Greenpeace urges next govt to focus on 6 green policies

Tara said Greenpeace would like to see the next Thai government incorporate six policies into its plan to protect the environment. They are:

1. Climate justice: Greenpeace wants to see the new government take actions – including establishing a parliamentary committee to address climate issues, and opening platforms for knowledge sharing and community input – that will lead towards a sustainable and just economic recovery. Additionally, it should have a clear stance on the global stage regarding climate issues.

2. Fair energy transition and energy democracy: Greenpeace calls for public involvement in energy planning matters, proposing a reduction of around 15% in reserve electricity production capacity to avoid unnecessary investments in new power plants. It also suggests developing energy storage systems and smart grid systems, as well as reducing the use of coal to generate electricity.

3. Air pollution from very fine particulate matter (PM2.5): Greenpeace proposes the creation of legal instruments such as a draft act on reporting and disclosure of pollution release and transfer register, or clean air legislation with standards for reporting PM2.5 emissions from pollution sources.

4. Plastic pollution: Greenpeace urges the government to enact sustainable packaging waste management legislation based on the principle of extended producer responsibility. It supports the Global Plastics Treaty and aims to manage all plastic waste. It also calls for an end to the support for fossil fuel energy businesses derived from plastic waste.

5. Cross-border air pollution in the Mekong region: Greenpeace suggests examining the responsibility of companies involved in the single-crop plantation chain that contributes to dust pollution, specifically those working across Mekong region countries: Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam. In the long term, it is necessary to reduce single-crop plantation areas.

6. Community rights in marine and coastal resource management: The new government is urged to halt large-scale industrial development projects in all coastal areas and develop a process for designing coastal area development strategies in collaboration with communities based on the potential of marine resources and biodiversity.

The government needs to accelerate efforts to pass new legislation, including clean air legislation and a law for reporting pollution sources, Tara said.

To ensure fair electricity prices and reduce unnecessary burdens on consumers, there should be a process to calculate electricity costs, plan transparent energy production, and prioritise urgent environmental issues alongside household economic development, she said. For example, enabling mechanisms for purchasing electricity from households and communities that produce their own electricity would create economic opportunities and promote public participation in electricity production.