(From left) Dr Jakapong Pongthanaisawan, Researcher, Energy Research Institute (ERI); Dr Nitida Nakapreecha, Researcher, ERI; Dr Weerin Wangjiraniran, Researcher, ERI; Pavich Kesavawong, Deputy Director-General of the DCCE; Nareerat Panmanee, Director of the Climate Change and Environmental Research Centre, DCCE; Dr Kittisak Prukkanone, Director of the Division of Strategy and International Cooperation, DCCE; Thawatchai Saengkhamsuk, Project Manager of the Empower Project, GIZ Thailand

30 April 2025 – GIZ Thailand, through the EMPOWER project, officially launched a new course, the ‘Low-Carbon and Climate Action Training Programme’, for the Department of Climate Change and Environment (DCCE). The course aims to equip DCCE staff with comprehensive knowledge of mitigation measures and policies that support the transition to a low-carbon economy, promote GHG reduction activities, and ensure inclusive benefits for all stakeholders.

This training programme is designed to strengthen the capacity of the DCCE as Thailand’s national focal point for climate action. Furthermore, the DCCE plays a crucial role in collaborating with various stakeholders, including other government agencies, local authorities, private companies and individuals.

The course is co-organised by GIZ Thailand, the DCCE, and the Energy Research Institute (ERI), Chulalongkorn University. The opening ceremony was attended by key representatives: Pavich Kesavawong, Deputy Director-General of the DCCE; Nareerat Panmanee, Director of the Climate Change and Environmental Research Centre at the DCCE; Thawatchai Saengkhamsuk, Project Manager of the Empower Project at GIZ Thailand; Dr Nitida Nakapreecha, Dr Weerin Wangjiraniran, and Dr Jakapong Pongthanaisawan, researchers at ERI, Chulalongkorn University.

The Low-Carbon and Climate Action Training Programme comprises five modules: 1) Introduction to Climate Concepts and Fundamental Review; 2) Climate Change Mitigation; 3) Overview of GHG Mitigation Models; 4) Transition to a Low-carbon Economy; and 5) Ensuring the Sustainability of Climate Action and Low-carbon Economies. It builds on two previous foundational courses: ‘Climate Change Management’ (CCM) and ‘Climate Change Mitigation and Planning’ (CCMP).

The programme contains eleven sessions from 30 April to 31 July 2025. Training activities include lectures, discussions, workshops, a study trip and mini-flagship projects. Examples of project topics include studies on ‘Just Transition’ policies, ecotourism, EV promotion, public transport policy for reducing fossil fuel use, climate actions in Samut Prakan, carbon pools in urban areas, and waste-to-energy technology and impacts on vulnerable people. These projects are expected to provide an initial platform for the DCCE to formulate new climate policy proposals for Thailand.

The Low-Carbon and Climate Action Training Programme marks another training initiative for the DCCE under Phase I of the EMPOWER project. The EMPOWER project is funded by the International Climate Initiative (IKI) under the German government.

(From left) Pakawee Silpanon, Head of the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Section at EGAT; Nareerat Thanakasem, Director of the Capacity Building and Outreach Office at the TGO; Dr Saravanee Singtong, Director of the Sustainability Policy Division at NXPO; and Dr Kittisak Prukkanone, Director of the Division of Strategy and International Cooperation at the DCCE, shared their organisations’ commitments to climate action. The session was moderated by Dr Jakapong Pongthanaisawan, a researcher at ERI, Chulalongkorn University.

Asst Prof. Viganda Varabuntoonvit, a lecturer at the Faculty of Engineering, Kasetsart University, taught GHG accounting at the organisational, city and national levels, and explained how the data at each level is interlinked.

Group photo