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Nature-based solutions (NbS) are recognized as one of the approaches that can address a range of environmental issues, often with conservation and natural resource management missions. However, the promotion of NbS often lacks a robust understanding of their actual impacts and effectiveness. To support the evaluation and implementation of NbS, there is a need for a comprehensive quantitative assessment framework. The main objectives of the study are to (1) develop an assessment framework that can be used to quantify the performance of NbS interventions and to (2) provide a step-by-step guideline for evaluating NbS. The assessment framework proposed in this study was built upon existing frameworks used in previous studies, designed to address specific gaps. Several aspects and tools were integrated in response to the NbS standard criteria provided by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), as a result, this quantitative assessment framework can provide a comprehensive evidence based on environmental, social, and economic aspects. The study introduced one approach, viz., the System of Environmental-Economic Accounting - Ecosystem Accounting (SEEA EA), and three main assessment tools (i.e., Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), Social Life Cycle Assessment (S-LCA), and Cost-Benefit Assessment (CBA)) aimed at facilitating a comprehensive evaluation of NbS. The results provide a conceptual framework that offers a systematic approach for evaluating the performance of NbS, along with methods to address conflicting results among aspects and/or indicators. Ideas and approaches for assessing ecosystem services provided by NbS and primary concerns when conducting NbS assessments are also highlighted. In summary, the conceptual framework proposed in this study can be used to assess NbS performance and determine whether NbS interventions align with the NbS standard criteria provided by IUCN, utilizing the introduced assessment tools.

Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from building activities are one of the most prominent contributors to the problem of global warming. Life-cycle assessment (LCA) is a widely used tool to investigate GHG emissions from buildings. However, there appears to be a lack of LCA studies on buildings in tropical climates, and especially in Thailand. This study aims to improve the understanding of GHG emissions from standard Thai residential buildings. LCA was conducted on five typical house designs in Thailand in order to determine potential mitigation strategies for future design of these houses. The amount of GHG emissions over the entire life-cycle of these detached houses was estimated, and the results were analysed with different viewpoints. The results indicate that emissions from the operational energies of detached houses in Thailand have the highest share of GHG emissions. Significant emissions also came from construction materials. Improvements to the building envelope and air-conditioner usage have high GHG mitigation potential in the operational stage of the buildings, while replacing cementitious and metallic materials with low-emissions alternatives can considerably reduce embodied emissions. Policy relevance The built environment has been a major source of GHG, but it also has high climate change-mitigation potential. This study explores mitigation strategies on the material and component levels of the most common building type in Thailand: detached houses. The results indicate the major sources of GHG emissions in the case study buildings, their correlation with building scale and other key design decisions. Potential mitigation solutions in different phases of the building life-cycle are identified.

The presented research examines the repurposing of decommissioned phonebooth units to COVID-19 sampling stations as a meaningful attempt to promote environmentally sustainable and socially resilient cities by contributing to a circular economy transition. The repurposing approach is compared to an adequate new build design using a life cycle assessment to evaluate the environmental implications and a time-cost comparison for their implementation. The results indicate that the remodelling of the phone booth improves environmental performance. The expanded need for refurbishment is offset by the need to use virgin material for the new stations. The benefit of finding reuse for the phone booths and extending their lifetime further supports this understanding, demonstrating the adaptive approach as a viable strategy for utilising an otherwise disused urban infrastructure with uncertain end-of-life. Cost-time results show that repurposing is less expensive due to the donated phone booths and low production numbers. On the other hand, new sampling stations take less time to produce. Future studies investigate user experiences and social benefits of the realised sampling station based on phone booth repurposing.

Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from Thailand’s biomass pellet production were comprehensively assessed, with a specific focus on wood and corn pellets. Employing the extended input and output tables, the anticipated economic and environmental effects of the rising demand for biomass pellets within the Asia–Pacific Economic Cooperation region, which is projected to see an increase exceeding 33% by the year 2050, were investigated. The estimations of CO2, CH4, and N2O emissions, which were conducted utilizing an open Leontief model based on the 2015 National Input–Output Tables, covered each stage of the production process. The results show that emissions from the production of corn pellets are expected to rise steadily, from 52.91 MtCO2e in 2022 to 75.77 MtCO2e by 2030, whereas emissions from wood pellet production are set to increase more substantially, from 210.30 to 301.18 MtCO2e within the same timeframe. Data derived from surveys and interviews with corn farmers and wood pellet manufacturers informed the lifecycle data for the biomass pellet supply chain from cradle to gate. The findings suggest that Thailand’s power sector could benefit significantly from the biomass potential in the northern part of Thailand, which boasts an estimated energy content of corncob at 39 ktoe (0.0016 TJ). Market demand scenarios were explored in two forms: one where it was assumed that all biomass pellets are to be exported to Japan and South Korea, expecting a combined demand of approximately 560,262 tons by 2030, and another positing that 10% of production will be reserved for the domestic market, with a forecasted annual increase of 10% from 2020 to 2050. This paper highlights the need to prioritize low-emission renewable energy sources, expand technologies with lower lifecycle emissions, optimize the biomass supply chain to enhance efficiency, and introduce sustainable energy practices. The detailed GHG emissions analysis provides critical insights for policy formulation, underscoring the importance of sustainable transitions in the context of increasing biomass demand.

