The world has about six years and 10 months left before its carbon budget -- the amount of carbon dioxide that can be released into the atmosphere at the current rate -- will be completely depleted. Unless human beings join hands to limit global warming under the 1.5C safe threshold, they will face worsening famines, disasters, and displacement. The climate clock by two artists, Gan Golan and Andrew Boyd, in Manhattan's Union Square, is a stark reminder of how destructive and fragile we are.
While some deny the science of climate change, others are sounding a clarion call for action. In 2018, Greta Thunberg started protesting in front of the Swedish Parliament to keep up the pressure on her government to meet the target of carbon emissions. She skipped classes to strike every Friday and asked students around the world to join her, which had a ripple effect everywhere. Recently, the United States officially rejoined the Paris Agreement, an international accord to tackle global warming after US President Joe Biden signed an executive order last month and reversed Donald Trump's decision to pull out of the climate deal that came into force in 2016. The EU has set its sights on becoming carbon neutral by 2050.
Thailand is also stepping up efforts to resolve the climate crisis. In a recent forum titled "Invisible Waste: Lessons Learned To Combat Global Warming", organised by the Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET), many campaigners pushed for a circular economy -- a model where resources are continually reused for the sustainable future of the planet -- to reduce garbage and greenhouse gas emissions.
Preventing waste
Chaiyod Bunyagidj, vice-president of the Thai Sustainable Consumption and Production Network, said if temperatures continue to rise by 2C, the situation will reach the point of no return. The question then is how prepared are we as all of us are contributing to climate change.
"The world's environmental sustainability is measured by its ecological footprint. It shows how much resources we use. Meanwhile, biocapacity can indicate how much resources our ecosystem can regenerate. It is like a piggy bank," he said.
Chaiyod drew attention to data from 1961-2017 in the latest edition of the National Footprint and Biocapacity Accounts 2021. It revealed that the world's ecological footprint was 2.8 but its biocapacity was 1.6, leading to a deficit of 1.2. When it comes to Thailand, its ecological footprint was 2.6 but its biocapacity 1.2, meaning there is a deficit of 1.4.
"Have our National Economic and Social Development Plans created balance? If so, why are we ending up in the red? If it is business as usual, we will have to find two and a half new planets by 2050 because we won't have enough resources," he said.
In the current linear economy, goods are manufactured from raw materials, sold in large quantities, and thrown away. Overconsumption is fuelling the climate crisis due to greenhouse gas emissions from waste.
Suthat Ronglong, the founder and chief executive officer of Do in Thai Co Ltd, an information technology company, said the research by Joseph Poore and Thomas Nemecek shows food production accounts for 26% of greenhouse gas emissions (an equivalent of 400,000 nuclear bombs). About 6% of these emissions come from food waste and loss.
"The third target under the SDG12 (responsible consumption and production) calls for halving per capita food waste and reducing food loss by 2030. We should know how much food waste we generate. For example, can we plan the amount of food ahead of a party? How many orders do we place? How much food do we consume? How much is it left? Is it disposed of in landfills? If so, it will produce methane, which is 25 times more powerful than carbon dioxide [in terms of trapping heat]," he said.
Suthat stressed that source reduction is the most effective way of preventing waste. He is carrying out a food donation programme for those in need but the problem is that people are complacent about wasting food because they assume that leftovers will be given to the hungry.
"In light of this, we decided to track surplus food and informed people of what they discard. Instead of waiting for us, they should reduce food wastage from the start. Otherwise, we will become another trash can," he said.
Suthat said rooftop farming developed on compost from food waste will be the way forward. As part of the circular economy model, people can walk to another rooftop and eat food that comes from the waste management system.
"It is the beauty of what we call compost," he added.
Leftovers can be donated to feed hungry people or it can be diverted to feed animals and used for industrial or agricultural purposes. Landfill and incineration should be the last resort used.
Redefining waste
If human consumption inevitably generates waste, what else should we do? The statistics from the Thailand Environment Institute shows that the coronavirus outbreak increased the amount of plastic waste from 2.12 million tonnes in 2019 to 3.4 million tonnes in 2020, up by 62%. However, only 660,000 tonnes was recycled last year.
Many businesses are now turning garbage into something else. Somsak Borrisuttanakul, the chief executive officer of TPBI, said his staff has launched the "Won" campaign to sort and recycle plastic packages.
"The company has collaborated with many agencies and set up 400 drop-off points. So far, we have collected over 100,000kg of plastic. It is recycled into reusable plastic bags and upcycled into other products. Plastic can be transformed into something of value," he said.
The "Care The Whale" project can serve as another textbook example of waste management for the circular economy. Noppakao Sucharitakul, executive vice-president of SET, said the campaign seeks to make use of materials to the very end.
"How can we make trash disappear before it ends up in a whale's stomach? Previously, there have been reports about dead whales with rubbish inside. We joined hands with organisations on Ratchadaphisek Road and calculated the reduced carbon footprint. Last year, we reduced 4.27 million kilogrammes of carbon dioxide [equal to planting 474,277 mature trees]," she said.
Imagination can make a huge difference in tackling waste. Wishulada Panthanuvong, the social activist artist, is working with local people in Nonthaburi's Bang Yai district to create works of art from rubbish. One of them is a whale sculpture made of plastic waste and other leftovers in her studio. It can absorb over 1,000kg of carbon dioxide equivalents.
"It can show the magnitude of waste normally measured in numbers and raise public awareness," she said.
Call for public cooperation
Given the situation, Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Varawut Silpa-archa said even if the whole country is turned into a forest, it can't offset its carbon emissions of around 350 million tonnes per year. In the 20-year national strategy (2017-37), the government plans to increase forest land from 31.6% to 40%, but that will only help absorb only 100 million tonnes.
Varawut, however, affirmed Thailand's commitment to the Paris Agreement. It passed the first phase of reducing its nationally determined contributions (NDCs) by 7-15% and is now entering the second phase of cutting NDCs by 20-25% in energy, logistics, and industry sectors.
"Prime Minister Prayut is pushing for the bio, circular and green (BCG) economy. In the past, it was just corporate social responsibility but now it is gaining traction from many private companies. However, some aren't falling in line. If we enforce this policy, it will speed up our transition to the BCG," he said.
He said the implementation of environmental policies requires public cooperation. If people don't follow them, they will be only "letters on paper". Tackling environmental problems takes as much time as causing them.
