Paradise Lost
When to go
This lesson is about the climate in Thailand now and in the future and how this may affect where or when the tourist featured in lesson one might visit. The challenge of the future for the populations of Bangkok and the surrounding areas is also considered.
Key questions:
- When is the best time to go to Thailand?
- Will climate change cause flooding in Thailand?
Key Concepts:
Interdependence
Physical and human processes
Environmental interaction and sustainable
development
When is the best time to go to Thailand?
Thailand has a tropical monsoon climate; temperatures normally range from an average annual high of 38 °C to a low of 19 °C. Thailand's monsoons arrive around July and last into November (the 'rainy season' or ‘ridu fon'). They can be uncomfortably humid and sticky. This is followed by a dry, cooler period from November to mid-February, followed by much higher temperatures from March to June. The dry season is shortest in the South because of the proximity of the sea.
According to Lonely Planet Guide books, the best time to visit is from February to March.
Will climate change cause more flooding in Thailand?
The direct effects of climate change on human settlements in Thailand are floods and landslides caused by increases in rainfall intensity, rises in sea levels and coastal storm surges. Settlements along rivers and coastal zones are particularly at risk. Flooding in the Bangkok metropolitan area
was relatively infrequent during the last ten years because flood prevention programs were implemented. However, floods in other urban and rural areas have tended to increase during the past thirty years.
Thailand is an agricultural country that depends largely on natural water resources and global climate change has serious implications upon these water resources.
Click on an activity:
Starter
Main activity
Interactive:
Climate Change: Populations at risk from cyclones and rising seas
Downloads:
Climate Change: Populations at risk from cyclones and rising seas in Thailand (Word)
Climate Change: Populations at risk from cyclones and rising seas around the World (Word)