At first glance, the idea of combining agriculture with solar energy seems far-fetched. How can crops and solar panels compete for the same sunlight? My view changed after I visited the Sosa Mega Solar Sharing site in Chiba Prefecture, Japan, last month. As part of a media tour organised by Mekong Watch, a Japanese non-profit […]
At COP29 in Baku, carbon credits ignited intense debate from the very start. While Azerbaijan, the host nation, celebrated progress on Article 6, climate justice groups criticised carbon markets for enabling major polluters to continue emitting greenhouse gases. A carbon credit represents the right to emit one metric tonne of CO2 equivalent or an equivalent […]
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.
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 […]
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 […]
I recently reviewed the draft Power Development Plan (PDP2024), outlining Thailand’s power development roadmap from 2024 to 2037. This draft, which was put for a public hearing process during June 12–19, left me disappointed. The lower-than-expected economic growth, high energy surplus, fluctuating electricity costs due to gas price volatility and a more ambitious net-zero target […]
In the global discourse surrounding greenhouse gases (GHGs), carbon dioxide has traditionally been the focal point. However, it’s the less-discussed methane that presents an insidious challenge. Methane, comprising over 70% of natural gas, is accountable for nearly half of the current rise in global average surface temperature. In the past two-decade, methane has proven to […]