The thick haze that covers Bangkok and the adjoining areas requires the Thai auto business to embrace clear know-how – but it surely additionally requires a serious shift in our automotive tradition.

Mist, condensed PM2.5, positive particles measuring 2.5 microns or much less in diameter, can penetrate deep into human lungs and the bloodstream, resulting in the danger of untimely demise from respiratory infections, lung most cancers and heart problems.

The sources of PM2.5 are nonetheless the topic of debate amongst authorities who’ve blamed factories, development websites, farm fires in neighboring nations, and even sellers of grilled meat. However quite a few scientific research of air air pollution in cities around the globe, together with analysis assembled by the World Well being Group, point out that site visitors is the principle contributor to city ambient air air pollution. by PM2.5 attributable to combustion in fossil gasoline automotive engines.

This analysis is related to Bangkok, a metropolis of over 10 million automobiles. As of December 31, information from the Ministry of Land Transport exhibits that 60% of automobiles on the capital’s roads are sedans, vans and vans. In 2018 alone, greater than 970,000 new automobiles had been registered in Bangkok. One third counts for private automobiles.

Poor metropolis planning with inefficient public transportation forces many residents to personal automobiles. In current a long time, the state has adopted a metropolis mannequin based mostly on the American automotive with the growth of street networks. Some areas are inaccessible by public transport networks.

On the similar time, successive Thai governments have tacitly inspired using passenger automobiles by offering the auto business with assist measures. After the 1997 monetary disaster, the state aggressively inspired the auto sector by providing privileges and incentives to draw international funding. Trade contributed greater than 10% of the GDP.

A analysis report from Krungsri final 12 months confirmed that the nation produced 1.99 million automobiles in 2017, up from 0.36 million in 1997. About 46% of manufacturing in 2017 was for the home market, the remainder being exported.

In keeping with the Federation of Thai Industries, an growth of the home market will attribute to important progress within the automotive business for a while. However because the nation faces an air air pollution disaster, there’s a have to revolutionize the automotive business by accelerating its transition to wash power know-how.

The federal government has began supporting the manufacturing of electrical automobiles (EVs), with the implementation of a 2016-2036 motion plan that goals to extend EVs to 1.2 million items by the tip plan.

However this transition is painfully sluggish. One of many causes is the shortage of know-how to provide reasonably priced electrical automobiles and batteries. The business can also be held again by sure business components which aren’t proud of the transition, however who want to keep the “enterprise as normal” technique of manufacturing.

Aggressive advertising and marketing techniques solely imply that there shall be extra, not much less, automobiles on the roads.

It isn’t simple to reverse such a development, provided that we’re a rustic with a ardour for automobiles and tradition.

For a lot of Thais, automobiles are usually not only a staple for mobility in poorly deliberate cities. The automobiles symbolize social standing. It isn’t unusual for a household to have multiple automotive.

A viral clip from 2016 confirmed the host of the Thai TV present Akanat “Nott” Ariyaritwikul hitting a motorcyclist and forcing him to kraab his luxurious Mini automotive following a minor accident. That is considered one of many incidents that exhibits how superior some automotive homeowners take into account themselves to be in Thai society.

In reality, some white collar employees really feel immense stress to personal a automotive that may be a image {of professional} success.

I bumped into some younger officers who, regardless of their meager salaries and dwelling in locations accessible by a public transport system, nonetheless wish to personal a automotive.

We’ll want extra time earlier than we will change this automotive tradition. However the authorities should do all it might probably to pressure change, bettering the general public transport system and introducing measures that encourage automotive homeowners to desert their automobiles, particularly in areas the place rail programs are in brief provide. supplied.

We want a brand new social worth that encourages folks to undertake a inexperienced way of life.

In any other case, the roads will all the time be crammed with automobiles and the air will all the time be soiled.