National Greenhouse Gas Reduction Guidelines 2021-2030

The continuously increasing global greenhouse gas emissions pose a risk of Climate Change that is likely to become more severe in all regions of the world, such as the average temperature rises, and there is typically an increase in rainfall during the rainy season and less during the dry season. Additionally, the number of hot days tends to increase. In contrast, the number of cool days decreases, impacting natural disasters such as floods, droughts, and storms more intense and frequent, including the impact of the high tide crisis, which affects socio-economic development in many fields, including changes in ecosystems, plant species, animal species, population migration and the spread of disease.

The report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change: IPCC) has identified Southeast Asia as a region highly vulnerable to the impacts of Climate Change. Germanwatch has ranked Thailand as one of the ten countries most at risk of long-term Climate Change. At the same time, as Thailand is a developing country that relies on fossil fuel energy and continues to grow in urban areas, there is an increase in greenhouse gas emissions. Greenhouse gas emissions (excluding land use change and forest sectors) accounted for 226.09 million tons of CO2e and increased to 318.66 million tons of CO2e in 2013.

Severe Climate Change problems have resulted in the cooperation of the global community to solve such issues, including (the Paris Agreement) under the United Nations Framework Convention.

The (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change: UNFCCC) requires all countries to periodically submit goals and progress of domestic action to address Climate Change. In addition, the agreement has a positive effect on creating a mechanism for action to address Climate Change, especially from significant greenhouse gas emitting countries such as the People's Republic of China, USA, EU 28 countries and India, etc. However, reducing the severity of long-term Climate Change impacts requires cooperation from the global community and cannot be undertaken by any country. Therefore, Thailand's participation in the (Paris Agreement) is essential. It also obliges Thailand to speed up preparedness to build capacity to deal with Climate Change.

For Thailand's operations since Thailand became a member of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Since 1994, Thailand has been working with other countries to maintain the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and to adapt to the impact of climate change in line with sustainable economic and social development. On October 1, 2015, Thailand submitted the (Intended Nationally Determined Contribution: INDC) to the United Nations Climate Change Convention Secretariat, intending to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Thailand after 2020 by 20-25% from the standard case.

Subsequently, the Cabinet meeting on October 1, 2015, approved Climate Change as an essential policy of the country. Starting from the fiscal year 2016, the Bureau of Budget provides budget support and relevant agencies to support operations for achieving greenhouse gas reduction goals and Climate Change operations. There was a cabinet meeting on January 12, 2016, and it was resolved to assign the Office of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy and Planning with agencies in relevant sectors to prepare a roadmap that specifies guidelines and detailed measures to achieve the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment of Thailand has set up a mechanism and an action plan for the country to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by setting up a working group to prepare the country's greenhouse gas reduction plan under the Climate Change Subcommittee on Integrating Policies and the draft of Thailand's Nationally Determined Contribution Roadmap on Mitigation 2021 – 2030 or NDC Roadmap on Mitigation 2021 – 2030.

Greenhouse Gas Emission Situation in Thailand
Thailand has a continuous greenhouse gas inventory. It comprises six major greenhouse gases that must be reported under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change obligations: Carbon dioxide (CO), Methane (CH), Nitrous oxide (N2O), Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs), sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) and the Office of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy and Planning (ONEP). The Department of Climate Change and Environment is the central coordinating unit working with agencies from various sectors by preparing a report on greenhouse gas emissions, which will be reporting data in the last four years from the submitted date. The latest operations, Thailand has submitted three latest national reports in 2018 and 2 latest biennial reports in 2017. As a developing country, Thailand received funding from the (Global Environment Facility: GEF) per the requirements arising from cooperation in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

The Situation of Cooperation in Solving Global Climate Change Problems: Climate Change is a Global Problem.
Solving Climate Change is a (global agenda), which the leaders of various countries gave importance to formulating the (Paris Agreement), which is an agreement under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

In December 2015, representatives from 195 countries agreed to address Climate Change issues.       

On April 22, 2016, representatives came from 175 countries, including Thailand, to address Climate Change issues, by the Minister of Natural Resources and Environment participated in the signing ceremony of the Paris Agreement held in New York City, United States of America, to express its intention to join the agreement.

The Prime Minister submitted his Instrument of Ratification to the Paris Agreement on September 21, 2016, during the 71^st Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York City, United States of America.

Some countries have submitted the instrument of ratification as a party in a total of 184 countries from 197 UNFCCC countries calculated for more than 55% of the world's greenhouse gas emissions, which the Paris Agreement was affected on November 4, 2016.

To achieve the 20% greenhouse gas reduction goal by 2030, the working group has developed a national greenhouse gas reduction plan, with (ONEP) acting as the secretary of the working group by drafting a guideline for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the country from 2021 to 2030 in the field of energy,  transportation within industrial processes, product use and waste management with a total of 5 working group meetings found that the energy and transportation sector, industrial process and product utilization sector, and waste management sector are the sectors where the agency's master plan has the potential to support greenhouse gas reduction, representing greenhouse gas reduction potential in 2030, totaling 115.6 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent, which meets the greenhouse gas reduction goal of 111 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent or 20% from the standard case. The planned measures that will affect the reduction of greenhouse gases include nine measures in the energy and transport sector, 4 in waste management, and 2 in the industrial process and product utilization area. A total of 15 measures in which the meeting jointly identified the prominent responsible persons, sponsors, and target groups for implementing the measures.

Source: Climate Change Management Coordination Division, Office of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy and Planning