Minister Varawut Silpa-archa Presented the Vision Towards Climate Changes for the Sustainable Business Growths
On this day (24th April 2023) at 09.00 a.m., Mr. Varawut Silpa-archa, the Minister for Natural Resources and Environment (MNRE), had a special speech, the Blue Planet Needs Us Now, in Earth Jump 2023: New Frontier of Growth, which was a business seminar hosted by Kasikorn Thai Bank PLC at Samyan Mitrtown. He believed in the potentials of Thai people and the cooperation with all sectors to drive movements regarding climate changes while growing the economy and developing capital markets for sustainably conducting and growing businesses.
MNRE emphasized on the importance of the cooperation with all sectors for changes leading to the achievement of carbon neutrality by 2050 and zero greenhouse gas emission by 2065. The nationally determined contribution (NDC) was also set in order to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions for 40 percent by 2030. The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment drove the implementations of plans such as developing the mechanisms of the carbon credit markets inside and outside the country, increasing the numbers of greenhouse gas storages and absorptions, supporting reforestations and carbon credit shares, applying carbon traps and carbon storage technologies, encouraging the business sector to change businesses into low carbon businesses, having low investment amounts and high returns for handling the effects from the climate changes, moving towards sustainable businesses, driving the (drafted) Climate Change Act B.E. …. and establishing the Department of Climate Changes and Environment.
Permanent Secretary of MNRE Went to Mae Hong Son to Followed the Situations about Wild Fire and Smokes and Hasten the Development of the Carbon Credit Pilot Areas in the Community Forests in Mae Hong Son Province
On 24th April 2023, Mr. Jatuporn Buruspat, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MNRE) and the managers of MNRE had a meeting in and went to Mae Hong Son Province in order to follow the progress of the operations of the organizations under MNRE. Mr. Chettha Mosikarat, the Governor of Mae Hong Son Province, attended the meeting and gave consumables to the officers of the Department of Forestry and the Department of National Parks, Wildfire and Plant Conservation, the local practitioners, the committees of the community forest of Ban Sob Pong and the members of the fire control cooperation network of the Department of Forestry.
Mr. Jatuporn Buruspat, the Permanent Secretary of MNRA, revealed the situations about wildfire, smoke and particle preventions in Mae Hong Song Province. The orders were given to the Office of Natural Resources and Environment of Mae Hong Son Province, the 16th Conservation Area Management Office (MA Sariang Branch) and the 1st Natural Resource Management Office (Mae Hong Son Branch) to continuously follow the situations until May 2023 because the drought continued and to summarize lessons in order to make integrated plans for solving the problems with the public sector and to focus on developing the community’s understanding about the causes and dangers of the smokes. Regarding the livelihood problems in the national forest’s area, the cabinet’s resolution dated 26th November 2018 scheduled that the solution will be implemented completely by 2023. The orders were given to study and have the pilot areas using carbon credits to generate incomes and solve the problems about the wildfire and smokes in the areas for the community to use for living according to the policies of the government or NLPB.
Regarding the community forest management, Mae Hong Son Province has 210 community forests with the total area of 308,004 rai. The community forest of Ban Sob Pong in Pang Mu Sub-District in Mueang District is considered as a successful model cooperating with the committees of the community forest, the Department of Forestry and Mae Fah Luang Foundation, which are the co-developers of the carbon credit management in the forest for the sustainable development in the community forest. The operations were under Thailand Voluntary Emission Reduction Program (T-VER), which makes the community forest securely generate additional incomes. The community can protect the forest while improving life qualities and strengthening the community. It is also applied to the other community forests in Mae Hong Son Province.
In the meeting, the summary of the operations was presented. This included the situations and solutions about wildfire, smoke and particle preventions, the guidelines for solving the problems about the people’s lands in the conservation forest under the Sections 64 and 121, the results from providing the lands for living according to the framework for solving the problems about the livelihoods in the conservation forest according to the cabinet’s resolution dated 26th November 2019, the guidelines for developing the community model of Ban Sob Pong in Pang Mu Sub-District in Mueang District in Mae Hong Son Province, and the roles of the private sector in the wildfire, smoke and particle management under the greenhouse gas reduction village model program, “No Burn, We Pay” according to the carbon credit guidelines. The Permanent Secretary of MNRE and colleagues went to the exhibition of Ban Sob Pong Community, “Ban Sob Pong Community Forest and Carbon Credits” and the vocational development exhibition in NLPB’s area with the integration of the 1st and 2nd basins. Organically growing pinto beans was also encouraged.
