Author: Kittipong Bunlear

Walailak University is actively addressing climate change through its 20-year Strategic Plan (2018–2037), focusing on Strategy 5: Promote the Image as a Sustainable Happy Green University City. This initiative aims to drive the university towards carbon neutrality, in line with the Thailand Climate Change Master Plan, with a target of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. Recognizing the university’s critical role in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly in responding to climate change, Walailak University has issued a 2024 Climate Action Policy. This policy sets a clear goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 and reaching net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2065.Walailak University has established an action plan to achieve carbon neutrality, with the following key milestones: 2022: The university assessed its baseline greenhouse gas emissions to serve as a…

Walailak University, in collaboration with the Provincial Office of Natural Resources and Environment, the Provincial Climate Change Working Group, and independent organizations (NGOs) such as the Save Andaman Network Foundation, organized a focus group meeting to gather feedback on the climate change risk assessment in Trang. The meeting, held at the Trang Provincial Public Health Office and Trang Provincial Administrative Organization, presented natural disaster statistics and damage data in Trang area between 2016 and 2020, as recorded in the Trang Provincial Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Plan (2021-2027) by the Trang Provincial Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Administration.Additionally, future climate hazards and impacts were projected using mathematical models from the Office of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy and Planning (ONEP). Representatives from the Trang Province Climate Change Working Group were briefed on…

Walailak University, as a consultant to the Provincial Office of Natural Resources and Environment, supports developing provincial climate change action plans across five upper southern provinces: Nakhon Si Thammarat, Trang, Phatthalung, Chumphon, and Ranong. This collaboration aims to facilitate greenhouse gas data informing as a foundation for provincial databases. Additionally, the project involves analyzing practicable and appropriate measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, tailored to the unique context of each province. The comprehensive plans cover five key sectors: energy, waste management, industrial processes and product use, transportation, and agriculture, forestry and land use.The collaboration follows the guidelines of the Global Protocol for Community-Scale Greenhouse Gas Emission Inventories (GPC) and aligns with the declaration made by Thailand’s Prime Minister at the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in…

Walailak University has undertaken a project addressing climate change and has played an active role in planning responses to climate-related disasters, engaging both the community and government sectors. In 2023, the university participated in meetings with the Federation of Thai Industries, Nakhon Si Thammarat Chapter and local business operators to develop a greenhouse gas management plan for the industrial sector, which accounts for 21% of the total greenhouse gas emissions in the province. The sources of emissions in the industrial sector, categorized by factory boundaries, include direct emissions from energy use, production processes, wastewater management, and leaks, as well as indirect emissions from the import of electricity and external heat energy. Therefore, managing greenhouse gases in the industrial sector is crucial to mitigating emissions that contribute to climate change. Figures:…

WU’s Center of Excellence and Research Center, Research and Innovation Institute of Excellence, focuses on area-based research. The center supports the research to mainly accommodate the demand of Thai Southern locals as well as progressing research that invents new knowledge. WU aims to be the international leader in researching and promotes the research to be the learning process applied in solving and advancing locals. WU’s Center of Excellence and Research Center includes 24 centers, especially the Center of Excellence in Sustainable Disaster Management. This center gathers a total of 27 researchers from each field including Innovative Construction and Infrastructure Management​ Group, Group of Geological Structures and Disasters, Technology and Information Group, Technology and Information Group, and Water Resources and Coastal Management Group. Figure: The Center of Excellence in Sustainable Disaster…

Walailak University is committed to aligning its development with the national energy policy to promote energy security and sustainability following the Energy Efficiency Development Plan (EEDP). The university has established its Climate Action Policy for 2024, focusing on tracking and reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the whole university's activities, particularly in energy consumption. This includes reducing reliance on fossil fuel energy sources, implementing energy management measures to decrease emissions, and promoting the use of renewable energy for on-campus energy production, such as solar power and wind energy systems. Figure: Map of Low-Carbon Energy Consumption within Walailak University. In 2023, Walailak University consumed a total of 36,102.01 gigajoules of electrical energy. When calculating the carbon footprint from this electricity consumption, it amounts to 5,013.16 tons of carbon dioxide equivalently. The three building…