Cost and Benefit of Flue Gas Desulfurization for Pollution Control at the Mae Moh Power Plant, Thailand

This study provides a cost-benefit analysis of the flue-gas desulfurization (FGD) systems installed at the Mae Moh power station in northern Thailand. A 'before and after' study focused on the impact this air pollution cleanup technology had on human health in the area surrounding the power plant. Impacts on local agricultural and forest productivity are also assessed. The setup and operational costs of the plant, along with other key costs, are compared with the economic value of all the benefits that the FGD systems will bring over their twenty-five year lifespan. The study finds that this cleanup technology has not been cost effective at this site - in other words it is an economic burden, rather than a benefit, to society. While the study acknowledges that the pollution clean up has had many positive benefits, it argues that cheaper options could have been considered.pollution control, Thailand

Pollution Cleanup at what price? A cost-benefit study from Thailand

Across Southeast Asia, there has been a massive increase in electricity consumption over the last decade. This trend looks set to continue as industry develops and the region's population rises. Although renewable sources of energy production such as wind and solar have a role in supplying the region's electricity, large-scale fossil-fuel-fired power stations will provide the hulk of the region's power needs for the foreseeable future. Such power stations can have massive environmentaal nd social impacts. The need for cost-effective pollution control technologies and approaches for such plants is therefore vital.pollution, Thailand

Participatory Approaches to Research and Development in the Southeast Asian Uplands: Potential and Challenges

International audienceParticipatory approaches have been discussed as alternatives to and complementary elements of more conventional research on sustainable land use and rural development in upland areas of Southeast Asia. Following a brief overview of the history of participatory approaches (Sect. 9.1), this chapter discusses the potential and limitations of applying Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) tools to field research practice in Vietnam (Sect. 9.2) and of involving stakeholders in priority setting, modeling and environmental valuation in the Southeast Asian uplands (Sect. 9.3). Section 9.4 scrutinizes the use of the Payments for Environmental Services (PES) tool, which aims to actively engage smallholder farmers in preserving fragile mountain ecosystems in Southeast Asia by rewarding them in cash or in kind. Section 9.5 provides an example of a successful multi-stakeholder knowledge and innovation partnership in northern Thailand – in the form of a litchi processing and marketing network formed among Hmong villagers, an approach which uses a promising action-research approach towards building sustainable rural livelihoods among ethnic minority groups