Army Club, The Prime Minister gave a special lecture on the President's Course, emphasizing the importance of clean energy, revealing that when traveling abroad, investors ask before making a decision, comparing Thailand to a small country but with a strong mind, not to be shaken by changes in leaders and policies of many countries. Mr. Settha Thavisin, Prime Minister, delivered a special lecture on 'Public-Private-People Partnerships: Catalysts for a Low Carbon Economy in Thailand' at the academic seminar 'Shaping our future: A Seminar on Environmental Governance for Sustainability' of the Environmental Governance for Executives Certificate Program (GPDS), with Lt. Col. Rachat Pisitbannakorn, Assistant Minister to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, reporting. When the Prime Minister arrived, he took a group photo with members of the PSU course. He then visited an exhibition of the transformation of various containers made from natural plant pulp that can be decomposed by landfill. He also t asted Arabica coffee, Geisha geisha varietal from Ethiopia, and Finca Los Cenizos coffee. The Prime Minister then gave a special speech saying that global warming, natural disasters, transboundary environmental pollution, and the encroachment on natural resources are all issues that every country around the world is aware of and gives importance to. These issues are often discussed on every world stage. Thailand has also been affected by environmental problems, especially the impact of Climate Change, which will determine the survival of the economy and society. There are challenges from both reducing greenhouse gas emissions, especially carbon dioxide, and preparing to adapt to the changing climate. 'The government's Ignite Thailand vision will be a key goal in creating economic growth alongside sustainability, using resources efficiently and reducing environmental impacts through public-private-people partnerships (PPPP),' the Prime Minister said. The Prime Minister said the government is committed to ad dressing the severe impacts of climate change. The PPPP partnership will be a framework that brings together the strengths of each sector. Capacity building is identified as one of the ways to achieve the sustainable development agenda, which is not just about developing skills, experience and knowledge at the individual level, but also includes internal structures, policies and procedures at the organizational level. The Prime Minister also said that in addition, the development of the country's economy requires serious environmental management and it is urgent that all sectors must cooperate to solve the problem, leading to tangible implementation. The operation under the PPPP framework will cover 4 main dimensions to increase the country's GDP. Dimension 1: Industrial development according to the Ignite Thailand vision, which aims to become the center of various industries in the region, including new types of high-tech industries and expanding on existing industrial groups in the country, with an emphasi s on creating enormous added value for the Thai economy, using technology and innovation, which tends to grow highly in the future. 'My travel abroad to talk to investors about clean energy is an important issue that cannot be ignored. Every company wants to invest in Thailand, but when it comes to clean energy, if we don't have enough or the price is not right, that is one of the main issues. This is not just about tax incentives. The ease, convenience, and friendliness of all Thais who invite them to invest in clean energy are among the top reasons they decide to invest in Thailand,' said the Prime Minister. The second dimension is energy transition, changing the energy structure to use more clean energy sources, significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions, making it worthwhile to invest, including promoting other infrastructure such as EV charging stations, and introducing carbon capture technology in industrial plants to reduce tax pressure from abroad for products that produce high carbon. The Pri me Minister said that the third dimension, Disaster and risk management, includes capacity building and preparation of the public and relevant agencies to cope with disasters, both in disaster management and disaster risk reduction. All large companies in Thailand understand this issue, invest in knowledge for employees, and include it in business guidelines. However, as I said, small SMEs may be listed, and I believe that we must move forward together, not just large organizations or the government. Therefore, I would like to ask all of you here, who are considered the 11th generation, to please take care of the smaller ones. Mr. Settha said that the 4th dimension is supporting small and medium-sized enterprises to the green supply chain (SMEs and green supply chain). SMEs are considered businesses that are an important foundation of the Thai economic system. Therefore, enhancing knowledge and conducting business that reduces environmental impacts in the SME group from production throughout the product cycl e (Green supply chain), including treatment and reuse, in order to be able to conduct business sustainably, is one solution to lead the country to a low-carbon economy. The Prime Minister also said that under the PPPP framework, the government will cooperate with all sectors to mobilize resources and set a common vision for sustainable development, focusing on economic, social and environmental operations in a balanced manner, in line with the concept of driving economic growth or business profits while reducing environmental impacts or reducing the use of natural resources. 'We live in a challenging world. We are a small country, but the world stage is very volatile. Leaders in many countries are involved in setting policies that may not be consistent with or beneficial to nature or the environment. This is something that we, even though we are a small country, may be small in size, but we are strong in spirit. We must be determined and try our best. Even though some countries may waver and change their po licies, I believe that all of us, even though we are small in size, have strong spirits. We must move forward. Do not waver in policy changes because we have already built a good reputation in terms of protecting the world. We have been sitting here for 11 generations. You have done well. We must help push forward and be a voice for our country. Even though we are a small country, we consider this a big deal,' said the Prime Minister. Source: Thai News Agency
Sunday, September 08, 2024