Thailand's climate plan: 47% fewer emissions by 2035!

Thailand's climate plan: 47% fewer emissions by 2035!

Thailand has great ambitions when it comes to climate protection. On November 4, 2025, the Cabinet approved the new "NDC 3.0" plan to be presented at the upcoming UN Climate Change Conference COP30, taking place from November 6 to 21 in Belém, Brazil. This plan aims to reduce the country's greenhouse gas emissions by 47 percent by 2035 compared to 2019 levels. This would be a significant step for Thailand, which has also committed to achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Policy Watch reports that the relevant measures will be implemented in all economic sectors, including energy, transport, industry, agriculture and waste management.

This initiative is no coincidence: Thailand not only wants to reduce its own ecological footprint, but also attract international investors. The expected inflow of foreign investment is a whopping 230 billion baht to support the implementation of carbon reduction. Lalida Periswiwatana, deputy government spokeswoman, stressed that this would strengthen Thailand's role on the global stage and increase investor confidence.

A comprehensive approach

The NDC 3.0 is not just a pure climate protection paper; it is part of a national framework designed to accelerate emissions reductions between 2031 and 2035. These adjustments are in line with the international commitments Thailand has made under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Paris Agreement. The specifications of the NDC are also based on the findings from the Global Stocktake (GST), which evaluates progress in climate protection and provides impulses for future climate goals, such as Federal Environment Agency explained.

As part of NDC 3.0, Thailand sets clear goals: First, net emissions are to be reduced to 184.8 MtCO2eq by 2030, which corresponds to a reduction of 33.3 percent. In 2022, Thailand already managed to save 65.23 MtCO2eq, exceeding the annual target of 64 MtCO2eq. The government is also working on a new climate law that could come into force in 2026 in order to effectively implement the ecological goals.

Five key areas for emissions reduction

The reductions will be addressed in five key areas:

• Energie
• Verkehr
• Industrie
• Abfallmanagement
• Landwirtschaft

Thailand is under pressure to dramatically cut its emissions as projections from the UNEP Emissions Gap Report 2024 suggest the world is heading for a temperature rise of 2.6 to 3.1°C if measures are not stepped up. It is therefore essential that Thailand takes seriously its commitments to achieve the 1.5 degree target under the Paris Agreement.

Overall, Thailand's ambitious goals show that the government is ready to take responsibility and actively work to combat climate change. We can only hope that the NDC 3.0 is not just on paper, but also brings actual progress towards a sustainable future.