Perspectives on Climate Justice: Worawan Nakbanpot
By Worawan Nakbanpot & Megan Light,
October 2020
Worawan Nakbanpot is a Senior Professional Officer at the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment in Thailand. She is a Director at the Department of Environmental Quality Promotion, leading teams on projects such as youth action, female empowerment, and water management. She was also a Manager for Thailand at COP26.
I met Worawan in 2016, and worked with her in Thailand in the summer of 2017. I’ve personally never met such an insanely hard worker, and someone so committed to the cause of the planet.
M: How do you personally define climate justice?
W: Up to now, the climate is changing and these changes are accelerated by human activities. So, climate justice is to working for the safety of every species on earth, to make balance among human and nature, and to priorities and take action for the vulnerable groups in each situation with area context.
M: Ok, and what is one key mechanism in achieving this?
W: As environmentalist, Pay for Ecosystem Services (PES) theory is a key mechanism which should be used as a justice tool to ensure balance among stakeholders.
M: Can you tell me a bit about your journey into becoming an environmentalist, and the position you are in today?
W: According to my study background since bachelor, master, and PhD degrees, they were all about environment. The starting point was from bachelor degree, I passed university entrance examination at score of the faculty of environmental science which I chose at the fourth order. At that time, this issue was not so serious. After graduation, I worked with an environmental consultant company which was directly linked to the subject I learned. I think I am lucky to love every work I faced with about environment, so I have kept studying and learning from everything related to environment until now.
Today, I am an environmentalist at senior professional level, a government officer at the Department of Environmental Quality Promotion, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Thailand. My responsibility now is to analyse data to be a tool for building people’s awareness and capacity in order to act at the right place, with the right person, and in the right time to recover the environment with low carbon concern.
M: Why do you think we should work for both people and planet? Why do you think it is important that both human and planetary wellbeing is achieved?
W: Actually, human is just a species on earth. They have to stay alive by eating and rely on things around. However, they are very clever, but too greedy without concern environment around. This has brought about over production and much pollution. So, now it is the time that humans have to join together to recover the earth before there is nothing left for eating. That means planetary wellbeing is the fact to make people being well.
M: I completely agree!! Following on from this, why do you think collective action is important?
W: One people one power cannot finish painting a green house in a short time. It is better to have more people in the house to discuss and come out an agreement for how to paint. By having a collaboration process and put the right man to the right job, a green house could finish in a suitable time with collective action from everybody in the house by learning to solve problem together in between. Our earth is also the same.
M: Finally, can you give me some of your highlights of the work you have been doing at the Ministry?
W: This fiscal year from October 2019 - September 2020, I have two projects which I am proud of and honoured to do. The first one is COP26 in Spain; I was Thailand pavilion manager. My work was to link and build the picture of Thailand : Time to accelerate action. Tons of data from stakeholders had to be blended as one picture of the country to show at the pavilion. Within the 2 weeks, great connection and issue concerned on Thailand’s risk from climate change, also question for how Thailand deal with those risks from more than 11,000 visitors were collected and summarised to give back to all stakeholders.
The second on is Action for Climate Empowerment (ACE) Youth Camp 2020 which was held 21-25 September 2020. The first ACE youth network is built, and the environmentally friendly and low carbon life style guideline for social behaviour change by youth driven will be delivered soon.
