On February 15, 2010, at 9.00 A.M., Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva presided over the ceremony marking the beginning of the Ministry of Energy-organised Save Energy Save the Earth Project, at Santi Maitri Building, the Government House. The event was also attended by Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thuangsaban, Deputy Prime Minister Trirong Suwannakhiri, Minister of Energy Wannarat Channukul MD, Director General of the Department of Alternative Energy Development and Efficiency Mr Krairit Nilkuha, several officials from the government agencies and state enterprises, and numerous members of the press.

Right before the Prime Minister gave the policy statement of the Save Energy Save the Earth Project, the Prime Minister listened to the summary of the implementation of the project by the Minister of Energy and the Chief of the Energy Development and Energy Conservation Department. Also before the policy statement, the Prime Minister and the Minister of Energy jointly changed Energy-saving No.5 light bulb at the Meeting Room 301, the Command Centre Building, as an initial gesture for the energy saving that is believed to reduce the effect of the Global Warming. After that, the Prime Minister and the entourage visited the exhibition showing Energy-saving No.5 appliances and air-condition cleaning, which is another way to reduce global warming.

On this occasion, the Prime Minister said that he was glad to preside over the opening ceremony of the Save Energy Save the Earth Project that was organised by the Ministry of Energy and related agencies in order to encourage government agencies to conserve energy and use it efficiently. The Prime Minister also said that the problem of climate change, or the global warming, has affected other related problems, such as, natural disaster that is caused by the change in the Earth's climate, affecting everyone, including those in the agricultural sector. This will send a direct effect to food production, affecting food security which is another global problem.

The Prime Minister said that Thailand, as a country that many have hoped to be a major part of the solution to the food security problem, would inevitably be severely affected by the climate change if it let its agricultural areas vulnerable to changes in the ecosystem and to natural disaster, for the loss of coastal areas and the flood rising sea level would not only affect residential areas but also other environmental balances. Besides climate change-related problems, there are other problems and other aspects that could result from the climate change condition. For instance, there could be a public health problem. Old and new diseases could emerge from this environment. Thailand and all other countries are facing this challenge. There have been national and internationally-coordinated attempts to work on these issues, but the changes form these attempts that are taking effect nowadays are still timid and inefficient. Late last year, world leaders were trying to reach a deal on climate change at Copenhagen, Denmark, but a deal could not be reached. 

The Prime Minister sees two main obstacles that are preventing a consensus. First, countries are still worried about their own economic growths hat could be affected from climate change measures. For example, many countries seem to believe that greenhouse gas reduction and energy saving would have an impact on their poverty tackling objectives, and such scenario might lower their economic growths and cost their own people economic opportunities. Second, the failure of these talks are often attributed to conditions that were man-made. Some countries might be ready to do something when other countries are ready as well, for example. These two obstacles are chronic problems that delay the action to tackle climate change.    

Also, the Prime Minister said that failures of international conferences are often caused by, what should have now been objectively realised, that the climate change was caused by human actions, and that every one can be a part of the solution. There are several measures that many countries and parties could take. Regarding the belief that these measures would lead to lower economic growth, the Prime Minister questions that assertion and said that it has not always been the case. Thailand, for example, is fortunate to be guided by His Majesty the King who has given the country the sufficiency economy principle, which reminds us that human behaviour aims to strike a balance and looks at things on long-term basis, and these concepts are not in contrast to the pursuit of progress, growth or social and individual happiness. But, the emphasis is on the use of one's own intellect, which can be based on academic principle in order to solve the problem. The Prime Minister sees that this principle is a very progressive one as His Majesty the King has said it before the discussions of environment became widespread. Everyone, hence, can be a part of the solution, and we can begin from austerity and conservation. We must also be wise enough to use technology in making a solution, one of such use can be energy efficient appliances. For instance, by using energy efficient light bulbs, energy usage and carbon emission could be reduced as high as 30%, and that would also save the users' expenses on electricity. This is just an instance of energy conservation measures that do not effect economic objectives, and instead have a positive impact by saving expenses on electricity in the long-run.     

Lastly, the Prime Minister said that global warming and energy are issues that are common. Everyone certainly can contribute to the solution by examining their own residences' appliances and maintenance of those appliances. For example, lights should be turned off when no one is using it, and air-condition's temperature should be set at the optimal level, appropriate to the location. The Prime Minister is confident that these actions would conserve the energy and reduce greenhouse gas emission considerably. They would also be a part of a strategy in encouraging everyone to conserve the energy.