Target: Prayut Chan-o-cha, Prime Minister of Thailand
Goal: Support enforceable action plans against air pollution and investment in public health resources.
Every winter in Thailand, masks and air purifiers are the norm…for those that can afford them. These actions are not a lingering reaction to COVID-19 but rather a conditioned response to a critical public health threat that spans decades: air pollution. In the past few weeks, levels of PM 2.5 have skyrocketed to 14 times the recommended threshold for safe breathing. These particles are smaller than a human hair is wide, but their outsized impact on human health is well-documented: heart disease, pulmonary disease, cancer, stroke, and organ failure, to name a few.
Thailand is currently on-track to meet and likely exceed the estimated 32,000-plus deaths attributed to air pollution every year. Experts well-versed on the issue believe that cutting pollution by just 20 percent could save 25 percent of these lives. And if lower-income communities enjoyed the same kind of education about air pollution dangers as well as access to important resources like air purifiers, even more lives could be saved.
The Thai government drafted a plan to combat pollution, but implementation and enforcement remains spotty at best. Sign the petition below to urge the development of robust new guidelines that demonstrate a sincere commitment to ensuring all populations enjoy the right to breathe clean air.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Prime Minister Prayut,
“The right to breathe clean air is part of the right to a healthy life.” Your Ministry of Public Health’s Society and Health Institute director has championed this fundamental statement, as economists warn of the tremendous social cost of soaring PM 2.5 and other air pollution. The World Health Organization’s recent issuance of an advisory recommending citizens stay indoors signals that the problems the national action plan regarding pollution was meant to address are far from in decline.
Please heed calls for a stronger, more enforceable legal plan of action that will truly combat the poisonous air that is killing tens of thousands of Thai people every year. Moreover, ensure that communities have equitable access to the tools and resources essential for safeguarding their health as this battle continues.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo Credit: Unknown: Rawpixel
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