The Apec Leaders' Summit in Bangkok this week includes an agreement to work toward the "Bangkok Goals" on Bio-economy, Circular Economy and Green (BCG) Economy beyond national borders. Many have raised the question of whether the Thai government, as host to the summit, genuinely aims to push forward this goal. Or is it just a greenwashing policy in support of business as usual?
In the case of the Mekong River there is glaring evidence of the latter, in particular in Thailand's dealings with its upstream riparian neighbours but also in other regional agreements extending as far as Singapore.
Transboundary environmental problems from 11 hydroelectric dams, built on the upper Mekong River in China's Yunnan province, have accumulated since the first one was commissioned nearly 30 years ago. Yet the degradation of the shared ecosystem from the foothills of the Himalayas to the Delta in Vietnam has never been put on the table for serious discussion by riparian governments.
