Articles
Pushing banks towards green finance
In an earlier article in this space, I mentioned that “the Bank of Thailand should integrate [Thailand] taxonomy into its reporting and disclosure regulations for the financial sector, as the EU has done, because the public scrutiny of activities in the banking sector can and should be part of the learning process on the journey towards greener finance”.
Next steps for Thailand Taxonomy
As demands for climate finance increase with the tangible impacts of climate change, people increasingly look to the government and various regulators to establish and upgrade a more effective combination of rules, regulations and market-based mechanisms to spur investments at a scale that is commensurate to our needs.
Thailand’s cloud dream cut short by its energy policy
Despite successfully wooing big tech companies such as Microsoft to invest in a new data centre, Thailand’s aspiration to become Southeast Asia’s hub for cloud computing might just be a pipe dream. A major hurdle is its outdated energy policy.
Unplugging the electricity monopoly
hailand’s electricity prices remain stubbornly high, burdening consumers and businesses alike. The current and former governments have tried to tackle this problem without much luck. Subsidies are a short-term tonic, but they have created new financial burdens. It is about time to ask what makes electricity costs so high and what needs to be changed at a fundamental level.
Climate risks threaten Thai economy
Last month, our Climate Finance Network Thailand (CFNT) network hosted a webinar titled “Time to Act: Looming Climate Impacts on Thailand’s Financial Sector”. Our highlight was our guest, Dr Kannika Thampanishvong, section head at the Puey Ungphakorn Institute for Economic Research, who told us about how finance professionals view climate change and how economists prepare to deal […]
The twin challenges of ‘climate finance’
As I am writing this in early August, climate finance is becoming a trendier topic in Thailand’s financial and business sector. I suspect this is partly due to two recent developments: the upcoming Climate Change Act (the draft of which is making the rounds via public hearing sessions), and the Excise Department’s announcement in June […]
Thailand’s cloud dream cut short by its energy policy
Despite successfully wooing big tech companies such as Microsoft to invest in a new data centre, Thailand’s aspiration to become Southeast Asia’s hub for cloud computing might just be a pipe dream. A major hurdle is its outdated energy policy. In mid-March, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella announced that Microsoft and the Thai government had signed […]
When climate commitments fall short
By early next year, Thailand and other countries are expected to update national climate commitments under the Paris Agreement, known as nationally determined contributions (NDCs). The Paris Agreement mandates that nations submit new NDCs every five years, with each round more ambitious than the last. These NDCs are essential for countries to collectively tackle the […]
No sign of a ‘just’ energy transition
As multiple impacts of climate change become more severe worldwide, including in Thailand, the need for an energy transition becomes ever more paramount. To that end, the latest draft of the Power Development Plan (draft PDP2024), which was unveiled in June, is touted by the Ministry of Energy as being consistent with Thailand’s goals of […]