Thailand and Switzerland are set to become the first two countries in the world to seal a deal under Article 6.2 of the Paris Agreement, which creates a basis for trading in global greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions or mitigation outcomes between nations, says Natural Resources and Environment Varawut Silpa-archa.
He was referring to the memorandum of understanding (MoU) he plans to sign with his Swiss counterparts during his trip to Europe, which kicked off yesterday and will wrap up on July 1 after he has also visited Portugal.
The MoU follows a Thai-Swiss joint statement signed virtually in May on climate protection, enabling Switzerland to offset carbon emissions with climate projects in Thailand. The MoU will in practice facilitate exchanges of such as technology and funds between Thai and Swiss private parties and carbon credits between Thailand and Switzerland, he said.
Mr Varawut said Thailand will gain more in the way of technology and funds than the carbon credits it offers to Switzerland under the pact. After the signing of the MoU, the minister said he will lead a Thai delegation to Lisbon to attend the United Nations Ocean Conference that begins on Monday and ends next Friday.
Before leaving Bangkok, Mr Varawut said he intended to demonstrate Thailand's hard work and achievements in reducing the volume of plastic waste dumped and washed into the seas. When he took office, Thailand ranked sixth in terms of having the highest amount of marine plastic waste but its global standing has since improved to 10th.
This shows how the kingdom is serious about becoming a leader in Asean when it comes to curbing plastic waste in the ocean, he said. His trips to Switzerland and Portugal will also show the government's commitment to tackling climate change, he added.
On Tuesday, a Thai delegation led by Athapol Charoenchansa, director-general of the Pollution Control Department, attended meetings of parties and signatories to the Basel Convention, Rotterdam Convention and Stockholm Convention, in Geneva, said a source.
The Basel Convention was designed to reduce the movement of hazardous waste, especially from developed to less developed countries (LDCs), while the Stockholm Convention aims to eliminate or restrict the production and use of persistent organic pollutants (POPs).
The Rotterdam Convention promotes shared responsibilities in relation to imports of hazardous chemicals and calls on exporters of hazardous chemicals to use proper labelling.