Thailand

GIZ local staff

National employees: 145
International employees: 23
Integrated experts: 2

_{(as at: 31.12.2022)}

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH has been working jointly with partners in Thailand for more than 60 years and has an office in the capital Bangkok.

Thailand largely depends on fossil fuels for its energy needs. At the same time, the share of wind and solar energy in the country’s energy mix is far from its potential. Rice cultivation, covering roughly half of the arable land, significantly contributes to greenhouse gas emissions, which is due to the flooding of the paddy fields, and accounts for nearly 55 per cent of Thailand’s agricultural greenhouse gas emissions. Globally, the country stands as the fourth-largest emitter of rice-related greenhouse gases.

Climate change impacts Thailand profoundly and results in more frequent heavy rainfalls, floods, dry spells, and droughts, which is posing significant risks to the population, economy, and environment.

Thailand is one of the biodiversity hotspots worldwide, but its flora and fauna suffer from climate change, demanding nature conservation efforts. One of the most significant dangers is plastic leaking into the ocean.

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH implements projects and programmes on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK) and the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV) under the International Climate Initiative (IKI) as well as other bilateral and multilateral donors and the private sector.

GIZ works in Thailand and focuses on three areas:

• Energy transition
• Sustainable agriculture
• Climate change mitigation and adaption

To make the Thai economy more climate friendly, GIZ focuses on the distribution of green hydrogen for energy production and natural refrigerants for environmentally friendly cooling, which mitigate greenhouse gas emissions. At the same time, GIZ promotes knowledge exchange on eco-friendly energy solutions and supports energy efficiency in industrial production. GIZ also focuses on reducing carbon emissions in transport by promoting more electric vehicles and integrated traffic systems.

To reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Thailand’s agricultural sector, particularly rice cultivation, GIZ trains farmers in using mitigation technologies and applying sustainable best practices.

To improve climate mitigation, GIZ advocates to develop new economic approaches and promotes a circular economy and works to improve environmental awareness and to minimise negative impacts of the economy on the environment. Additionally, efforts focus on developing approaches to avoid plastic leaking, applying extended producer responsibility and avoiding single use plastics.