_Greenhouse Gas Management in Thailand: International Standards and Mitigation

Greenhouse Gases (GHG) are gases capable of trapping heat from the sun in the atmosphere, releasing some of it to prevent excessive warmth. However, human activities have significantly increased the amount of greenhouse gases in the current atmosphere, causing excess heat to be trapped and leading to a phenomenon known as "Global Warming." The greenhouse gases emitted from various activities can now be measured, referred to as the "carbon footprint," quantified in terms of "carbon dioxide equivalent."

In Thailand, international standards such as the GHG Protocol, IPCC, and ISO14064 have been adopted, overseen by the Thailand Greenhouse Gas Management Organization (TGO). These standards are related to reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

GHG Protocol is a greenhouse gas accounting standard for public and private sectors, developed by the World Resources Institute (WRI). It specifies three scopes for reporting, which Thailand adheres to:

· Scope 1: Direct greenhouse gas emissions of the organization

· Scope 2: Indirect greenhouse gas emissions from the use of energy imported from external entities

· Scope 3: Other indirect greenhouse gas emissions

IPCC is an organization that summarizes factors driving climate change, future impacts and risks, and how adaptation and mitigation can occur to reduce these risks.

ISO14064-1 is also a reporting standard, divided into six categories:

1. Direct GHG emissions and removals

2. Indirect GHG emissions from imported energy

3. Indirect GHG emissions from transportation

4. Indirect GHG emissions from products used by an organization

5. Indirect GHG emissions associated with the use of products from the organization

6. Indirect GHG emissions from other sources

CBAM (Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism) is an EU measure to adjust carbon prices before crossing borders (a trade barrier measure). It sets import prices to prevent high greenhouse gas-emitting products from entering the EU. It applies to five high-risk product groups: steel and iron, cement, electricity, fertilizers, and aluminum. CBAM indirectly pressures domestic producers to improve their processes to be more environmentally friendly and reduce GHG emissions or invest in renewable energy to remain competitive in the EU market.

Carbon Credits are the amount of greenhouse gases absorbed through activities like reforestation or the use of renewable energy. They are important as they stimulate environmentally friendly activities and can be sold to organizations that need them, providing profit. For example:

· Companies: High GHG-emitting companies can buy carbon credits to offset their emissions and comply with laws or environmental standards.

· Countries: Countries exceeding their GHG targets can buy carbon credits from countries that have reduced more than their targets to meet their goals.

· Individuals: General individuals can buy carbon credits to offset emissions from activities like air travel or home energy use.

Achieving Carbon Neutrality is not difficult; essentially, it can be bought. The principle is that for every amount of carbon emitted, one can purchase excess carbon from others to compensate or reforest to offset emissions. Conversely, achieving Net Zero involves changing high-carbon processes to reduce emissions significantly, approaching zero without buying anyone's carbon. For example, converting national electricity production to clean energy.

Corporate Carbon Footprint Assessment is directly linked to Net Zero Emissions because this assessment helps organizations understand their greenhouse gas emissions, enabling them to plan and act towards reducing emissions to achieve net zero.

The four sectors with the highest greenhouse gas emissions are:

1. Energy and transportation sectors, oil production, and natural gas

2. Agricultural sector

3. Industrial processes sector

4. Waste management sector, such as solid waste and wastewater management

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