Chiang Mai Fire Season Starts 4th January 2552 – สถานการณ์หมอกควัน 18 กุมภาพันธ์ 2552

February 18th update

View over Irrigation Canal - Chiang Mai

Every year a large grassy tract of government land along the Irrigation Canal opposite the Golf course is torched.

This year on the day before government offices reopen after the new year break it was ablaze again.

On December 16th last the Governor of Chiang Mai issued strict instructions to set an example to the public and allow no open burning.

Who will be made to answer for this open defiance of his order?

Seal of The President of the United States of America

On December 3rd, 2008 dozens of activists with the Northern Climate Change Network gathered in Chiang Mai to learn about Climate Change. As a result of their seminar, a group of them wrote the following letter to President Elect Barack Obama, asking him to make sure the U.S. takes a leading role in global efforts to reduce carbon emissions that are the direct cause of global warming.

Specifically, they asked the President Elect to set a long-term limit of 350 parts per million of atmospheric carbon dioxide, considered essential to prevent catastrophic impacts to the global environment:

Northern Climate Change Network

c/o Urban and Environmental Studies, Social Research Institute, Chiang Mai university, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand

December 4, 2008

Dear President-elect Barack Obama

As citizens of Chiang Mai, Thailand we are concerned that the latest research is showing that we must achieve a carbon dioxide concentration of about 350 ppm to be sure of preventing an irreversible melting of the great ice sheets. Because the concentration now in 2008 is about 385 ppm and rising faster every year it is clear that we must reduce our net emissions drastically. We propose that we should aim for 350 ppm by 2525. Without a serious and rapid response major environmental change can be expected to threaten civilizations around the world.

We are writing to you as we see the US as the only nation that can effectively lead the world on this matter. All of us are responsible for net emissions and some of us are trying hard to reduce them but we have felt a terrible lack of formal leadership for many years.

We understand that the US must put most effort into supporting green research and jobs in the US but we seek leadership on measures that will inspire and provide incentives for all nations. In particular we seek support for renewable energy technology for electricity, forest conservation, building design and those people who are most vulnerable to climate change and sea level rise, many of who are already suffering.

Yours sincerely,

[ Long list of names and signatures here ]

Questions about the seminar or this letter can be addressed to Marty Bergoffen or Dr. Duongchan Apavatjrut Charoenmuang, via this Email Address.

Standard Thai Traffic Lights

Recently I circulated some articles from the internet about avoiding letting a motor vehicle idle when waiting, with the message being that turning off the motor saves money and reduces pollution.

I have now prepared a one page A4 document, suitable for printing and cutting into 3 strips to give away. The text together with cartoon drawings can be found here – View and download the Red Light English text & image here

ไฟแดง ! Thai text version

Here is an example of the text.

RED LIGHT !

Don’t wait in exhaust pollution!

PLEASE Turn off the motor of your car

If your wait will exceed 10* seconds.

This will SAVE YOU MONEY. Research has shown this saves fuel and vehicle maintenance costs. & SAVE YOUR HEALTH and that of your companions. (Road intersections have the most polluted air in Chiang Mai a polluted city) & RESIST CHIANG MAI WARMING.

N.B. Air-con units work efficiently when a car is moving along, poorly when a car is idling.

* For large trucks and buses this should read 30 seconds. For more information write to gumhakdoisuthep@yahoo.com

Please feel free to print and copy these for your friends and acquaintances.

The next step is to do the same in Thai.

Your suggestions as to how to proceed further with this idea are welcome.

I will state again my position on noise and air pollution. There needs to be an integral effort of public education, law enforcement and peer pressure. Just complaining won’t get us anything but disrespect.

I agree with the post that said don’t re-invent the wheel. The approach to these problems has been worked out successfully in many countries and cities. I grew up where pollution was rampant; doing landscaping work in Los Angeles in 1972 I could not take a deep breath without pain by early afternoon, my eyes burned and I felt sick every day until I got off work and went to the beach where the offshore wind from the Pacific Ocean offered better air quality.

But I lived to see the ‘Clean Air Act’, burning and vehicle emissions restrictions, noise pollution laws, and a reversal of conditions to achieve a more tolerable level. This reversal was due to progressive enactment of strong laws and enforcement, along with determined, continuing public education in many forms. But it didn’t come quickly or easily or cheaply, and it certainly did not come without resistance and large scale disregard for the laws and regulations. And that resistance and disregard continues and has to be dealt with all along the way.

Any group that wants to facilitate change needs to offer a positive approach, and offer to help with the solution.

1. creating and publishing of promotional/educational materials, posters for villages, booklets for schools, review of the laws and reasons for the laws, and building of peer pressure to conform.
2. organizing of educational meetings for schools, tambons, police units, forestry officers, school teachers and others.
3. advertising budget for TV presentations that hammer in the message, newspaper ads that run forever and do the same. These should be done with a varied creative attention-catching themes. Like the American “Smokey the Bear” spokesman figure for forest fire prevention. Or the owl that says “Give a Hoot, Don’t Pollute’
4. The area of Tambon Papai where I live, is at least somewhat pro burning regulations. I was at home the other day talking with a neighbor who is active in local administration. Another neighbor started up a garbage burn pile with plastic and billowing black smoke. The first neighbor ran down there and insisted that she put out the fire and warned her of a 1000 baht fine if she did it again. He then reported it to the village head man. A nearby land owner started a brush clearing burn at night; two of my Thai neighbor’s jumped on their motorbikes and found the person responsible for the burning, they called the fire department and had it put out. So it’s happening; I didn’t see this kind of compliance or peer involvement two or three years ago.
5. I don’t see any posters with phone numbers to report burning. That would be a great first step for support group involvement, design and printing of posters to be distributed to villiages. Student groups could be enlisted through a poster design contest and to post flyers and/or hand them out door to door and talk to people at a local level.

Author: Don Lee Cox
Consulting Arborist – Plant Health Care – Tree Maintenance
International Society of Arboriculture – Certified Arborist
International Society of Tropical Foresters – Urban Forestry Specialist