BANGKOK, 28 January 2026 –  Greenpeace Thailand, the Environmental Law Foundation (EnLAW), and civil society networks convened the public forum “Vote for Climate, Write for Justice” today at the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre (BACC). The forum amplified the voices of affected communities and called on political parties to address the climate and environmental crisis through accountable, long-term public policy, rather than limiting environmental discourse to election-period commitments.

The forum is part of the “Vote Right(s) Now!: Civil Society Policy Festival Toward the 2026 Election,” which aims to create a democratic space for community representatives, farmers, small-scale fishers, and those affected by large-scale development projects. Participants shared perspectives grounded in lived experiences, highlighting the intensifying severity of climate-related disasters, public health impacts from pollution, and resource management decisions made without meaningful public participation.

The event provided a platform for political representatives to respond to questions and present their visions for environmental governance. Discussions focused on climate crisis response, disaster management, community rights protection, and legal reforms to ensure that business activities respect human rights and environmental safeguards.

Attending representatives included members from the People’s Party, Bhumjaithai Party, Pheu Thai Party, Democrat Party, Thai Sang Thai Party, and the Palawat Party.

Manoon Wongmasaoh, from the Vote for Climate, Write for Justice project leader at Greenpeace Thailand, said:

“Thailand is losing ecosystems and natural resources due to development policies that prioritise economic growth without sufficient consideration for environmental protection. The two are inseparable; when the environment is degraded, long-term economic sustainability becomes impossible. Political parties must rethink their priorities and place a safe, healthy environment at the centre of policymaking, rather than focusing narrowly on economic indicators.

“Development pathways that fail to address climate change undermine people’s right to safety and deepen social and cultural inequalities. This forum allows citizens to emphasise that the 2026 election must lead to structural change, including the drafting of a new constitution with mechanisms to protect, respect, and promote climate justice — not just a change of government leadership.”

The forum aimed to elevate environmental protection and climate justice as political issues that citizens can openly debate, question, and hold political parties accountable for. Organisers stressed that creating a public space for political parties to clarify their environmental positions is a key mechanism for ensuring transparency and clarity ahead of voters’ decisions in the 2026 election.

Supaporn Malailoy, Manager of the Environmental Law Foundation (EnLAW), said:

“Development must involve decentralising decision-making power to local communities, ensuring that people in affected areas experience improved quality of life without harm to ecosystems. Past development practices have often failed to respect community rights or enable meaningful participation, becoming a root cause of conflict and environmental injustice.

“The proposals from this forum call for policymaking grounded in the rights to access information, public participation, and justice. A new constitution must legally recognise and guarantee the right to a healthy environment for all.”

The forum “Vote for Climate, Write for Justice” is part of broader efforts to ensure that voices from civil society and directly affected communities are meaningfully considered in public policy processes. It also seeks to ensure that environmental issues are not confined to election platforms but are subject to ongoing scrutiny, monitoring, and accountability throughout the political process.

A recording of the live-streamed forum “Vote for Climate, Write for Justice – Casting Our Vote for the Environment” is available here

#VoteForClimate

Notes:

[1]https://www.greenpeace.org/thailand/vote-for-climate-write-for-justice-2026

[2]https://www.greenpeace.org/thailand/publication/58455/vote-for-climate-2026-proposal

Contact:

Somrudee Panasudtha  

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