India: Energy Conservation for Tea Production

China: Program of Action for Sustainable Development

This program is a follow-up of the White Paper on China’s Population, Environment, and Development in the 21st Century. It acknowledges progress made in the last decade including economic and social developments and capacity building, and also upcoming challenges. To deal with these challenges, the program suggests improving research and investement in sustainable development, improving legislation and supporting institutions, and strenghten international cooperation.

Priorities include:

China: National Climate Change Program

In June, 2007 China released its National Climate Change Program outlining the challenges that China is facing in dealing with climate change. It outlines steps that China has taken towards sustainable development and plans that China will enact in the future to address climate change. Strategies include increasing R&D, improving energy efficiency and building construction, developing renewable and nuclear energy, increasing forest cover, improving industrial policy and agriculture, and improving institutions and policies.

Turkey: 8th Five-year Development Plan

Turkey: Environmental Impact Assessment Regulation (EIAR)

Part of the Environmental Law of ‘83, this legislation outlines the administrative and technical principles surrounding an environmental impact assessment that will be undertaken to identify and to evaluate all possible impacts any public or private project may have on the environment and to prevent any damages these projects may cause.

Date Implemented: 1983

Status: In Force; Mandatory

Thailand: The Policy and Prospective Plan for Enhancement and Conservation of National Environmental Quality

Thailand: Reforestation program

This program was designed to encourage rural households to plant trees on their land. Farmers were granted subsidies of 3,000 baht per rai over 5 years to plant trees, and were allowed to harvest the trees after a certain period.

Date Implemented: 1994-1996

Status: Voluntary

Thailand: Community Forests

The rationale behind the community forests bill was that with appropriate property rights, the communities that depend on forest resources will ensure that their sources of supply are sustained.

Date Implemented: draft bill vetoed 2002

References: National Communication to the UNFCCC

Thailand: Conservation Forests

The Thai government has declared a policy of maintaining no less than 25% of the total land area as conservation forests.

Status: In Force; Mandatory

References: National Communication to the UNFCCC

Thailand: New Thai Constitution