Thailand’s 2615 km long coastline, fragile agriculture system and susceptibility to extreme weather events make it especially vulnerable to the effects of climate change.
Thailand is susceptible to extreme weather events such as tropical storms, floods and drought. Such climatic events impact Thailand through prolonged droughts, decreased agricultural and fishery yields, violent flooding, sea level rise and health-related issues. Thailand’s Department of Meteorology reported that the annual mean temperature in Thailand rose by approximately 1 oC from 1981 to 2007. According to models developed locally, the mean daily maximum temperature in Thailand will increase by 1.2 to 1.9 oC by 2050. Further, the number of rainy days and the level of precipitation in Thailand has decreased over the last fifty years. In 2010 Thailand faced its worst drought in 20 years resulting in the water level of the Mekong River falling to its lowest level in 50 years. (Source: Rockefeller Foundation)
As per Germanwatch, GLOBAL CLIMATE RISK INDEX 2020, Thailand ranks 8th in climate risk index for the period of 1989-2018.
