Already this year, authorities in Bangkok have posted days when they recommended people work from home if possible. