Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has stressed that Thailand is moving toward a low carbon economy with a goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2065, according to government spokesman Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana.
Gen Prayut has pledged to support the private sector's transition to a low carbon economy and make sure that the shift is smooth and has minimal impact, said Mr Thanakorn.
The prime minister's remarks are part of his keynote speech delivered yesterday to open the Global Compact Network Thailand (GCNT) Forum 2021, which brought together stakeholders in the state and private sectors to discuss strategies to help Thailand move towards carbon neutrality.
It was also attended by Natural Resources and Environment Minister Varawut Silpa-archa, UN Resident Coordinator in Thailand Gita Sabharwal, and chief executive of Charoen Pokphand Group and chairman of GCNT Suphachai Chearavanont.
GCNT is a collaborative network of private companies working together to meet the United Nations' sustainable development goals (SDGs) for Thailand.
Mr Thanakorn yesterday shared the content of the prime minister's speech.
According to the spokesman, Gen Prayut said businesses would have to adapt and take action to reduce their carbon emissions despite costs, noting that expenses would be higher if they did nothing.
Gen Prayut promised that the government would try its best to help businesses with their transition to a low carbon economy and ensure that any negative consequences are minimised.
According to the prime minister, with several countries planning to introduce import regulations to fight climate change, now would be a good time for Thailand to transform into a green, clean and sustainable economy.
The prime minister said the government was working on a long-term strategy to achieve net-zero emissions with the energy and transport sectors being the focus of the lower carbon emissions campaign.
The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and the Ministry of Energy have a blueprint that would see the nation achieve carbon neutrality by 2065, according to Gen Prayut.
The premier also said the government was placing an emphasis on the Bio-Circular-Green Economy (BCG) Model which was built upon the Sufficiency Economy as a way to help tackle climate change.
One of the key policies is to push for growth in the electric vehicle production industry so there are to 15 million green cars on the roads by 2030, Gen Prayut told the forum.