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The daily activities of humans which continuously release greenhouse gases into the atmosphere have exacerbated climate change. Moreover, deforestation and wildfires have resulted in a spike in CO2 levels. The International Union for Conservation of Nature predicts that rising global temperatures will result in the extinction of 1 in every 4 species, and currently, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), more than 420 million people are facing intense heatwaves. Meanwhile, Thailand is suffering from its worst drought in 40 years, while one-third of the region of Thailand has experienced severe flash floods since the end of 2020. It is clear that the world has reached the point where climate change has escalated into a “Climate Crisis.”
In addition, the wasteful consumption of a population which is likely to reach 9.6 billion people in 2050, according to the Bank of Thailand’s reports, has led to a shortage of natural resources around the world due to the loss of ecological balance. It is estimated that to have enough resources, we would need to have three Earths. Also relevant is the fact that today’s new normal lifestyle has contributed to the global accumulation of up to 2 billion tons of waste, which is projected to increase to 3.4 billion tons by the beginning of 2050, according to reports by the World Economic Forum. A study conducted by Jambeck et al. in 2015, which was cited in an article by SDG MOVE, found that ASEAN countries like Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, and Thailand are among the top 10 countries that release the most plastic waste into the sea.
Although the world has progressed in many aspects, these advancements have led to the problem of social inequality, and the Covid-19 pandemic has further exacerbated this issue. The International Labor Organization (ILO) reports that the number of unemployed people worldwide will rise to 205 million, which is in line with the Bank of Thailand’s forecast that by 2022, more than 4.74 million Thai workers will be at risk of layoffs and severely reduced income against the background of inflation and high cost of living. Furthermore, an important cornerstone like education also lacks stability, especially for the 1.9 million Thai youth who are at risk of falling through the gaps in the education system, according to Ministry of Education’s assessment.
