The German-Thai partnership to fight climate change has acquired political momentum: the first strategic dialogue held at the governmental level on green growth and a low-carbon economy has resulted in an agreement between Berlin and Bangkok to work closely together on these issues. The planned cooperation should also have an international impact.
While the German environment ministry has already funded some 30 projects in Thailand since 2008 as part of its International Climate Initiative (IKI), this new agreement between the countries concentrates on strengthening political ties and advocating common strategies in multinational organisations, said German delegation leader Karsten Sach on the sidelines of the two-day dialogue meeting in Bangkok in September. Thailand is the first country in Southeast Asia with which Germany has forged a partnership at the governmental level on these issues.
"We hope that Thailand becomes extremely active within ASEAN," said Germany's chief negotiator, who is also deputy director-general for international cooperation at the environment ministry. According to Sach, Thailand has chaired the climate-change working group within ASEAN for the past three years and is making good progress in terms of advancing work on these issues.
Germany also wants to collaborate more closely with Thailand within the context of the global climate talks (UNFCCC) and the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), where Sach serves as council chair.
Reports indicate that the countries intend to hold their strategic dialogue annually. The idea for the partnership developed during a visit by Thailand's Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra to Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel in July 2012. "Combating climate change is an area of shared interest between the two countries," said Sach. In 2011, Thailand suffered its worst floods in a century, leading to hundreds of deaths and about EUR 60 billion in economic damages. This resulted in the country being ranked first in the Global Climate Risk Index 2011 compiled by Germanwatch, an environmental and development NGO.
The development of a master plan on climate change is one of the major projects on which Germany is advising Thailand. Both sides have now agreed to extend this collaboration beyond 2013. Other areas of cooperation will include renewable energies, energy efficiency, flood management and carbon emissions reduction. Sach sees Thailand's biggest challenge as creating a legal and regulatory framework that provides incentives to expand renewable energies. In his view, much depends on whether the country can establish long-term investor confidence and promote the acceptance of green issues within society. With its "ambitious" plan to increase the share of renewables to 25 percent by 2021, Thailand is heading in the right direction, Sach said, adding that the focus is now on implementation. "In addition to climate change, there are lots of other incentives, for example the huge costs associated with importing fuel," he said.
Sach is convinced that Germany can be a good partner for Thailand, but stresses that the government in Bangkok will decide what is ultimately implemented. He describes German environment ministry's role this way: "We want to spur on ambition."