From 2.5PM to Zero: “Fighting Fires” a recap of Session #2 on the complexity and importance of the issue
By Courtney Savie Lawrence and Kin Fucharoen of the Circular Design Lab air pollution track with, Weenarin Lulitanonda ,Sivalee Anantachart (Soma), Laura Hammett, Phai Supkulawal and Liepa Olsauskaite
Last week the Circular Design Lab, in collaboration with the Thailand Clean Air Network held it’s second installment of the three part ‘pop up’ series designed to bring awareness and educated action towards a shift at the intersection of air pollution and health issues. As pointed out in our first session, unhealthy air quality- affecting over 90% of the world- has cascading effects, and is acutely problematic in Thailand as well.
You can read the big picture intention of our work in this post that sets the stage, or catch up on the recording, discussion of our kick off session, held on Earth Day. This initial session explored the connection between the COVID19 pandemic and Air Pollution, or “Invisible Enemies” confronting the world, also captured in the post here. Note, the next, yet last of the pop-up sessions, will be this upcoming Wednesday, May 6th and focused on “Grassroots to Government”- more details are here.
Below we share the recording, detailed highlights, Q+A from the audience and action steps you can take, as well as the link for the next session coming up this Wednesday, May 6th at 5pm (ICT). We hope you are just as enlightened by the interesting perspective, experience and insights that our guest panel offered- from a Doctor in Forestry, a local village chief and a research expert from Chiang Mai University. The common denominator message you will find connects to the complexity of systems change- yet the urgency of collaboration and policy as the most efficient way to address the root causes, not just the symptoms that appear as toxic PM2.5 in the air.
Session Highlights — don’t have time to watch? You can catch up below
Thanks to fantastic real-time note translation by the Circular Design Lab volunteer and engineer Kin Fucharoen, we have transcript extracts in both English and Thai.
Excerpts of the Opening Remarks from Panelists
Por Luang: We have been fighting wildfires for about 30 years, where we have been responsible for 30,000 rai (48 sq.km) of the forest in Doi Pui; doing the complex work of preventing, monitoring, and controlling the spread of the fire. The area is a thick forest so any burning, once started, spreads very fast and is very difficult to control. As an example, the recent burning this year was caused by only about 5 fire spots that spread throughout the mountain. Over time we have noticed that true wildfires rarely exist anymore; most are now man-made, stemming largely from carelessness and lack of understanding from hunter-gatherers in the area.
Dr.Veerachai: Thailand’s fire management started about 40 years ago in the Doi Suthep area. In that timespan we have gathered a lot of knowledge about wildfire behaviors; what’s missing is the understanding of fire-induced smoke behaviors. Wildfire control is under the purview of the Royal Forest Department (Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment), but the department doesn’t have enough manpower. Training of manpower, especially firefighters, is complex. Fighting wildfire is dangerous and training — especially on safety — is very important; this is particularly so with the recent wildfires in Thailand which have gotten more severe recently.
In terms of open burning control, satellite images have been used to detect smoke and burning hotspots. The problem is that satellites are easy to “avoid”, and farmers who know about them will simply avoid the satellites’ sweep and burn “under the radar”. So we need to have better means of monitoring the hotspots and controlling the burning.
Burning control measures have also not been as effective because they come from a one-size-fits-all concept. Different areas have different burning behaviors, e.g. some areas start burning as early as February while others don’t start until March; different kinds of biomass also produce different smoke behaviors and pollution. A blanket burning control measure therefore will not work; local context needs to be considered. It is unrealistic to expect a zero-burning; instead we should expect burning to be a part of Thai agriculture for a long time yet, and find ways to control it to minimize impact.
The bottom line is we need effective laws and regulations governing the management and control of open burning and wildfires, possibly included under the Clean Air Act legislation.
Dr.Somporn: Based on the research done using air pollution data from the Pollution Control Department, there is a strong association between air pollution levels and numbers of open burning hotspots especially during the dry season (March — April). This year, with the wildfire on Doi Suthep, air pollution levels in Chiang Mai rose dangerously. Mae Hong Son province and Mae Sai district, similarly, showed high levels of air pollution this year possibly due to trans-boundary pollution from neighboring countries.
Looking deeper into the open-burning control measure, we noticed that “zero-burning policy” applied in 2016–2019 did help reduce the peak air pollution levels compared to earlier years. However, with the policy in place, the period where we saw high levels of air pollution expanded by several months as farmers did their burning around the zero-burning period. This unintended consequence suggests that we may now need to have a more careful look at other factors such as weather and wind forecasts to determine how best to manage the open-burning and minimize the impact.
Key Messages from the Panel
Por Luang: Volunteer firefighters in our village don’t have any funding nor any safety net like insurance. We fear that one day if some of us get into an accident we won’t be able to handle that. We also hope that perhaps the military units — with resources and manpower — can support the work. Perhaps just for a few months in the dry season, they can send units out to patrol the forests to prevent burning.
Dr.Veerachai: The key question is how we can ensure involvement from all stakeholders in coming up with the solutions. We need to ensure local administrative offices are empowered and involved in the effort, and we need to increase understanding and reduce conflict between the urban and rural communities. We need a way to manage open-burning in agriculture that is fair and equitable for everyone. Lastly, the Royal Forest Department can support firefighter training for volunteers who want to help fight the wildfires; so please reach out to obtain training support and don’t do it on your own.
Dr.Somporn: The most important success factor is the involvement of all stakeholders, especially local communities and volunteers. We need to work together year-round to plan and prevent fire before the open-burning season; we cannot just react to the fires during the dry and pollution season. Funding is also important, so we need both official budget and private support in fighting the problem. Academic institutions like ours can support the work with data and research. We may also be able to set up training centers on wildfire, forest management, and air pollution.
