The Kingdom of Thailand is in southeast Asia with coastlines along the Gulf of Thailand to the east and the Andaman Sea to the west. The north and west of the country are hilly and mountainous, the center a low plain, and valleys and small hills in the east. Thailand’s climate is almost entirely tropical and is affected by seasonal monsoon winds, with regional variations. Thailand identifies itself as being highly vulnerable to the effects of climate change such as sea level rise, extreme weather events, flooding, and increases in temperature and extreme precipitation (Kingdom of Thailand, 2022). 

Average annual temperatures in Thailand are projected to increase towards the end of the century with rainfall projections less certain across all RCP scenarios investigated by the World Bank Group (2021). The number of days each year on which temperatures are projected to reach levels dangerous to human health are also expected to increase by the end of the 2080s (ibid.). The frequency of floods, droughts, and other natural disasters are expected to increase (GRID Geneva, n.d.). Floods are already the country’s greatest natural hazard, causing damage to farmland, infrastructure, and leading to loss of life and livelihoods (ibid.). Sea level rise poses a significant threat to coastal areas in the form of coastal inundation, coastal erosion, and land loss, and sea water intrusion, however specific studies in Thailand are limited (World Bank Group, 2021). Nonetheless, significant proportions of Thailand’s critical public infrastructure are located along its coastlines.  

In its Fourth Biennial Update Report to the UNFCC (Kingdom of Thailand, 2022), Thailand outlines that adaptation and mitigation efforts are constrained due to lack of finance, technical expertise, technological development, and a lack of capacity building. Its adaptation aims are to increase water security, decrease losses and damage from water-related disasters, and to establish effective health systems in response to climate-driven health risks, among others (ibid.).