Showing 1 - 9 of 9
New tourism path for climate survival
Oped, Kamphol Pantakua, Published on 20/08/2025
» Hotel bookings are vanishing. Tour buses sit idle. Empty beaches. The culprit? Not mass protests. Not pandemics. But smoke, dust, and heat. Tourism fuels Thailand's economy, yet smog, heat waves, and flash floods are rapidly choking it. Can paradise still sell if it's unbreathable?
Global coral collapse a neglected crisis
News, Imran Khalid, Published on 16/08/2025
» Before the crack of dawn on Koh Tao in the Gulf of Thailand, Somsak Chaisri paddles his wooden boat over waters that used to shimmer with life. A once-vibrant coral garden below the water surface now consists of dead skeleton-like structures. According to this fisherman, the bleached coral skeletons are the only things he pulls from the water after his father showed him how to fish in living coral reefs. "Now, I drag up ghosts," he murmured. His lament echoes across the tropics. From the Maldives to Mozambique, the once-thriving reefs of the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Oceans are being scoured of life.
Balancing sustainability, wealth
Oped, Caesar Indra, Published on 17/10/2023
» Under the shimmering turquoise waters, vibrant-coloured corals pulse with life as marine life weaves through what was, for a while, a scene of unprecedented blight. Thailand's Maya Bay is experiencing a resurgence following a four-year closure. Behind that transformation from a damaging symbol of overtourism to a beacon of sustainable travel in Southeast Asia, lies a cautionary tale of how tourism can leave a trail of destruction.
Coral reefs face new health threat
Oped, Editorial, Published on 01/01/2023
» The end of the year is a time for rest, reflection, and hope of a better future, whether for our family and friends, or for the planet we live on. Unfortunately, this year has continued the trend of climate-linked disasters and as the year comes to an end, disturbing news closer to home has surfaced.
Taking back the oceans, before it's too late
Oped, Alexander Kozul-Wright, Published on 27/08/2022
» The United Nations convened its Ocean Conference (Unoc) in Lisbon, Portugal in June. The goal was to “to propel much needed science-based innovative solutions aimed at starting a new chapter of global ocean action” The world needs a “sustainably managed ocean”, according to the UN’s under-secretary-general for legal affairs, Miguel de Serpa Soares, who hailed the conference as an “enormous success”. If only.
Climate change hits southern part of Africa
Oped, Gwynne Dyer, Published on 27/04/2022
» Tropical Storm Ana in January, Tropical Cyclone Batsirai in February, then Dumako, Emnati and Gombe in quick succession: three cyclones and two "tropical storms" in six weeks hitting the coasts of southeast Africa.
Governing an ocean of plastic pollution
Oped, Raimund Bleischwitz, Published on 05/03/2022
» Images of plastic pollution in the ocean and on beaches are now commonplace, and the problem is likely to get worse. Last week, the OECD's first Global Plastics Outlook revealed a dramatic increase in the plastic waste leaked into aquatic environments.
'Decade of action': Our solutions are in nature
Oped, Renaud Meyer & Chularat Niratisayakul, Published on 22/05/2020
» May 22 marks the International Day of Biological Diversity (IDB), an opportunity to recognise and celebrate the important role biodiversity and ecosystems play to sustain all lives on our planet.
Conspiracy targets poor
Postbag, Published on 03/11/2018
» It’s not that I don’t admire Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak. However, when considering the problem of income inequality, he is quoted in the Nov 1 edition of the Bangkok Post: “It’s not the mistake of this government but governments in the past, which were not seriously dedicated to tackling the problem.”