Thailand, Laos Tackle Cross-Border Haze and PM2.5 Crisis
Thailand and Laos are intensifying cooperation to combat cross-border haze and PM2.5 pollution through wildfire prevention, cloud-seeding technology sharing, and incentives to reduce agricultural burning. The countries met September 9 to co
On September 9, 2026, at 9 a.m., Natural Resources and Environment Minister Suchat Chomklin, together with senior officials from the Pollution Control Department, National Parks Department, and other agencies, met to discuss progress in tackling cross-border air pollution and haze. The meeting coincided with a visit by Laotian Minister of Agriculture and Environment Linkhom Douangsavanh to meet with Thai Deputy Prime Minister Thongsakdi Thongsri.
The discussion forms part of ongoing Thailand-Laos cooperation to address transnational air pollution and haze, with both countries prioritizing close coordination, data and knowledge exchange, and technology transfer to improve wildfire prevention and control and reduce PM2.5 impacts on air quality and citizens of both nations.
Laos expressed interest in studying Thailand's cloud-seeding program, building capacity for wildfire management, and adopting conservation tourism and community-based forest stewardship models that create sustainable livelihoods while reducing open burning. Thailand offered to share knowledge, provide training, and promote economic incentives to reduce burning in agriculture and transport sectors, as well as biomass energy use and agricultural waste recycling to curb PM2.5 emissions.
The cooperation builds on a April 2026 meeting in Laos between the two environment ministries and reflects their long-standing partnership in agriculture, trade, investment, and natural resource management. Both nations view the cross-border haze challenge as requiring sustained international collaboration.
