Indeed it has been a strange and interesting high season! Whether we agree or not with the ambiguous concept of ?global warming? or the more down to earth term ?climate change?, there is change underway?under our noses and before our very eyes?across the land, in the sky, and on the water. Let?s consider monsoonal winds and surf raking havoc during the King?s Cup, blustery rain storms from the west in December and January almost every day, surf in the high season, massive floods in Hat Yai and other areas, unprecedented impacts felt across Phuket?s diving industry due to unpredictable weather coupled with national park closures due to coral bleaching from overly warm waters. Is it a 1 in a 100-year fluke? Or are we seeing the effects of climate change? Hmmm.
If we listen to the scientists, there is a better-than-not chance that our weather is changing, and if indeed this is the case, the Hospitality and Tourism Industry, and the economy of Phuket (and certainly all Thailand) are eminently at risk.
At a recent conference hosted by Mahidol University?s Faculty of Environmental and Resource Studies (The Changing Environment and Challenges to Society), scientists from around the world gathered in Bangkok to address global environmental issues, especially the impact that they have on Thailand. A key point brought out in the discussions is that Thailand, the heart of continental South East Asia, will be among the hardest hit locations on the entire earth by climate change.
Objectives of the conference included the sharing of research and management experience amongst the university, the Thai
government, and environmental organizations in order to stimulate development of collaborative research on environmental issues in the region; it served to promote public awareness and understanding of environmental science and environmental issues.
From the scientists attending the Mahidol conference comes any number of issues and warnings for Thailand.
Across the Land
Changes include altered patterns of rainfall, localized flooding, a reduction in rice harvest, an increase in mosquito-borne diseases, and a new type of refugees?not from Myanmar?rather from the environment! The predicted wave of the future is environmental refugees, those who flee natural disasters, especially in coastal areas. This is already taking place in the Mekon Delta. A recent article in the Bangkok Post identified that a Chulalongkorn University researcher (Jarupongsakul, 2010) found that sand erosion could cause Pattaya Beach to vanish in the next five years and the situation is critical. Research on coastal erosion and related affects on surfing areas has yet to be conducted in Thailand.