Climate change plays a vital role in the hydrology of any river basin, which may have multidimensional consequences. There is a need to conduct climate change impact assessment studies with updated models and scenarios. This study aimed to assess the impact of climate change on the streamflow and hydropower in Pakistan’s Kunhar River basin. Three general circulation models (GCMs), under two Shared Socioeconomic Pathway scenarios (SSPs 2–45 and 5–85), the Soil and Water Assessment Tool, and the flow duration curve were used to project the change in climatic parameters, streamflow, and hydropower potential, respectively. The findings indicated that in the 2080s, the precipitation, maximum, and minimum temperatures are projected to increase by 10%, 2.0 °C, and 3.0 °C under the SSP 2–45 scenario and are projected to increase by 8%, 3.7 °C, and 4.4 °C under the SSP 5–85 scenario, respectively. The annual streamflow may increase by 15 to 11%, and the seasonal fluctuations are more likely to be dominant compared with the annual fluctuations. The hydropower potential will probably increase by 24 to 16% under the SSP 2–45 and 5–85 scenarios in the 2080s. However, seasonal changes in streamflow and hydropower may impact the hydropower plant operation in the basin. The Kunhar River’s hydrology may change from snow-fed to a rainfall–runoff river.

Abstract Air pollution in Thailand is regarded as a serious health threat, especially in the northern region. High levels of particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10) are strongly linked to severe health consequences and mortality. This study analyzed the relationship between exposure to ambient concentrations of PM2.5 and PM10 by using data from the Pollution Control Department of Thailand and the burden of disease due to an increase in the ambient particulate matter concentrations in northern Thailand. This study was conducted using the Life Cycle Assessment methodology considering the human health damage impact category in the ReCiPe 2016 method. The results revealed that the annual average years of life lived with disability from ambient PM2.5 in northern Thailand is about 41,372 years, while from PM10 it is about 59,064 years per 100,000 population. The number of deaths from lung cancer and cardiopulmonary diseases caused by PM2.5 were approximately 0.04% and 0.06% of the population of northern Thailand, respectively. Deaths due to lung cancer and cardiopulmonary diseases caused by PM10, on the other hand, were approximately 0.06% and 0.08%, respectively. The findings expressed the actual severity of the impact of air pollution on human health. It can provide valuable insights for organizations in setting strategies to address air pollution. Organizations can build well-informed strategies and turn them into legal plans by exploiting the study’s findings. This ensures that their efforts to tackle air pollution are successful, in accordance with regulations, and contribute to a healthier, more sustainable future guidelines on appropriate practices of air pollution act/policy linkage with climate change mitigation.

The sustainability level of current rice farming practices in Thailand was assessed based on in-field data from interviewing 2000 farmers covering six rice varieties and their different production systems. Data were collected on farmers’ characteristics and farming activities according to the 41 requirements of the Sustainable Rice Platform (SRP) standard. The SRP scores ranged from 53 to 81%, with the best performance by Khao Dawk Mali 105 cultivated in rainfed, organic production systems. The key success factors were linked to the formation of a farmer group resulting in very good performance on farm management, Integrated Pest Management, health and safety, and water use. The proposed 12 performance indicators (PIs) interconnected with the 41 requirements are considered appropriate to measure and monitor progress toward sustainable rice cultivation for policy makers. PIs for good governance, affordability of living costs, energy-use efficiency, and life satisfaction could potentially be added, considering the local context in relation to sustainable agriculture goals. The successful cases of SRP-certified rice farms and the benefits from SRP implementation should be conveyed to with other rice farmers to induce wider implementation. The SRP scores and PIs were useful to identify areas requiring priority interventions to make progress toward sustainability.

Arable land and water resource scarcity for food production to fulfill the growing demand is a global challenge. Expansion of rice cultivation in Thailand without planning increases land and water depletion especially for the low-productivity rice cultivation areas. The Thai government has an agricultural zoning policy on promoting rice cultivation using land suitability classes for efficient use of land and costs; however, there is still some rice grown on land with low suitability. The study evaluated the land suitability class implications on major and second rice cultivation in view of the Land-Water-Food Nexus performance using Chainat, a key province of rice cultivation in Thailand, as the study area. The land and water intensity indicators were calculated using a normalized approach as the Land-Water-Food Nexus Index (LWFNI). The geographic information system (GIS) tool was used to analyze land-use classification, interpolate the rainfall, and overlay the land suitability classification with the Land-Water-Food Nexus of rice. Rice cultivation on highly suitable areas has a higher LWFNI score for resource efficiency and economic value. Scenarios were considered for changing rice cultivation in marginally and unsuitable areas to alternative crops to conserve water and reduce costs. The option for alternative crops to replace the base case with major rice and mungbean scenario was the most water-saving at about 3,601 m3/ha/year and made a profit increase of about 84,106 baht/ha. Additionally, the major rice and peanut scenario achieved the most profit increase of about 302,366 baht/ha and saved water at about 2,081 m3/ha/year.

