Thailand's green transition needs a stronger role for young people

Thailand’s sustainability transition will depend not only on stronger policies and greener technology, but on whether the next generation is given the skills, authority and space to help shape the country’s future.

Speaking during the roundtable discussion “Sustainable Thailand: No Choice Left—Ready to Stay in the Game?”, hosted by The Nation on Tuesday (September 15), speakers stressed that young people should be treated as active partners in the transition rather than passive recipients of decisions made by older generations.

Young people as partners, not inheritors

For Kanrawee Sisandsaup, a member of UNICEF Thailand’s Young People Advisory Board (YPAB) and an undergraduate student in environmental engineering at King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi, the central issue is whether young people are given a genuine role in shaping the future they will inherit.

“I would like adults to see us, the youth, as a true partner — a partner who will hold your hand and carry the work forward with you to build intergenerational equity and move Thailand towards sustainability.”

Kanrawee identified four priorities: building young people’s capacity and green skills, safeguarding their well-being, ensuring a just and clean transition, and creating meaningful participation in decisions that affect their lives.

“Meaningful youth participation is intentional and inclusive. It means bringing young people into decision-making, policymaking and community development as equal partners, not as a tokenistic piece of the bigger picture.”

She also pointed to youth climate consultations and citizen-science projects as examples of how younger people can contribute directly. Young participants, she noted, are already helping collect biodiversity data in their communities, while youth statements have been brought into discussions with government agencies.

Kanrawee argued that green skills and climate education must also reach young people outside major cities. Giving those in remote areas access to knowledge and technology, she suggested, could unlock new ideas and future leaders across the country.

Removing barriers to youth participation

Weenarin Lulitanonda, co-founder of the Thailand Clean Air Network, shared the concern that youth involvement is still too often symbolic.

“A lot of times, the youth have been tokenised. Sustainability is about leaving a liveable planet for the next generation so they can sustain their livelihood at a level no less than our generation.”

For Weenarin, meaningful participation also requires removing institutional barriers that exclude younger experts. She challenged age thresholds used for some committees, particularly when younger professionals may already have deep expertise in fast-moving fields such as technology.

“Don’t put an age limit in. Put a qualification limit. If this person is qualified, has experience and technical know-how, they qualify. In the tech space, these people are in their 20s, some even younger.”

She also called for stronger ways to measure whether major projects create inequality between generations, arguing that long-term social and environmental impacts should be considered from the outset rather than after decisions have been made.

Giving young people a role in lawmaking

Dr Saniwan Buaban, a former People’s Party MP, took the argument into the legislative sphere, saying young people should have formal roles in shaping policies and laws that will determine their future.

“The involvement of young people is not just about consultation. We should include them in the decision-making process, whether in policy development or the development of laws and regulations.”

She argued that legislation in areas such as climate change and clean air should create room for younger people to participate, while the public sector needs to move faster on regulatory frameworks that support Thailand’s green transition.

“Sustainable development is not just about complying with global rules. We need to do it for our next generation and think about how large a carbon footprint we are leaving for them.”

Technology can widen youth participation

Technology could strengthen that generational shift, according to Kwanpadh Suddhi-Dhamakit, World Bank Senior Country Officer, who highlighted the potential of artificial intelligence to broaden access to knowledge and capabilities.

“You don’t need to be just the audience of development. You can be a co-creator. Anything adults can do, you can probably do better if you have all these capabilities around you with AI and technology.”

Kwanpadh also cautioned against measuring the transition only through economic performance. Climate impacts are already being felt by individuals, he noted, making protection for vulnerable groups a core part of the sustainability agenda.

“The way forward, as a system and as a country, is how do we protect the vulnerable? We need to make sure that those affected by climate impacts are supported throughout.”

Innovation needs young voices

Niamh Collier-Smith, United Nations Development Programme Resident Representative in Thailand, likewise placed young people at the centre of the country’s future innovation.

“The question is how to use digital architecture and digital infrastructure to drive innovation into the future. That innovation needs to include people who work on the ground and young voices who will drive the businesses of the future.”

She pointed to the potential for young entrepreneurs to build nature-positive, green and just businesses, arguing that Thailand needs more spaces where young people can test ideas, develop solutions and participate in decision-making.

“Investing more in sandboxes, investing more in spaces to bring young people’s voices to the table would be really valuable.”

The speakers agreed that young people need skills, technology and a genuine role in shaping Thailand’s sustainability policies and solutions.

For Thailand, the goal is not simply to prepare the next generation for the future, but to give them a meaningful role in building it now.