Bangkok (VNA) – A World Bank assessment has estimated that PM2.5 air pollution costs the Thai economy 45.3 billion USD a year, equivalent to 3.89% of its GDP, according to Thailand's The Nation newspaper.
Citing figures presented at a recent seminar, the Southeast Asian country currently ranks 20th out of 180 countries worldwide in terms of the healthcare cost burden caused by PM2.5 fine-particle pollution, and second among ASEAN countries, behind only Indonesia.
Prolonged air pollution also reduces the productivity of indoor and outdoor workers, increases absenteeism, curbs consumer spending, cuts tourism revenue and depresses property values in heavily polluted areas.
In the longer term, persistent smog during each dry season is hampering Thailand’s efforts to attract highly skilled workers and high-spending tourists, while also undermining the quality of its future workforce due to its adverse effects on children’s physical and intellectual development.
Against this backdrop, environmental activists and economists warned that continued delays in passing the Clean Air Bill in the Thai Parliament are becoming a major obstacle to the country’s sustainable economic growth./.
