Showing 1 - 10 of 29
Blended finance for climate action
Oped, Published on 13/08/2025
» It takes policy support, commitment and also money to tackle climate change. For the latter, Thailand needs around 5-7 trillion baht in climate finance to achieve its carbon neutrality and net-zero emissions by 2050 and 2065, respectively. However, that's a target the country is still a long way away from.
Missing pieces in clean power bid
News, Published on 30/07/2025
» Two missing pieces in Thailand's clean energy sector cast doubt on whether Thailand can reach its ambitious goals of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 and net-zero emissions by 2065.
Thailand's cleaner grid is within reach
Oped, Rapeepat Ingkasit, Published on 11/06/2025
» Thailand is approaching a pivotal moment in shaping its energy future. The draft Power Development Plan 2024 (PDP2024) -- currently awaiting finalisation -- outlines the country's power strategy for the next two decades. But as it stands, the draft leans heavily on legacy thermal infrastructure, including continued reliance on fossil fuels.
Role of banks in climate change future
Oped, Sarinee Achavanuntakul, Published on 22/01/2025
» On Jan 10, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) announced that 2024 was the warmest year on record, likely the first year with a global mean temperature of more than 1C above the 1850-1900 average. Despite the alarming fact, the year 2025 is not off to a good start. The same week that WMO made that ominous announcement, JP Morgan became the sixth and latest bank in the United States to withdraw from the UN-backed Net Zero Banking Alliance (NZBA), following the earlier exits of Citigroup, Bank of America, Morgan Stanley, Wells Fargo, and Goldman Sachs -- all of which left since the start of last month.
Farms and solar energy can co-exist
Oped, Rapeepat Ingkasit, Published on 08/01/2025
» At first glance, the idea of combining agriculture with solar energy seems far-fetched. How can crops and solar panels compete for the same sunlight? My view changed after I visited the Sosa Mega Solar Sharing site in Chiba Prefecture, Japan, last month. As part of a media tour organised by Mekong Watch, a Japanese non-profit conservation group, I had the opportunity to see first-hand how "agrivoltaics" -- an innovative integration of agriculture and solar energy -- are reshaping rural landscapes and revitalising communities.
Let the sun out
Published on 07/10/2024
» Re: "Pushing banks towards green finance", (Opinion, Oct 2).
Pushing banks towards green finance
News, Sarinee Achavanuntakul, Published on 02/10/2024
» In an earlier article in this space, I mentioned that "the Bank of Thailand should integrate [Thailand] taxonomy into its reporting and disclosure regulations for the financial sector, as the EU has done, because the public scrutiny of activities in the banking sector can and should be part of the learning process on the journey towards greener finance".
Energy ghost resurrected
Oped, Editorial, Published on 14/09/2024
» Each new government must apparently now have its own "flagship" energy policy.
The twin challenges of 'climate finance'
Oped, Sarinee Achavanuntakul, Published on 07/08/2024
» As I am writing this in early August, climate finance is becoming a trendier topic in Thailand's financial and business sector. I suspect this is partly due to two recent developments: the upcoming Climate Change Act (the draft of which is making the rounds via public hearing sessions), and the Excise Department's announcement in June 2024 that Thailand aims to become the second country in Asean, after Singapore, to collect carbon tax, which is slated to start at 200 baht per metric ton of CO₂ equivalent (tCO₂e).
When climate commitments fall short
News, Rapeepat Ingkasit, Published on 24/07/2024
» By early next year, Thailand and other countries are expected to update national climate commitments under the Paris Agreement, known as nationally determined contributions (NDCs). The Paris Agreement mandates that nations submit new NDCs every five years, with each round more ambitious than the last. These NDCs are essential for countries to collectively tackle the global climate crisis.