Despite green sugarcane harvesting being promoted in Thailand, with some limitations on the use of harvesting machines, green sugarcane harvesting is practiced manually in many sugarcane fields. Although the environmental benefit seems clear, this harvesting practice’s social implications are yet unknown. This study assessed social performances of green and burnt manual sugarcane harvesting in North-Eastern Thailand, the region hosting the largest sugarcane plantation area, using the Social Life Cycle Assessment technique. Data collection was undertaken by surveys. The performance reference points method was applied to assess the different stakeholder’s social performances. Key stakeholder groups examined were workers, local community, and farm owners. The main social issues included in this study are fair wages, working conditions, health and safety, local employment, economic development, social responsibility, and satisfaction of occupation. The results showed that the social performances of green and burnt sugarcane harvesting were generally similar except for the local community group. This is mainly due to the health impact of sugarcane burning on the local community. Different issues cause the farmers to harvest the burnt sugarcane; for example, labor shortage in the harvesting season and the difficult working conditions for green harvesting, causing the farm owners to bear higher costs. For these reasons, mechanized harvesting is suggested to help promote green harvesting to reduce local air pollution. However, technology development is in urgent need to make the harvesting machines more affordable and applicable to all geographical conditions.

Introduction: Primary hyperoxaluria type 1 (PH1) is a rare genetic disease caused by hepatic overproduction of oxalate, leading to kidney stones, nephrocalcinosis, kidney failure, and systemic oxalosis. In the 6-month double-blind period (DBP) of ILLUMINATE-A, a phase 3, randomized, placebo-controlled trial in patients with PH1 ≥6 years old, treatment with lumasiran, an RNA interference therapeutic, led to substantial reductions in urinary oxalate (UOx) levels. Methods: We report data to month 12 in the extension period (EP) of ILLUMINATE-A, including patients who continued lumasiran (lumasiran/lumasiran) or crossed over from placebo to lumasiran (placebo/lumasiran). Results: In the lumasiran/lumasiran group (n = 24), the reduction in 24-hour UOx level was sustained to month 12 (mean reduction from baseline, 66.9% at month 6; 64.1% at month 12). The placebo/lumasiran group (n = 13) had a similar time course and magnitude of 24-hour UOx reduction (mean reduction, 57.3%) after 6 months of lumasiran. Kidney stone event rates seemed to be lower after 6 months of lumasiran in both groups compared with the 12 months before consent, and this reduction was maintained at month 12 in the lumasiran/lumasiran group. At study start, 71% of patients in the lumasiran/lumasiran group and 92% in the placebo/lumasiran group had nephrocalcinosis. Nephrocalcinosis grade improved after 6 months of lumasiran in the lumasiran/lumasiran and placebo/lumasiran groups (13% and 8% of patients, respectively). After an additional 6 months of lumasiran, 46% of patients had improvement in nephrocalcinosis grade within the lumasiran/lumasiran group. Estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) remained stable during the course of lumasiran treatment. The most common adverse events (AEs) related to lumasiran were mild, transient injection-site reactions (ISRs). Conclusion: Long-term lumasiran treatment enabled sustained lowering of UOx levels with acceptable safety and encouraging results on clinical outcomes.

Introduction: In primary hyperoxaluria type 1 (PH1), oxalate overproduction frequently causes kidney stones, nephrocalcinosis, and kidney failure. As PH1 is caused by a congenital liver enzyme defect, combined liver–kidney transplantation (CLKT) has been recommended in patients with kidney failure. Nevertheless, systematic analyses on long-term transplantation outcomes are scarce. The merits of a sequential over combined procedure regarding kidney graft survival remain unclear as is the place of isolated kidney transplantation (KT) for patients with vitamin B6-responsive genotypes. Methods: We used the OxalEurope registry for retrospective analyses of patients with PH1 who underwent transplantation. Analyses of crude Kaplan–Meier survival curves and adjusted relative hazards from the Cox proportional hazards model were performed. Results: A total of 267 patients with PH1 underwent transplantation between 1978 and 2019. Data of 244 patients (159 CLKTs, 48 isolated KTs, 37 sequential liver–KTs [SLKTs]) were eligible for comparative analyses. Comparing CLKTs with isolated KTs, adjusted mortality was similar in patients with B6-unresponsive genotypes but lower after isolated KT in patients with B6-responsive genotypes (adjusted hazard ratio 0.07, 95% CI: 0.01–0.75, P = 0.028). CLKT yielded higher adjusted event-free survival and death-censored kidney graft survival in patients with B6-unresponsive genotypes (P = 0.025, P < 0.001) but not in patients with B6-responsive genotypes (P = 0.145, P = 0.421). Outcomes for 159 combined procedures versus 37 sequential procedures were comparable. There were 12 patients who underwent pre-emptive liver transplantation (PLT) with poor outcomes. Conclusion: The CLKT or SLKT remains the preferred transplantation modality in patients with PH1 with B6-unresponsive genotypes, but isolated KT could be an alternative approach in patients with B6-responsive genotypes.

