BANGKOK, Thailand – Thailand, Laos and Myanmar have rolled out a joint strategy to combat the seasonal haze and forest fires that blanket the Mekong sub-region in dangerous air pollution, with the plan unveiled by Thailand’s Foreign Ministry, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and the governments of Laos and Myanmar.

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The Joint Plan of Action – CLEAR Sky Strategy (2024–2030) targets fewer fire hotspots, better air-quality monitoring and more sustainable land management. It builds on a trilateral agreement from April 2023 and dovetails with the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution and the Chiang Rai Plan of Action. CLEAR stands for five priorities: Continued Commitment, Leveraging Mechanisms, Experience Sharing, Air Quality Network and Response.

Under the plan, the three countries will create a shared fire-risk map, boost cooperation among firefighters and set up a joint system delivering real-time air-quality and PM2.5 data, alongside stronger public health warnings and studies into haze’s health, economic and environmental toll.

To curb agricultural burning, the strategy promotes sustainable farming, technology transfer and public awareness campaigns, while tightening law enforcement and coordination across environmental, agricultural, health and security agencies. A senior-official hotline will speed responses during haze emergencies, and a Joint Task Force of national focal points will oversee implementation with at least one meeting a year.

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The initiative also seeks backing from other ASEAN members, the private sector and international partners, aiming squarely at the cross-border drivers of seasonal haze — chiefly agricultural burning and forest fires — that routinely push air pollution to hazardous levels across the region.

-Thailand News (TN)