We no longer have the luxury of time to debate climate change or stall on taking action. This was made crystal clear in the latest report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The world's leading climate scientists reveal that previous estimates have underestimated how rapidly we will feel the devastating consequences of a warming planet, and how severe the impacts will be -- not in the distant future, but right now.
While the hard facts communicated by the IPCC report may not give us much hope, they do give us something else: certainty -- certainty about exactly what is causing climate change. It has also made clear that every action we take today contributes to reducing the effects of climate change tomorrow and that we will pay dearly for every climate action we fail to take now.
In other words, once the consequences of climate change reach crisis levels around the world, we cannot just put on a face mask and get vaccinated to deal with it.
How can Thailand avoid the mistakes it made in its Covid-19 response and what elements of its response are useful in dealing with climate change?
There are multiple parallels that can be drawn between Covid-19 and the climate crisis -- and a few key insights that can help inform Thailand's response to a changing climate.
First, global challenges require massive collaboration. Covid-19 pandemic took us by surprise and the initial response time afforded was short. But almost two years into this global crisis, we can now see the light at the end of the tunnel because of massively coordinated actions worldwide. At the same time, we can see substantial differences in the speed of progress, and who has emerged as the winners and losers. We can also see how this crisis has produced positive outcomes: a regeneration of nature in some parts, for example, or the new efficiencies created by accelerated digitisation.
Climate change is a crisis that we have seen coming for the past 20 years. Rising sea levels do not follow climate conference timelines or election cycles. Now is the time for intentional, collaborative efforts to build resilience and adapt to the consequences of a warming planet -- not least in a country like Thailand that has a great deal to lose, but also a great deal to gain from taking action today.
While shutting down the borders may have temporarily reduced and postponed the spread of Covid-19, extraordinary collaboration with neighbours and partners will be essential when it comes to the similarly borderless crisis of climate change. Among the coordinated efforts that could prove fruitful in mitigating climate change are decarbonising energy systems using the large hydropower capacity of Laos as a regional battery for energy storage (daily and seasonal), or joint borderless efforts at carbon sequestration through improved, regenerative agricultural practices that reduce the burning of agriculture waste.
Second, preparation will save lives and livelihoods. Instead of reactionary action with massive negative side effects, all parties need to prepare long-term, insight-driven, cross-sector planning in a way that treats this situation as a clear and present danger to the country's future. Those plans must cover a road map to net zero, the energy transition, new agricultural supply chains and the rethinking of how a tourism system can operate within the new normal unequivocally presented by the data and science presented in the IPCC report.
Instead of shutting down a substantial part of the economy -- such as the hospitality sector -- without compensation, thereby driving many small operators out of business, the government must take a more measured approach to protect the livelihoods of those most affected by the policies and measures enacted in response to the crisis.
For example, the IPCC report emphasises the importance of reducing emissions of methane. As one of the world's biggest growers of rice, which releases methane, Thailand can encourage farmers to enact practices that mitigate its release. Germany's development agency, German International Cooperation (GIZ), is currently working on a promising pilot programme with the Thai government that focuses on just that.
If humanity really wants to solve a problem, it can get it done fast.
On a positive note, there are many examples of solidarity and actions to address the worst consequences of Covid-19 that can be replicated in our response to climate change. The public has shown outstanding support to protect frontline medical personnel and dogged unity in weathering the storm. In Thailand, outside of the outrage expressed toward the government, there has been none of the anger or polarisation expressed over masks, for example, as seen in Western societies. Clearly, when the Thai public recognises a threat, it is able to act rationally and make decisions that allow for short-term pain in the name of a better future. Business and government leaders should follow the public's example.
The IPCC report makes clear that massive action is needed now to avoid massive costs in the future and to avert the worst-case scenarios from being realised. At COP 26 in a couple of months, Thailand will announce its own net-zero carbon emissions ambitions. These plans must be as ambitious as possible with Thailand's specific contributions -- known as the Nationally Determined Contributions -- laid out in detail and transparently for everyone to follow. The private sector and state-owned enterprises must show through their decisions that they understand the stakes. Any organization, no matter how large or small, can have a net-zero plan.
Thailand has a history of being reactive rather than proactive when it comes to decision-making. Drawing on the lessons learned from the less than optimal Covid-19 vaccine rollout, it should be very clear by now that tackling global health or climate catastrophes is a team sport. The Thai government must cooperate with international partners, be inclusive and transparent in its planning, and have backup strategies that will alleviate the suffering of the public in case things don't go as planned.
Ingo Puhl is a resident of Bangkok and co-founder of South Pole, the world's leading climate solutions provider and climate project developer.