Q+A from the Audience
How do we “practically” manage the open-burning in agriculture?
Dr.Somporn: Chiang Mai University has met with Chiang Mai local administration to explore using computer modeling and weather forecast in determining the burning control measures.
Dr.Veerachai: Royal Forest Department is also working on model-based burning control, but the challenge is the difficulty in modeling smoke behaviors and ventilation indices in various areas. Getting local communities involved is also another challenge.
In regards to wildfire and air pollution, have official units and the government been supporting the local communities?
Por Luang: In our village, we have been managing wildfires on our own the whole time. We do get some support from the local municipal office but we mostly it’s our own manpower taking care of the 35 sq.km area.
Dr.Veerachai: There are now some networks of villages doing joint-work on wildfire control but the network is not extensive and also without funding. Efforts on community forest management are happening but again, the lack of funding poses a challenge.
Dr.Somporn: With Doi Suthep wildfire this year, it was apparent that citizens were engaged and played a support role through their donations of funds and equipment so that was a good sign of public engagement.
Are there alternatives to open-burning in agriculture?
Dr.Veerachai: There are many alternatives, but they are not feasible due to costs when trying to cover a large area. Open-burning ban may also create unintended effects; for example a few years ago in Chiang Rai, with little burning due to the control measure, we saw a rise in pesticide usage among farmers which was not what we wanted in the vegetables we eat.
So to find alternatives to burning, it’s important that costs are not prohibitive for farmers. The government, with expert support from economists, can help through — for example — subsidies or equipment provision to make the alternatives feasible.
We cannot escape from agricultural burning, as some farmers believe that their income will be reduced without the burning practice. Some believe their careers will have to be changed if they are not allowed to garner benefits from the practice of burning. This is a socioeconomic problem; so long as farmers stand to benefit from burning then there will be burning.
Chiang Mai University has done a lot of research; is the research being turned into practical applications for the local people?
Dr.Somporn: In our team we have experts from several departments together, and we are working on turning the hard sciences into more applicable outputs for local communities. One of the work being done is translation of research results into more digestible contents for the non-scientific community. It is clear that, through continued communication effort, awareness has been rising. People have gone from not knowing anything about air pollution to now understanding the basics about PM10 and PM2.5. That work will continue. Additionally, we also need voices and feedback from local communities on what they need help with.
What is to be done practically post-burning season?
Dr.Veerachai: Post-burning rebuilding and reforestation are necessary. The rebuilding effort should be planned properly as some areas may need active rebuilding while others do not. We need to choose the right place and right approach to rebuilding and reforestation, else the new forest won’t last even a year.
Dr.Veerachai: Fire prevention is also needed, and funding should be made available for that. Some people asked, why do we not buy more firefighting airplanes; to which the answer is that the funding for airplanes could be used more effectively for preventive measures.
Due to air pollution impact on tourism, has the tourism industry or authority played any part in supporting fire prevention and suppression?
Por Luang: There has been no sign of support from the Tourism Authority of Thailand nor the Ministry of Tourism and Sports.
Dr.Somporn: Tourism business owners are indeed affected by the reduction in tourists, so they are starting to become aware but have not been involved in the preventive work yet. Most are doing responsive actions instead, e.g. installing air purifiers in their buildings.
Final thoughts on collaboration to solve the problems
Dr.Veerachai: The way to collaborate is for each stakeholder to agree in “taking a step back” and work for the benefits of all even at a slight impact on their own gains. For example, Chiang Mai local administration may be able to take 10% from the tourism enhancement budget to help with air pollution control measures, or create a support system to allow farmers to change their careers to be something that requires less burning. Hotels may be able to guarantee buying fresh produce from local farmers instead of big suppliers. The challenge is, I don’t know who has the power to bring everyone to work together in that way.
Dr.Somporn: The problem is complex and dynamic, and it has to do with inequality too. At least, though, it’s good to see that people are getting interested in the issue so we are stepping in the right direction hopefully.
How you can contribute to the solutions?
- See the work of Thailand Clean Air Network, read the English version of the White Paper (Thai Version Here) and stay engaged on the facebook page for action here.
- Donate to fire and COVID relief efforts through Social Giver
- Support the work to push for #right2cleanair with Circular Design Lab- from an education awareness raising and policy shift standpoint. Contact us via Facebook or website
Get Educated and Motivated: Join us live on Wednesday, May 6th at 5pm (ICT) for Session 3 of the Series
“Grassroots to Government” — how can Thailand turn the tide of air pollution and guarantee citizens’ right to clean air?
How to join, and what will we cover?
Our last session is about the power of social capital and the need to improve the system in the post-COVID19 world. We talk to ecosystem players about the challenges and opportunities that we face along the #right2cleanair path. We also tap into a network of institutional thought leaders from across civil society and the private sector who share perspective on collaboration and collective imagination, to artists who expose social issues and drive public engagement through less conventional approaches. Last but not least we invite you to have a say on the different ways we can shift the system together. We will close with concrete next steps that the Circular Design Lan, in partnership with the Thailand Clean Air Network, are taking in the coming months and how you can get involved.
It of course is free and open to the public, you can register here.
Final Session: Wednesday, 6 May, 5–6pm (Bangkok) “Grassroots to Government” — how can Thailand turn the tide of air pollution and guarantee citizens’ right to clean air?
With a very special thanks to the core volunteers and extended support team of the Circular Design Lab ‘air pollution’ track. Want to get in touch and contribute, please let us know here or reach out to the air track co-leads Courtney, Laura, Weena, Soma.
Additionally, huge appreciation is extended to the Thailand Clean Air Network, and the many other volunteer coalition members and organizations, beyond the Circular Design Lab, who have contributed to the development of the White and Blue Papers, and raising the platform, as well.
