Thailand to push for collaboration and financial support at COP29

Thailand hopes for further collaboration and accessible financial support during the 29th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29), which gets underway today in Baku, Azerbaijan, the Department of Climate Change and Environment said.

The department’s director-general Pirun Saiyasitpanich told Krungthep Turakij that Natural Resources and Environment Minister Chalermchai Sri-on has been appointed to attend the conference and will give a statement on Thailand’s commitment  to dealing with climate change.

He confirmed that Thailand’s negotiation framework received the Cabinet’s approval on November 5. This covers the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC), the climate change adaptation plan, the Climate Change Act, examples of cooperation against climate change, and a transparency report.

He expects the conference to strengthen collaboration between Thailand and other countries on climate change mitigation and the financial support that the country can access.

For NDC 3.0, he said Thailand would propose enhancing greenhouse gas reduction to 60%.

Thailand  would adopt a plan to reduce emissions in comparison to those of 2019 instead of the future emission forecast, he said, adding that the country would seek more discussion on streamlining carbon credit trading.

Pirun confirmed that Thailand has its National Adaptation Plan, which meets international indicator standards and covers water management, agriculture and food security, tourism, public health, natural resource and environment management, and human settlements and security.

“At COP29, we will make a comparison to ensure that our indicators meet international standards,” he said.

He said the conference tried to eliminate challenges triggered by geopolitical conflict to facilitate negotiations.

Though Russia and Ukraine were at war, they would both be attending the conference, he said, adding that he hopes the negotiations will go smoothly even though the US president-elect Donald Trump is again likely to withdraw from the Paris Agreement.

“Announcing the target is one step, but taking action to achieve the target is more important,” he said.

He noted that Thailand has a clear plan and is working on it though some issues would need more time to ensure a sustainable outcome.

“More importantly, we need to create an ecosystem that supports greenhouse gas reduction, which includes government policies, new tools, and raising awareness among 66 million people,” he said.

He noted that transition towards sustainability takes time and cooperation from all sectors.

Leaders from almost 200 countries will attend the conference, which runs until November 22, to propose their proactive guidelines and progress in dealing with climate change. The focus is on five issues:

Climate finance: Set up a “New Collective Quantified Goal on Climate Finance”, to which developed countries commit to mobilising US$100 billion (3.42 trillion baht) per year to address the needs of developing countries in coping with climate change and transitioning to a green economy.

Greenhouse gas reduction: NDC 3.0 is scheduled to run from February 2025-2035, aiming to ensure that countries will adhere to the Paris Agreement to limit the increase in global surface temperature to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels.

Loss and damage: Discussions on a fund for supporting countries severely affected by climate change and disasters like storms, floods, rising sea level and saltwater intrusion.

International collaboration: Discuss international collaboration to achieve greenhouse gas reduction under the Paris Agreement, such as carbon credit trading, technology sharing or financial support.

Adaptation strategies: Survey countries’ strategies and indicators to boost resilience against extreme weather and other challenges triggered by climate change.

In a reflection of the importance of the Amazon region in dealing with climate change, COP30 is scheduled to be held in Belém, Brazil in November 2025.