Increasing air pollution in Thailand caused by hazardous particulate matter known as PM2.5 has led many people to ask where this threat is coming from.
According to several respected scholars and a study by the Pollution Control Department, diesel vehicle fuel exhaust emissions is one of the main causes. (Another is the burning of forest under-growth and agricultural clearing).
PM2.5 is a mixture of liquid droplets and solid particles that can include dust, soot and smoke. It is one of the main pollutants included in the Air Quality Index measure of threats to health. A reading of below 30 is safe; above 150 is considered unhealthy.
A number of proposals have been made for long-term solutions to the problem of pollution caused by vehicle emissions. They include the raising of taxes on vehicles responsible for greater levels of pollution and the promotion of policies to support the development of clean energy vehicles, including electric vehicles as an “alternative” to the internal combustion engine.
Government has made policy moves in this…
