Sawatdee Cough: Bangkok's Air Pollution Crisis [S4.E66]

Greg interviews Khun Weena, founder of the
Thailand Clean Air Network and an expert on
air pollution in Thailand to discuss the who, the what, the why
and the WTF behind Thailand's annual season of poisonous, toxic
air. 


She begins by outlining the fundamental problem: more or
less unchecked economic growth, not only in Thailand but around
Asia as well, especially in gigantic countries such as India and
China. Although the problem has been around for a
while, public interest has peaked due to the
increased spread of information about the problem.


According to Khun Weena, one problem is Thailand's actual
standard for what counts as a problem: the current cutoff of PM
2.5 is 50 parts per million, but the WHO recommends a level of 25
parts per million. Further, there is a misperception of the
actual risk of bad air: although the coronavirus has killed 65
Thais, it is estimated that 66,000 (!) Thais die per year due to
illnesses directly related to air pollution.


Greg and Khun Ween continue to discuss many facets of the
problem, including what changes Thailand can make to move in the
right direction. Although the problem is complex and
longstanding, there is increased focus on the issue by the
general public and NGOs such as Khun Weena's, and the Thai
government is slowly...slowly moving into action. 


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