The appropriate use of limited natural resources for generating basic human needs such as energy, food, and water, is essential to help the society function efficiently. Hence, a new approach called nexus is being considered to resolve the effects of intrinsic trade-offs between the essential needs. A review of different methods and frameworks of the water-energy-food nexus was done in this article to give a detailed repository of information on existing approaches and advocate the development of a more holistic quantitative nexus method. Assessing biofuels under the water-energy-food nexus perspective, this review addresses the sustainability of bioenergy production. The results show the countries that can sustainably produce first-generation biofuels. Only a few methods have varied interdisciplinary procedures to analyse the nexus, and more analytical software and data on resource availability/use are needed to address trade-offs between these interacting resource sectors constituting the nexus. Also, “land” is suggested as an additional sector to consider in future studies using both the nexus index and life cycle assessment methodology. The review reveals that to tackle composite challenges related to resource management, cross-disciplinary methods are essential to integrate environmental, socio-political facets of water, energy, and food; employ collaborative frameworks; and seek the engagement of decision-makers.

Wood pellets are one of biomass-based energy carriers considered important as renewable energy source. This study considers wood pellets for heat and power generation from fast-growing Leucaena and Acacia trees and para-rubber trees in a life cycle perspective. The objectives of this study are to estimate the actual cost (including environmental externalities) of heat and electricity production from wood pellets, and comparison with the external cost of fossil fuels, as well as forecasting the external cost arising from the increase in wood pellet demand. For both heat and electricity production, it was seen that when external costs are included, wood pellets are cheaper than lignite and fuel oil although the latter are cheaper when only internal costs are considered. Four recommendations for reducing the external costs of wood pellet production are: 1) to support sustainable agriculture for para-rubber trees and fast-growing trees, 2) to consider clean transportation in the supply chain, 3) wood pellet factory zoning, including good logistics, and 4) considering the external cost of wood pellets for polluter pays principle. These results and recommendations of the study can provide important information to consider towards adjusting the national energy plan and to have strict measures for avoiding problem shifting from the use of non-renewable resources (fossil fuels) to issues related to the use of biomass-based fuels (use of agro-chemicals, forest encroachment, and so on).

Chiang Mai has been one of the most polluted cities globally, exceeding the PM2.5 quality standards for decades and facing hazardous air pollution on an annual basis. As ambient PM2.5 strongly affects human health, this study aims to investigate the hotspots of PM2.5 and health impact areas due to exposure to PM2.5 by illustrating a spatial distribution via a Chiang Mai health risk map. The association between PM2.5 concentration and human health impact were assessed using Pearson’s correlation, focused on the peak period from January to April 2021 in Chiang Mai. The primary data on PM2.5 concentration were collected using low-cost sensors. The health impact is based on the number of hospital admissions in all incidences of diseases due to PM2.5 exposure following the ICD-10. The results showed that the highest polluted and health-risk areas were located in the center of Chiang Mai, especially in the Mueang district. PM2.5 concentration was highly correlated with the incidence of dermatitis (R = 0.84), conjunctivitis (R = 0.81), stroke (R = 0.74), and lung cancer (R = 0.73). Thus, the increased PM2.5 concentration resulted in heightened hospital admissions. The results provide insightful information for policymakers and local public health organizations regarding priority areas in resource management.

Food security can be under threat due to climate change, which has the potential to alter crop yield. Wheat, maize, and rice are major crops contributing to global food security. The impact of climate change on crop yield with different models and techniques has been projected; this article reviewed the worldwide impact of climate change on future wheat, rice, and maize production. Wheat and maize crop yields may increase due to climate change in colder regions and may decrease in the countries near the equator. The increase in carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere may help wheat and maize crops regarding increased carbon intake in colder regions. The rice crop yield may decrease in almost all major rice-producing countries due to water scarcity, which can be amplified due to climate change. The impact of climate change on crop yield prediction involves uncertainties due to different crop models, global circulation models, and bias correction techniques. It is recommended to use multiple climatic models and more than one bias correction technique for better climatic projections. Adaptation measures could help to reduce the adverse impacts of future climate on agriculture. Shifting the planting calendar, irrigation and nutrient management, improving crop varieties, and expanding the agricultural areas are suggested as the most effective adaptation actions in response to climate change. The findings of this study may help policymakers to achieve Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2 (Zero Hunger) and SDG 13 (Climate Action).

