, politicians across generations have failed to stop the cycle of destruction.

Extreme weather won't wait for an election. Thailand remains under siege by global boiling, which intensifies every second. Citizens are suffering, the economy is in desperate need of recovery, and our very land is vanishing as nature "strikes back."

Voices Under the Shadow of Climate Change

When the climate becomes too extreme for ordinary people to handle, these are the echoes from civil society and environmental reports:

  • Farmers: Desperate due to unpredictable seasons. One moment it’s a severe drought, the next a massive flood. Yields are destroyed, income vanishes, and health is at risk from scorching heat and rising dust from dry-season fires.

  • Disaster Victims: Traumatized by the endless cycle of "rebuilding." Relief systems are sluggish, and the loss of life and property is immeasurable.

  • Coastal Communities: Losing their land to storm surges and rising sea levels. Saltwater intrusion is making daily life an uphill battle.

  • Urban Dwellers: Suffocating from PM2.5 toxic dust, overcrowding, and the deadly risk of Heatwaves in the concrete jungle. They face stagnant floods and foul-smelling wastewater in city canals.


Time to "Adapt to Live, Learn to Survive"

This is the grand challenge Thai politics must address immediately. The Thailand Environment Institute (TEI), speaking for the people, proposes the Climate Adaptation framework. This is a call to elevate climate resilience to the policy level, aligning with the National Adaptation Plan (NAP) to turn "promises" into concrete actions for the survival of both the political sector and the public.

1. Management & Finance

  • Clear Action Plans: Establish transparent policies with robust monitoring and evaluation systems.

  • Budgets & Funds: Create clear financial mechanisms to address "Loss & Damage," ensuring aid reaches the people as quickly as possible.

  • Strict Legislation: Rigorously enforce the "Polluter Pays" principle and crack down on Greenwashing.

2. Water Management

  • Smart Water Systems: Integrate national water data and forecasting to solve both floods and droughts holistically, moving away from year-by-year "band-aid" solutions.

  • Timely Warning Systems: Implement localized, high-speed warnings with regular community drills and modernized recovery systems.

3. Agriculture & Food Security

  • Climate-Smart Farming: Support research into "Global Boiling-proof" crops (drought/flood resistant) and provide risk insurance to help Thai farmers stand on their own feet.

4. Public Health

  • Proactive Healthcare: Prepare for emerging diseases, Heat Stroke, and the silent, long-term health erosion caused by PM2.5.

5. Human Settlement

  • Safe & Resilient Cities: Upgrade Building Codes for disaster resistance, increase green spaces to mitigate Urban Heat Islands, and develop Sponge Cities.

  • Protecting the Vulnerable: Map out vulnerable groups with clear evacuation plans and risk zoning, particularly for waterfront and hillside communities.

6. Natural Resources

  • Restoring Nature's Shield: Accelerate the restoration of upstream forests, urban green belts, and mangroves to act as natural barriers and sustainable carbon sinks while preserving biodiversity.

Climate Change is the new form of National Security. Thai politics is the "hope" that must drive clear, tangible environmental policies. We ask once more... "Is Thai politics ready to manage the risks of the Global Boiling era?"

References:
Environmental Quality Report (ONEP): https://www.onep.go.th
Coastal Erosion Status (DMCR): https://www.dmcr.go.th
Health Impacts from Dust and Heat (Department of Disease Control): https://ddc.moph.go.th
Public Voices and Climate Change Act (The101.world): https://www.the101.world/climate-change-act-tara/
Climate Change Adaptation (Manager Online): https://mgronline.com/greeninnovation/detail/9680000026564