Search for:
Environment

Thailand: Establishment of the Department of Climate Change and Environment

By , , , , , and 2 Mins Read

In brief

As a key step in combating the climate change crisis, the Thai government has recently established the Department of Climate Change and Environment (CCE) within the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment. This central government agency is dedicated to focusing on the country’s climate change efforts.

In depth

The establishment of the CCE, along with the introduction of several other upcoming climate-related regulations and initiatives, emphasizes Thailand’s serious commitment to achieving its carbon neutrality goal by 2050 and net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2065. In the mid-term, there is a commitment to elevate our ambition by raising the GHG reduction target from 20-25% to 30-40% by 2030.

According to the Royal Decree re: Changing the Name of the Environmental Quality Promotion Department to Department of Climate Change and Environment, B.E. 2566 (2023), and the Ministerial Regulations on the Organization Division of the Department of Climate Change and Environment, B.E. 2566 (2023), the CCE is tasked with supervising Thailand’s missions and operations related to climate change, while also coordinating with public and private agencies on climate change issues. Additionally, the CCE will be responsible for assessing the country’s climate change risks and producing guidelines in line with Thailand’s commitment to international protocols.

The Royal Decree and the Ministerial Regulations were published in the Royal Gazette on 17 August 2023 and 18 August 2023, respectively. The name change took effect on 18 August 2023, marking the official establishment of the CCE.

Categories:
Author

Nam-Ake Lekfuangfu is a partner of the Employment & Compensation Practice Group in Bangkok. He is experienced not only in employment laws but also, corporate and commercial law, mergers and acquisitions, environment and trade regulations. Over the past year, Nam-Ake was lead lawyer for a wide range of employment matters involving high profile clients. With his extensive legal knowledge, combined with insights on industrial knowledge and practices and Supreme Court rulings, Nam-Ake assists clients on employment and immigration works, ranging from day-to-day advice to complex matters, such as advising on employment trends impacting employers globally, including global mobility, the use of modern workforce and gender pay gap.

Author

Bulin joined Baker McKenzie in 2000 and became a partner in 2012. He is active in the Corporate and M&A Practice Group and is a lead partner in the Healthcare & Life Sciences Industry Group, the Industrial Manufacturing and Transportation Industry Group, and the Sustainability Group.

Author

Yuthana is a partner and co-head of the Investigations, Compliance & Ethics Practice Group at Baker McKenzie, Bangkok. He is an acknowledged leader in the field of government procurement and contracts, and public-private partnership (PPP) projects. One of his most notable areas of expertise is advising on court cases that challenge decisions made by government authorities, or address disputes arising from procurements, bid rigging, administrative orders and contracts, as well as arbitration proceedings. Prior to joining the Firm, he was a judge advocate, serving in the Royal Thai Navy for more than five years, becoming well versed in government procurement and contracts, and negotiation and investigation skills. His roles and responsibilities covered a wide range of issues dealing with administrative law, government contracts and civilian and military personnel law, acting as an inquiry official legally empowered to conduct investigations. His responsibilities also extended to the provision of legal advice in the area of procurements, terms of reference (TOR), and contracts in procuring armaments and naval ships, as well as the law on the use of navally supervised state-owned land, including drafting rules and regulations and negotiating international contracts for the Royal Thai Navy.

Author

Peerapan is a Corporate and M&A partner and heads the Sustainability Group and Healthcare & Life Sciences Industry Group in Bangkok. She also co-heads the Investigations, Compliance & Ethics Practice Group in Bangkok and is currently a member of the Firm's Global Executive Committee. Peerapan has nearly 40 years of experience advising on transactional and regulatory matters in highly regulated industries. Peerapan is exceptionally fluent in regulatory matters relating to healthcare, consumer protection and product liability.
Peerapan also has extensive experience advising on compliance issues, risks facing companies across various industry sectors, and regularly assists clients in practically managing and mitigating those risks. She has been consistently recognized as 'Leading Individual’ in Corporate M&A by the Asia Pacific Legal 500 for eight consecutive years (2013-2020) and has been inducted into the Asia Pacific Legal 500 Hall of Fame in Corporate M&A in 2020-2023. More recently she has been shortlisted for Corporate and M&A Lawyer of the Year by the Legal 500 Southeast Asia Awards. Peerapan was also awarded ‘Client Choice winner’ for Healthcare & Life Sciences 2019 by Lexology.
In October 2022, Peerapan was elected to join the Global Executive Committee and serve as chair of the Asia Pacific region. In this role, Peerapan works alongside the Firm's leadership to drive forward the Firm’s business strategy and prioritized actions.

Author

Narawit Rujanant is a Legal Professional in Baker McKenzie Bangkok office.

Author

Muanjit Chamsilpa is an Environmental Specialist in Baker & McKenzie Limited, Bangkok office.

Author

Dhiranantha Rithmanee is an Environmental Specialist in Baker McKenzie Bangkok office.

Related Posts