Today, countries across the globe mark Earth Day, an annual event aimed at demonstrating their commitment to protecting the environment. While Thailand is still plagued by a plethora of pollution-related problems, there are still reasons for Thais to remain optimistic.
Last Thursday, Cherdchai Chaivaivid, the Thai permanent representative to the United Nations, took part in the signing of the UN Agreement on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity in Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBJN Treaty) in New York, which officially made Thailand the 113th country to sign the agreement.
At present, the BBJN Treaty has yet to come into effect, as the agreement needs to be ratified by 60 countries for it to come into force. To date, out of the 113 countries which have signed the treaty, only 21 have ratified the agreement.
That said, the BBJN Treaty is important as it sets the tone for the equitable and sustainable use of marine resources by the global community.
Thailand is a semi-enclosed maritime nation, which means it doesn't have direct access to the high seas except through the exclusive economic zones (EEZs) of its neighbouring countries. But this doesn't mean Thailand should take its time in ratifying the treaty. In fact, Greenpeace Thailand has urged Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra to urgently ratify the treaty and revise the nation's legislation to align with the treaty.
Nations that have ratified the treaty must carry out environmental impact studies before engaging in activities in the high seas, including fishing, transporting passengers, and deep-sea resource explorations. These nations are expected to pass laws banning activities which adversely impact marine ecology, such as deep-sea trawling, and limit the use of equipment and materials, like plastics, that could harm the ecological balance.
The treaty also urges governments to expand marine reserves under their jurisdiction, support small-scale fisheries, and promote sustainable development, equitable profit-sharing and collaboration.
The decision to sign the BBNJ Treaty is good for Thailand's image, but will the government be able to turn the agreement into action?
Thailand's policies on marine environment protection are full of contradictions. While the Ministry of Environment is pushing for the expansion of maritime reserves across the Andaman Sea, the government is also promoting the development of deep-sea ports in the southern provinces at the same time, in a bid to turn the country into the region's petrochemical production hub.
As unchecked fishing threatens Thailand's marine biodiversity, lawmakers from both the ruling Pheu Thai Party and the supposedly progressive People's Party have thrown their support behind the push to amend the Fisheries Act, which would allow trawlers to venture further out into the sea.
The amendment is currently waiting for its second and third hearings in the parliament. With backing from the government, it won't be a surprise if the pro-industry fishery law is adopted.
While the government is keen to promote Thailand's seas to tourists, it has resisted allocating a budget to improve the nation's waste management facilities, presumably due to a lack of political will. As a result, rubbish from the mainland often ends up in the sea.
Without real action, the treaty's signing will be nothing more than another PR stunt and photo-op.