Germany 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 population.
The project is being piloted in 14 cities in five countries: China, India, Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand. GIZ and the Office of the Permanent Secretary at Thailand’s Interior Ministry signed an agreement on the project on Tuesday.
In Thailand, the Urban-Act will be piloted in Chiang Mai, Phuket and Khon Kaen, focusing on integrating climate change mitigation into the city development plan, said project director Heinrich Gudenus.
He said the integration would include measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve the city environment and adopt a circular economy.
Apart from the Urban-Act, we are working on the Indonesia-Malaysia-Thailand Growth Triangle project to develop an economic zone in Songkhla’s Hat Yai district and Nakhon Si Thammarat, focusing on boosting resilience against climate change, he said.
Johannes Kerner, economic cooperation adviser to the German embassy, said cities play an important role in dealing with climate change, citing the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
He affirmed that sustainable city development would benefit society, the ecosystem and the economy. He added that the development would also help relieve the impact of climate change on low-income communities.
“Germany is aware and pays attention to collaboration among government agencies to achieve climate change mitigation and sustainable development goals,” he said.
Interior Ministry deputy permanent secretary Chamnanwit Terat said Thailand was among countries vulnerable to the impact of climate change.
He said the UN Sustainable Development Goals were important frameworks that all agencies should work on, especially those related to city development, sustainable living, greenhouse gas reduction and resilience to climate change.
The Office of the Permanent Secretary is ready to collaborate under the Urban-Act project to promote city growth with low carbon emissions, he said.
Climate change was among factors that affected people’s quality of life and that collaboration among relevant agencies was necessary to deal with this issue, he added.
