Bangkok Tops Carbon Dioxide List

CRAWLING CARS
Heavy traffic in Bangkok’s Chinatown area. A recent report says transportation, electricity generation, and solid and waste water constitute 90% of emissions in the city.
Photo by AFP

Bangkok generates as much carbon dioxide (CO2) as New York, and even more than London, according to a report.

The Bangkok Assessment Report on Climate Change 2009 shows that both Bangkok and New York emitted 7.1 tons per capita in 2007, compared with London’s 5.9 tons.

The report was produced by the Bangkok Metropolitan Authority and the Bangkok-based Green Leaf Foundation with support from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). Released in April, the Bangkok report is the first in the UNEP-supported series of climate change city reports.

The Bangkok report says transportation, electricity generation, and solid and waste water constitute 90% of emissions in the city. The rapid increase in the number of passenger vehicles has made the transport sector the largest contributor at almost 38% of CO2 annually.

The report warned that warmer temperatures caused by increased greenhouse gas emissions (GHG), such as CO2, may result in flooding and a rise in sea level, causing damage to infrastructure and affecting the water supply, public health, and food production.

“We hope that this report will raise awareness of the issues and stimulate actions that need to be taken by residents, and the private and public sectors to reduce those impacts, and for the city to adapt. This will help safeguard the city’s economy and its inhabitants to the extent possible,” said Park Young-Woo, regional director of the UNEP Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific. •