Weenarin Lulitanonda is a former World Bank economist and co-founder of the Thailand Clean Air Network, a non-governmental organization (NGO) that advocates for clean air in the region. Weenarin is passionate about this issue, as she believes that the poor air quality is causing severe health issues, such as cancers, mental health problems, and other ailments. She told Al Jazeera that the poor air quality is reducing people’s lives by three to four years, and there is an alarming amount of passivity on this issue.
Northern Thailand experiences some of the most dangerous levels of smog in the region. This problem has become increasingly worse every year between February and April, which is now known as the “haze season.” The lack of action from the Thai government has made it necessary for Weenarin and other activists to rally the public’s support to push for a solution.
Weenarin is determined to tackle this issue, and she is working hard to create awareness about the effects of poor air quality on the public’s health. Her NGO, Thailand Clean Air Network, has been advocating for clean air in the region and pushing the government to take action to address the issue.
Weenarin’s work is essential as the region’s poor air quality has become a severe environmental disaster. Her efforts have started to bear fruit as the Thai government is starting to take notice of the issue. With increased public awareness and support, the government can take more effective action to address this issue and mitigate the impact of air pollution on the health of the region’s citizens.
Chiang Mai, a cultural and tourist hub located in the region, has earned the undesirable distinction of being the most polluted city in the world, surpassing hotspots like Lahore, Tehran, and Beijing. The city is home to approximately 128,000 individuals. On April 6th of this year, the air quality in the city reached a reading of 223, nearly fifteen times greater than the daily limit advised by the World Health Organization (WHO), according to IQAir, a Swiss air quality company. Fine particulate matter, referred to as PM2.5, is present in the smog and is 2.5 microns or less in diameter. PM2.5 can penetrate deeply into the lungs, causing health problems like acute and chronic bronchitis and asthma attacks.
One does not need sophisticated equipment to realize the problem’s severity. The toxic haze has reduced visibility to only a few hundred meters, and the blanket of smog appears as a noxious fog from an airplane. The air has a bonfire-like odour. Thousands of individuals have respiratory problems, with almost 13,000 patients visiting a Chiang Mai hospital for breathing problems in the first quarter of 2023, according to Prachatai, a local media outlet.
Authorities can no longer overlook the issue and are concentrating on the symptoms. They spray water into the air in city centres and seed clouds from military aircraft, hoping for the pollution to be washed away by rain. The results have been unimpressive.
According to experts, the root cause of Thailand’s annual air pollution crisis lies within its political and economic systems. The government has been reluctant to address the issue, which is closely tied to the big agricultural industry. Tycoon families who run agribusiness conglomerates are among the wealthiest in the country and have close ties to the government and military. They donate to all major political parties and benefit from policies that allow them to continue their practices, which contribute to the air pollution crisis.
The primary source of the toxic fumes is field burning. During the harvest season, farmers use controlled fires to remove undergrowth and fertilize their sugarcane, maize, and rice fields. The dry season exacerbates the problem because neither wind nor rain can remove the haze. Secondary aerosols, products of chemical reactions from pollutants mostly from field fires in stagnant air, account for a further 30% of the haze. PM2.5 particles from burning dominate the Northern Thai smog and give it its characteristic smoky smell. Neighbouring countries, including Myanmar and Laos, contribute between a third and half of the smog, depending on the region.
According to Weenarin, a root cause of the problem is contract farming. Smallholder farmers, who make up the majority of farmers in Thailand, enter into contracts with large companies that sell them seeds and fertilizers and commit to buying the crops. These contracts pressure farmers to maximize output, and with no capital to invest in modern harvesters, field burning is the easiest way to increase productivity. According to Weenarin, even a second-hand harvester would cost a farmer 5 million baht ($150,000), which is more than they can afford. She argues that contract farming is a form of modern-day indentured slavery.
Air pollution in Thailand has reached critical levels in recent years, and a large part of the problem is caused by burning crops. This burning is often blamed on farmers, who are seen as the culprits responsible for the haze that shrouds much of the country during the dry season. However, the reality is much more complex, and blaming farmers ignores the systemic issues that lead to crop burning.
According to Danny Marks, a researcher at Dublin City University, the problem is one of “slow violence” against marginalized people. He cites the example of Charoen Pokphand, the world’s largest animal feed producer and a subsidiary of Thailand’s richest tycoon. Charoen Pokphand has greatly expanded the model of contract farming in Thailand, which allows it to have a hands-off approach while still profiting from the crops that are being burned.
While some progress has been made, such as the implementation of a corn traceability system, burning bans might actually make things worse. Farmers who comply with the ban might burn their fields earlier, which would reduce peak levels of pollution but also start the haze season earlier. Additionally, there are no air pollution standards in agriculture in Thailand.
One of the biggest challenges to addressing air pollution in Thailand is the lack of public awareness and activism. Many Thais are apathetic about the issue, and there are no major political parties campaigning on environmental issues. Even people in the most affected areas, such as Chiang Mai, rarely protest. Weenarin, from the Thailand Clean Air Network, believes that the Thai Clean Air Act, a citizens’ legislative proposal, could help. However, there is too much cynicism, fatalism, and disempowerment to effect meaningful change.
