気候変動に対する認識および積極的関わりに影響を与える社会心理学的・社会文化的要因 : タイ国を事例として

学位の種別:課程博士University of Tokyo(東京大学

Perception and Communication of Flood Risk: Lessons Learned about Thailand’s Flood Crisis of 2011

Flooding remains a common environmental hazard worldwide, causing some of the most devastating natural disasters of the last century. This is why understanding public perception has become such an important topic for policy makers concerned with flood risk management. This study investigated public perception of flooding events through analysis of risk communication for Thailand’s flood crisis in 2011. An online questionnaire was electronically distributed to residents potentially affected by flooding in Bangkok. Results from 437 returned surveys indicate that Thai residents tend to display both cognitive and affective biases in their perceptions of flood risk. The majority of respondents believed the great flood of Thailand 2011 was directly caused by government mismanagement and negative impacts of climate variability. These biases might occur because of difficulty in evaluating flood probability and lack of adequate information. Floods and related topics mainly evoked feelings of stress, anxiety, boredom, powerlessness and fear. The majority of Thai respondents distrusted any information provided by the central government, while rumors and misinformation could have affected public perceptions and responses to the flood. The general failure of preventive action and poor risk communication have been reported. Further implications (i.e. Cognitive-Affective Interference in Protective Anticipatory Adaptation; CAIPAA model) and further recommendations are discussed

Influence of Psychological Factors on Climate Change Perceptions Held by Local Farmers in the Northeast of Thailand

Global climate change is considered one of the most critical socio-ecological challenges of the 21st century. In recent years extreme weather events have increased significantly in Thailand as in other parts of the world. In most cases, climatic variability has always been associated with its implications for agriculture. To date, however, there has been inconclusive understanding of farmers’ capacity to detect climate change and its potential impact. This study therefore explores how Thai farmers perceive global climate change and, further, to examine the influence of psychological factors on these perceptions. The study used mixed research methods, with both qualitative and quantitative approaches. Questionnaires were distributed to 70 randomly-selected agricultural households in Village 4 of the Nongbuasala sub-district, Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand. The survey results indicated that the majority of respondents view climate change in terms of extreme high temperatures and flooding. Regression analysis also revealed positive correlations between perceptions of climate change and six psychological variables of awareness in general and mitigation, belief in the reality of climate change and human causes, feelings of worry, and self-efficacy (0.201 ≤  r  ≤ .592; p ≤ 0.05). Conversely, in terms of perceived barriers, three components of cognitive dissonance (r = -0.831), belief in limitation of lifestyle changes (r = -0.305) and fear (r = -0.283) were found to be negatively correlated with climate change perceptions by Thai farmers. Recommendations to deal with those perceived barriers are also discussed

Assessing the Sustainability Level of Municipal Solid Waste Management in Bangkok, Thailand by Wasteaware Benchmarking Indicators

The rapid increase in waste volume leads to numerous and widespread impacts on sustainable development including social, economic and environmental dimensions. This study applied Wasteaware benchmarking, which is a set of international indicators, to evaluate the effectiveness and sustainability of municipal solid waste management in Bangkok. The indicators allow identification of strengths and weaknesses of the urban waste management system, providing evidence-based guidance for further improvement. Structured questionnaires were developed based on the indicators and its manual for in-depth interviews with key stakeholders from Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA). The data were analyzed using wasteaware datasheet under Microsoft Excel with score coding, generating a clear and detailed overview of the performance of Bangkok’s municipal solid waste management system (MSW). The overall assessment demonstrated that all waste collected is disposed through official treatment facilities. However, the system’s effectiveness is constrained by ineffective enforcement of relevant regulations. Moreover, waste collection services were found to be not fully efficient. In terms of financing sustainability, improvements are needed to reduce disposal costs. Even if BMA prioritizes waste collection and disposal, it is equally important to promote the 3Rs and fully implement source separation to reduce waste volumes at source. In this regard BMA’s efforts to waste volume reduction targets have met with limited success, and the volume of waste generated in Bangkok continues to rise each year. To enhance the sustainability of MSW management, the outcome of this study could be used to support decision-making and further development, as well as provide inputs for future research

Assessment of Environmental Impacts of Limestone Quarrying Operations in Thailand

Environmental impacts of the mineral extraction have been a public concern. Presently, there is widespread global interest in the area of mining and its sustainability that focused on the need to shift mining industry to a more sustainable framework. The aim of this study was to systematically assess all possible environmental and climate change related impacts of the limestone quarrying operation in Thailand. By considering the life cycle assessment method, the production processes were divided into three phases: raw material extraction, transportation, and comminution. Both IMPACT 2002+ and the Greenhouse Gas Protocol methods were used. Results of IMPACT 2002+ analysis showed that per 1 ton crushed limestone rock production, the total depletion of resource and GHGs emissions were 79.6 MJ and 2.76 kg CO2 eq., respectively. Regarding to the four damage categories, ‘resources’ and ‘climate change’ categories were the two greatest environmental impacts of the limestone rock production. Diesel fuel and electricity consumption in the mining processes were the main causes of those impacts. For climate change, the unit of CO2 eq. was expressed to quantify the total GHGs emissions. Estimated result was about 3.13 kg CO2 eq. per ton limestone rock product. The results obtained by the Greenhouse Gas Protocol were also similar to IMPACT 2002+ method. Electrical energy consumption was considered as the main driver of GHGs, accounting for approximately 46.8 % of total fossil fuel CO2 emissions. A final point should be noted that data uncertainties in environmental assessment over the complete life cycle of limestone quarrying operation have to be carefully considered