Ambient Particulate Matter; PM2.5, with an aerodynamic diameter smaller than or equal to 2.5 µm, has emerged as the most critical health hazard concerning air pollution. The small size enables ambient particulate matter to go through the respiratory system, easily entering the lung or blood stream. Chiang Mai is one of the cities with the highest level of PM2.5 that exceeds the standard level of PM2.5 concentration (10µg/m3, recommended by the World Health Organization). High concentration levels have severe consequences for the health of the population in Chiang Mai. The objective of this study is to estimate the risk area of health impact due to exposure to PM2.5 in Chiang Mai. This study illustrates the data of PM2.5 concentration gathered from ground-based monitoring sites named DustBoy and data of hospital admissions from the Chiang Mai Provincial Public Health to reveal the population exposure related to human health effects such as heart diseases, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer, cardiovascular disease. In addition, correlation coefficient is employed to estimate the relationship between population exposure to the high ambient PM2.5 and the health effect due to PM2.5 pollution. The results are presented in the Chiang Mai Risk Map as a spatial pattern of population exposure using the spatial distribution method. These results support the high correlation between population exposure to PM2.5 and health impact and strongly suggest priority areas to prevent and control air pollution and social equality in health.

Expansion of oil palm plantation areas in Thailand, the world's third-largest oil palm producer, for food and fuel may sometimes encroach on forest areas, leading to biodiversity loss. Thailand is in the Indo-Burma biodiversity hotspot, which contains high species richness. This study assesses the impacts of oil palm plantations on bird and insect species richness from land use in the five regions of Thailand by using the countryside Species-Area Relationship model. Data from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) and Thailand’s Land Development Department (LDD) were used for species occurrence and land use data, respectively. This study focuses on the deforestation for oil palm because it poses the highest risk for wildlife compared to other habitats. The taxon affinity and regional characterization factors show the risk to wildlife (birds and insects) in the formerly natural habitat areas (i.e., deciduous, evergreen, and mangrove forests). The results show that the possibility of animal survival in former mangrove forests is higher than in other forests upon occupation, as demonstrated by the taxon affinity. Likewise, deforestation in the northern region causes the least species loss per area, as demonstrated by the lowest average regional characterization factor, because species densities are lowest. However, the impacts on species richness depend on the taxon and the combination of the region and the forest type. While the overall goal should be to minimize the expansion of oil palm, this study indicates in which forest type and Thai region land occupation causes less regional bird and insect species loss.

Sugarcane leaves and trash burning during harvesting, and vinasse management, are major challenges of the Thai sugarcane industry. Identification of the appropriate valorization pathways for both the biomass waste streams using the sugarcane biorefinery concept is necessary. This study aims to assess the environmental sustainability of five CE models, including (1) sugarcane trash for electricity, (2) sugarcane trash to biochar, (3) sugarcane trash as a soil conditioner, (4) vinasse as a bio-fertilizer, and (5) vinasse for power generation. Life cycle assessment has been conducted using the ReCiPE midpoint impact assessment method. The results revealed that all waste utilization scenarios can help reduce the environmental impacts compared to the base case. The utilization of sugarcane leaves and trash for electricity generation brings about the lowest environmental impacts due to the environmental credits from the substitution of Thai grid electricity. The utilization of sugarcane leaves can reduce impacts on climate change, terrestrial acidification, and ozone formation by about 20–104%, 43–61%, and 12–54%. Recycling vinasse as bio-fertilizer and for biogas production for electricity generation can reduce climate change impact by about 28–29%. There is a significant improvement of the avoidance of pre-harvesting burning of sugarcane in the Thai sugar industry, which has led to the big potential of sugarcane leaves biomass utilization. Recommendations to enhance the efficiency of using sugarcane leaves and vinasse are discussed. The integrated waste circulation scenarios on cane leaves and vinasses in the sugar-electricity-ethanol biorefinery shows advancement in the bio-circular-green economy (BCG) aspects for enhancing the environmental sustainability of the Thai sugarcane industry.

This study evaluates the performance of 13 global climate models (GCMs) from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6) for simulating the temperature over Thailand during 2000–2014, for land-only, sea-only, and both land and sea. Both observation and reanalysis datasets are employed to compare with the GCMs, evaluated by five performance metrics including mean annual temperature, mean bias errors, mean seasonal cycle amplitude, correlation coefficient, and root mean square error. GCMs are ranked by relative error of all performance metrics. Results show that the temperatures from most GCM simulations are below the mean reference data (i.e., average of ground-based and reanalysis datasets), with north to south gradient in the range from 19 °C to 33 °C. In addition, all the GCM biases range from -0.07 °C to 2.78 °C and show severity of the temperature changes in spatial pattern ranging from -5 °C to 15 °C. The correlations of most GCMs range from 0.70 to 0.95, while the magnitudes of error are less than 2 °C. Study cases point out that the 13-MODEL ENSEMBLE, CESM2, and CNRM-CM6-1 perform better than the other models in simulating the temperature over Thailand for land-only and sea-only, and both land and sea cases, respectively, while MIROC6 performs the worst for all study cases in this study area. From the designed methodology, CNRM-CM6-1 has the best performance and is the most appropriate choice to simulate the temperature for the overall Thailand area.

