Illustrative photo (Photo: thethirdpole.net)Bangkok (VNA) – The Thai government has emphasisedthe importance of tackling air pollution in the long term through measures suchas afforestation and environmental protection.
Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha said on April 19 thatthe country’s Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and other agenciesare making efforts to expand Thailand’s forest area, based on the models ofSweden.
He notes that Sweden has been able to increase forestcoverage from 25% to 75%, thus sawn timber become one of Sweden's top exports,making the Nordic country the third largest exporter of sawn timber in theworld.
Prayut called on peopleto be more involved in afforestation and land allocation to plant trees. TheThai leader stressed the need to tackle air pollution caused by transport andindustrial activities and warned people not to burn trash outdoors, which couldmake them face legal consequences.
Prayut said the Thai government has been taking measures tomitigate the effects of global warming, such as preparing for the El Ninoweather phenomenon. Earlier, climate experts warned that the El Nino phenomenoncould cause Thailand to face a hotter and drier summer this year.
The stronger influence of El Nino can cause temperatures toincrease by at least 0.8 degrees Celsius, while "Super El Nino" cancause temperatures to increase by 2-3 degrees Celsius compared to the averagein some areas. Prayut said the Thai government has so far been prepared to dealwith those potential risks and has requested authorities to deal with them./.
