A civil society group, Thai Climate Justice for All, is set to submit a bill to parliament to accelerate climate goals and protect local communities’ rights to natural resources. Coordinator Kritsada Boonchai stated that the draft law seeks to advance the global effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The proposed legislation targets carbon neutrality by 2035 and net-zero emissions by 2065, ahead of the current goals of 2050 and 2100, respectively. Based on global human rights principles, the bill advocates for a swift transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy and promotes eco-agriculture over single-crop plantations to curb emissions.
The bill also addresses climate change adaptation and community rights, ensuring access to early warning data and protecting local and indigenous communities’ access to natural resources. Kritsada criticized existing legislation for neglecting human rights and emphasized that the new bill seeks to ensure justice, including compensation for those affected by climate change through a loss and damage fund.
To combat “greenwashing” in the industrial sector, the bill proposes a carbon tax on industries such as cement and petrochemicals, with revenues directed into a Green Transition Fund. Half of this fund would be used to compensate for loss and damage.
If passed, the law would establish a climate change commission to regulate and expedite the climate action plan. The group plans to submit the bill to Parliament this week and will need to gather 10,000 public signatures for it to be considered. (NNT)