Abstract Background Palm oil’s high yields, consequent low cost and highly versatile properties as a cooking oil and food ingredient have resulted in its thorough infiltration of the food sector in some countries. Longitudinal studies have associated palm oil’s high saturated fatty acid content with non-communicable disease, but neither the economic or disease burdens have been assessed previously. Methods This novel palm oil-focussed disease burden assessment employs a fully integrated health, macroeconomic and demographic Computable General Equilibrium Model for Thailand with nine regional (urban/rural) households. Nutritional changes from food consumption are endogenously translated into health (myocardial infarction (MI) and stroke) and population outcomes and are fed back into the macroeconomic model as health and caregiver-related productive labour supply effects and healthcare costs to generate holistic 2016–2035 burden estimates. Model scenarios mirror the replacement of palm cooking oil with other dietary oils and are compared with simulated total Thai health and macroeconomic burdens for MI and stroke. Results Replacing consumption of palm cooking oil with other dietary oils could reduce MI/stroke incident cases by 8280/2639 and cumulative deaths by 4683/894 over 20 years, removing approximately 0.5% of the total Thai burden of MI/stroke. This palm cooking oil replacement would reduce consumption shares of saturated/monounsaturated fatty acids in Thai household consumption by 6.5%/3% and increase polyunsaturated fatty acid consumption shares by 14%, yielding a 1.74% decrease in the population-wide total-to-HDL cholesterol ratio after 20 years. The macroeconomic burden that would be removed is US$308mn, approximately 0.44% of the total burden of MI/stroke on Thailand’s economy or 0.003% of cumulative 20-year GDP. Bangkok and Central region households benefit most from removal of disease burdens. Conclusions Simulations indicate that consumption of palm cooking oil, rather than other dietary oils, imposes a negative health burden (MI and stroke) and associated economic burden on a high consuming country, such as Thailand. Integrated sectoral model frameworks to assess these burdens are possible, and burden estimates from our simulated direct replacement of palm cooking oil indicate that using these frameworks both for broader analyses of dietary palm oil use and total burden analyses of other diseases may also be beneficial.

This research aims to study the Carbon (C) flow, stock and management in rice production system, including rice cultivation, rice processing and management of rice by-products. The study boundaries are the rice production systems of four districts in Phayao province and the assessment technique is Material Flow Analysis (MFA). The results show that there was a positive C stock each year from large input of biomass residue. However, C loss from soil respiration still was very high because of the long fallow period. Straw was plowed back to the soil and tilled just a few days before flooding time causing high methane emissions at the beginning of cultivation. The recommendations for technology and management practices include harvesting straw for composting and returning the compost to soil, plowing the rest of the straw back to soil more than 30 days before the flooding period, accepting crop rotation practice instead of leaving the land fallow and finally, setting up a gasification or pyrolysis plant using straw to produce energy and by-product of bio-char for farmer to return it back to the soil. Applying feed-in-tariff or incentives like C-credit for reducing methane and C-credit for increasing C stock in the soil are also recommended.

Municipal solid waste (MSW) generation has been escalated at a global scale and poses drastic impacts on the environment along with many socio-economic problems. Waste to energy (WtE) technologies have been recognized to convert MSW into useful energy and minimize the problems related to it. This study reviewed different WtE technologies according to the conversion pathways, end-products, and their applications, and assessed statistical values of these technologies based on six different factors, viz., environmental performance, suitable waste fractions, capital and operational cost, efficiency, and complexity of the technology, the skillset of the labor, and favorable geographical location for the plant. The results of this review showed that biochemical and physicochemical WtE technologies are more favorable to convert organic waste, while thermochemical WtE technologies are suitable to process combustible fractions of organic and inorganic MSW. Based on the statistical review of considered factors from the literature, the statistical profiles of concerned WtE technologies were observed. Finally, a general framework in the form of a systematic scheme was proposed for the selection of the most suitable WtE technologies for a sustainable MSW management system. The recommended indicators, methods, and models in the proposed framework were selected after a detailed review of the literature published in well-known scientific journals, and reports of leading international organizations such as the World Bank, International Energy Agency (IEA), and International Labour Organization (ILO). Moreover, the databases to extract the data for the estimation of various recommended indicators have also been presented.