Feasibility of Applying Clean Development Mechanism and GHGs Emission Reductions in the Gold Mining Industry: A Case of Thailand

There is presently overwhelming scientific consensus that global climate change is indeed occurring, and that human activities are the primary driver. An increasingly resource and carbon constrained world will continue to pose formidable challenges to major industries, including mining. Understanding the implications of climate change mitigation for the mining industry, however, remains limited. This paper presents the results of a feasibility study on the implementation of a clean development mechanism and greenhouse gases (GHGs) emission reductions in the gold mining industry. It draws upon and extends the analysis of a case study conducted on gold mining operations in Thailand. The results from the case study indicated that total GHGs emissions by company A were approximately 36,886 tons carbon dioxide equivalents (tCO2e) per annual gold production capacity that meet the eligibility criteria for small-scaled clean development mechanism (CDM) projects. The electrostatic separation process was found to release the lowest amount of GHGs, whereas comminution (i.e. crushing and grinding) generated the highest GHGs emissions. By scope, the emission from purchased electricity (scope 2) is the most significant source. Opportunities for CDM projects implementation in the gold mining sector can be found in employing energy efficiency measures. Through innovation, some technical efficiency and technological development in gold processing (i.e. high pressure grinding rolls (HPGR), vertical roller mills (VRM), gravity pre-concentration and microwave heating technologies) that have the potential to reduce energy use and also lower carbon footprint of the gold mining were further discussed. The evidence reviews found that HPGR and VRM abatement technologies have shown energy and climate benefits as electricity savings and CO2 reduction of about 8–25.93 kWh/ton ore processed and 1.8–26.66 kgCO2/ton ore processed, respectively. Implications for further research and practice were finally raised

Feasibility of Applying Clean Development Mechanism and GHGs Emission Reductions in the Gold Mining Industry: A Case of Thailand

There is presently overwhelming scientific consensus that global climate change is indeed occurring, and that human activities are the primary driver. An increasingly resource and carbon constrained world will continue to pose formidable challenges to major industries, including mining. Understanding the implications of climate change mitigation for the mining industry, however, remains limited. This paper presents the results of a feasibility study on the implementation of a clean development mechanism and greenhouse gases (GHGs) emission reductions in the gold mining industry. It draws upon and extends the analysis of a case study conducted on gold mining operations in Thailand. The results from the case study indicated that total GHGs emissions by company A were approximately 36,886 tons carbon dioxide equivalents (tCO2e) per annual gold production capacity that meet the eligibility criteria for small-scaled clean development mechanism (CDM) projects. The electrostatic separation process was found to release the lowest amount of GHGs, whereas comminution (i.e. crushing and grinding) generated the highest GHGs emissions. By scope, the emission from purchased electricity (scope 2) is the most significant source. Opportunities for CDM projects implementation in the gold mining sector can be found in employing energy efficiency measures. Through innovation, some technical efficiency and technological development in gold processing (i.e. high pressure grinding rolls (HPGR), vertical roller mills (VRM), gravity pre-concentration and microwave heating technologies) that have the potential to reduce energy use and also lower carbon footprint of the gold mining were further discussed. The evidence reviews found that HPGR and VRM abatement technologies have shown energy and climate benefits as electricity savings and CO2 reduction of about 8-25.93 kWh/ton ore processed and 1.8-26.66 kgCO2/ton ore processed, respectively. Implications for further research and practice were finally raised

Factors influencing source separation intention and willingness to pay for improving waste management in Bangkok, Thailand

Source separation for recycling has been recognized as a way to achieve sustainable municipal solid waste (MSW) management. However, most developing countries including Thailand have been facing with lack of recycling facilities and low level of source separation practice. By employing questionnaire surveys, this study investigated Bangkok residents' source separation intention and willingness to pay (WTP) for improving MSW service and recycling facilities (n = 1076). This research extended the theory of planned behavior to explore the effects of both internal and external factors. The survey highlighted perceived inconvenience and mistrust on MSW collection being major barriers to carrying out source separation in Bangkok. Promoting source separation at workplace may possibly create spill-over effect to people's intention to recycle their waste at home. Both subjective norms and knowledge on MSW situation were found to be a positive correlation with Bangkok residents' source separation intention and WTP (p < 0.001). Besides, the average WTP values are higher than the existing rate of waste collection service, which shows that Bangkok residents have preference for recycling programs. However, the WTP figures are still much lower than the average MSW management cost. These findings suggest that Bangkok Metropolitan Administration targets improving people knowledge on waste problems that could have adverse impact on the economy and well-being of Bangkok residents and improve its MSW collection service as these factors have positive influence on residents' WTP

Quantification of GHGs Emissions from Electricity and Diesel Fuel Consumption in Basalt Mining Industry in Thailand

The mineral and mining industry is necessary for countries to have an adequate and reliable supply of materials to meet their socio-economic development. Despite its importance, the environmental impacts from mineral exploration are hugely significant. This study aimed to investigate and quantify the amount of GHGs emissions emitted from both electricity and diesel vehicle fuel consumption in basalt mining in Thailand. Plant A, located in the northeastern region of Thailand, was selected as a case study. Results indicated that total GHGs emissions from basalt mining and operation (Plant A) were approximately 2,501,086 kgCO2e and 1,997,412 kgCO2e in 2014 and 2015, respectively. The estimated carbon intensity ranged between 1.824 kgCO2e to 2.284 kgCO2e per ton of rock product. Scope 1 (direct emissions) was the dominant driver of its total GHGs compared to scope 2 (indirect emissions). As such, transport related combustion of diesel fuels generated the highest GHGs emission (65%) compared to emissions from purchased electricity (35%). Some of the potential implications for mining entities were also presented