Ambition to action: Accelerating Thailand’s transition

Water security is emerging as one of Asean’s most pressing yet overlooked business risks, with the sustainable management and availability of freshwater resources critical to business continuity, industrial competitiveness and long-term economic resilience. For Thailand, which face recurring droughts and floods in the face of growing industrial demand and climate disparities, strengthening governance on water use – from policy and finance to business strategy – will be key to navigating this issue.

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This session will convene leading decisionmakers in policy, finance and industry to chart tangible strategies to enhance water security, addressing questions such as: How is water shaping business and regulatory strategies for resource-intensive sectors such as agriculture, electronics and data in the long-term? Can improved operational resilience and water efficiency spur greater investment flows into Thailand? And why is addressing the interconnected resource challenges of water and energy use now an indispensable business imperative?

Bangkok, alongside other cities across Thailand and the region, have long been grappling with climate risks, threatening everything from physical infrastructure to urban resilience and causing untold economic losses. Linking the energy transition to urban and economic resiliency will be key to addressing these mounting risks. The challenge, however, lies in designing fit-for-purpose transitions to meet urgent urban adaptation needs while leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) so its bolsters rather than hinders long-term resilience.

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This session will convene leaders working in the intersection between urban resilience and the transition, covering questions such as: What mechanisms are needed to attract private and multilateral capital at scale against a backdrop of weakening economic growth? How do we align clean energy and AI tech adoption with adaptation needs? And what role will Thailand’s Climate Change Act, and other regulatory frameworks, play in creating the legislative ecosystem needed to support long-term financial flows in this space?