Spinocerebellar Ataxia type 7 (SCA7) is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by progressive cerebellar ataxia and retinal degeneration. Increasing loss of visual function complicates the use of clinical scales to track the progression of motor symptoms, hampering our ability to develop accurate biomarkers of disease progression, and thus test the efficacy of potential treatments. We aimed to identify imaging measures of neurodegeneration, which may more accurately reflect SCA7 severity and progression. While common structural MRI techniques have been previously used for this purpose, they can be biased by neurodegeneration-driven increases in extracellular CSF-like water. In a cross-sectional study, we analyzed diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) data collected from a cohort of 13 SCA7 patients and 14 healthy volunteers using: 1) a diffusion tensor-based image registration technique, and 2) a dual-compartment DTI model to control for the potential increase in extracellular CSF-like water. These methodologies allowed us to assess both volumetric and microstructural abnormalities in both white and gray matter brain-wide in SCA7 patients for the first time. To measure tissue volume, we performed diffusion tensor-based morphometry (DTBM) using the tensor-based registration. To assess tissue microstructure, we computed the parenchymal mean diffusivity (pMD) and parenchymal fractional anisotropy (pFA) using the dual compartment model. This model also enabled us to estimate the parenchymal volume fraction (pVF), a measure of parenchymal tissue volume within a given voxel. While DTBM and pVF revealed tissue loss primarily in the brainstem, cerebellum, thalamus, and major motor white matter tracts in patients (p 1), pMD and pFA detected microstructural abnormalities in virtually all tissues brain-wide (p 1). The Scale for the Assessment and Rating of Ataxia trended towards correlation with cerebellar pVF (r = −0.66, p = 0.104, FDR corrected) and global white matter pFA (r = −0.64, p = 0.104, FDR corrected). These results advance our understanding of neurodegeneration in living SCA7 patients by providing the first voxel-wise characterization of white matter volume loss and gray matter microstructural abnormalities. Moving forward, this comprehensive approach could be applied to characterize the full spatiotemporal pattern of neurodegeneration in SCA7, and potentially develop an accurate imaging biomarker of disease progression.

The recent increase of fine particulate matter in Bangkok, Thailand has become a widespread public health concern. Wearing a particulate respirator is one method to reduce particulate inhalation and therefore mitigate the adverse health effects of ambient air pollution. This study provides an integrated assessment of seven particulate respirator models based on three criteria: effectivity, cost, and environmental impact. The overall effectivity of each model is evaluated by assessing the product’s features associated with facial fit. The cost criterion reflects current market prices for bulk and individual orders. Thirdly, an environmental impact score is determined for the product life cycle of each respirator using life cycle assessment. The study assesses each respirator as it would be manufactured, distributed, used, and disposed of in Bangkok, Thailand. The integrated assessment results in twelve distinct consumer frameworks, reliant on variations of the three criteria, to provide guidance for policy makers and independent consumers in the selection of particulate respirators to optimally suit their needs. Ultimately, the data suggest that a buyer’s ideal respirator choice for short-term use is a disposable particulate respirator with a head strap. For long-term use, the study recommends a low-cost reusable respirator with an exhalation valve and replaceable filters. The average effectivity of reusable respirators is found to be greater than that of disposable respirators, due to their higher average number of available sizes. Reusable respirators are associated with consistently lower environmental impacts. The short-term cost of disposable respirators is much less than those of reusable models, however prices do converge over time.

United Nations (UN) member states have, since 2011, worked to address the emerging global NCD crisis, but progress has, so far, been insufficient. Food trade policy is recognised to have the potential to impact certain major diet-related health and environmental outcomes. We study the potential for using import tariff protection as a health and environmental policy instrument. Specifically, we apply a rigorous and consistent Macroeconomic-Environmental-Demographic-health (MED-health) simulation model framework to study fiscal food policy import tariffs and dietary change in Thailand over the future 20 year period 2016-2035. We find that the existing Thai tariff structure, by lowering imports, lowers agricultural Land Use Change (LUC)-related GHG emissions and protects against cholesterol-related cardiovascular disease (CVD). This confirms previous evidence that food trade, measured by import shares of food expenditures and caloric intakes, is correlated with unhealthy eating and adverse health outcomes among importing country populations. A continued drive towards tariff liberalization and economic efficiency in Thailand may therefore come at the expense of reduced health and environmental sustainability of food consumption and production systems. Due to large efficiency losses, the existing tariff structure is, however, not cost-effective as an environmental or health policy instrument. However, additional simulations confirm that stylized 30% food sector import tariffs generally improve nutritional, clinical health, demographic, and environmental indicators across the board. We also find that diet-related health improvements can go hand-in-hand with increased Saturated Fatty Acid (SFA) intakes. Despite limited cost-effectiveness, policy makers from Thailand and abroad, including WHO, would therefore be well advised to consider targeted fiscal food policy tariffs as a potential intervention to maintain combined health and environmental sustainability, and to reconsider the specification of WHO dietary guidelines with their focus on SFA intake (rather than composition of fatty acid intake) targets. Keywords: International trade, Diet, Import tariffs, CGE, Simulation

Water quality in the Tha Chin River regularly exceeds biological oxygen demand (BOD) standards of Thailand’s Enhancement and Conservation of National Environmental Quality Act. This study quantified the BOD loading from rice cultivation and swine farming to the Tha Chin River using effluent data and procedures from the Pollution Control Department (PCD), geospatial land-use maps from the Land Development Department, and water quality data from the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment. It was determined that the BOD loading was 12 tons/day from swine farming in 2015 and 52 tons/day, on average, from rice farming between 2002 and 2011. Technology-specific, community-scale wastewater management strategies were recommended for both industries: feasibility studies revealed 66 potential sites for constructed wetland implementation and 7 subdistricts suitable for biogas network pipelines. It was determined that if these projects are implemented in conjunction, the BOD would be reduced by 6% (0.3 mg/L) in the entire river or 11% (0.5 mg/L) at the three water quality monitoring stations proximate to swine farms. These reductions would have a substantial effect on the water quality of the Tha Chin River, and governmental agencies such as the PCD should strongly consider subsidization and implementation of these projects.

Ethiopia produces sugar and ethanol from sugarcane as an integrated business. Ethanol production is expected to increase from 30,000 to over 300,000 metric tonnes per year in the second growth and transformation plan (GTP II) of 2020. In GTP II, the total sugarcane plantation area will be 320,000 ha. The intense acquisition of land for large-scale Ethiopian sugarcane plantations has a significant impact on biodiversity. The aim of this study is to assess the impact of sugarcane cultivation on terrestrial biodiversity of Ethiopia as well as on the global species status. Countryside species area relationship model was used to assess the number of species that might be driven to extinction because of land use. The impact was assessed by comparing the status of five taxa: mammals, birds, vascular plant, reptiles and amphibian of the same ecoregion in five broad land use type with three management intensity. The results show that sugarcane cultivation has significant impacts on biodiversity at two stages, which are transformation and occupation, with different magnitudes across five taxa in the three ecoregions. Recommendations for minimizing the impacts of sugarcane cultivation in Ethiopia are suggested including changing the management intensity from intense use to light use. Keywords: Land use change, Biodiversity, Sugarcane, Ethiopia, Countryside species area relationship (SAR) model

Thailand is one of the upcoming wood pellet exporters in the Southeast Asia region. Wood pellet production has been gradually increasing in Thailand; however, the recent trend is more rapid. Therefore, the objective of this study is to analyze the feedstock security for wood pellet production in Thailand. The important issue of feedstock security analysis relates to availability and diversity of feedstock (Shannon index) to meet the increased demand for the wood pellets in the future. The results present that the feedstock supply (from waste wood and fast-growing tree wood) in Thailand is 5.32 million tonnes of wood pellets per year. However, increasing 25% of wood pellet export and 50% of wood pellet domestic use causes a deficit in fast-growing tree wood because para-rubber waste wood is not distributed uniformly in all regions of the country. The present diversity of feedstock supply is quite low (Shannon index 0.17). Increasing the fast-growing tree plantation area in the wastelands could help increase diversity. Recommendations on policy from this study focus on encouragement for the increase in domestic use of wood pellets, cultivation of fast-growing trees in wasteland and optimized logistics management.

The proliferation of food, feed and biofuels demands promises to increase pressure on water competition and stress, particularly for Thailand, which has a large agricultural base. This study assesses the water footprint of ten staple crops grown in different regions across the country and evaluates the impact of crop water use in different regions/watersheds by the water stress index and the indication of water deprivation potential. The ten crops include major rice, second rice, maize, soybean, mungbean, peanut, cassava, sugarcane, pineapple and oil palm. The water stress index of the 25 major watersheds in Thailand has been evaluated. The results show that there are high variations of crop water requirements grown in different regions due to many factors. However, based on the current cropping systems, the Northeastern region has the highest water requirement for both green water (or rain water) and blue water (or irrigation water). Rice (paddy) farming requires the highest amount of irrigation water, i.e., around 10,489 million m3/year followed by the maize, sugarcane, oil palm and cassava. Major rice cultivation induces the highest water deprivation, i.e., 1862 million m3H2Oeq/year; followed by sugarcane, second rice and cassava. The watersheds that have high risk on water competition due to increase in production of the ten crops considered are the Mun, Chi and Chao Phraya watersheds. The main contribution is from the second rice cultivation. Recommendations have been proposed for sustainable crops production in the future.

The impact of water use in areas with abundant freshwater resources should not be the same as areas with limited resources. This impact is quantified as water scarcity footprint. The monthly water stress index with reference to environmental water requirement is proposed as a characterization factor. The biofuel policies of Thailand—cassava and sugarcane for bioethanol, and oil palm for biodiesel—were selected for the assessment based on land expansion and displacement scenarios. Cultivation was found to be the most water intensive phase in producing both biodiesel and bioethanol. Thus, the proposed index was applied for assessing and selecting areas having low values of the water scarcity footprint. The results showed low values for expanding oil palm plantations on abandoned land and displacing plantation areas with low yields of maize and pineapple with sugarcane and cassava. Additionally, shifting the crop calendar could be considered to reduce the stress situation such as the central region can avoid the water scarcity footprint by 38% from shifting sugarcane cultivation. Consequently mitigating this potential impact and threats to the ecosystem based on specific circumstances and context would be achieved through applying the proposed index in water resource and land suitability planning.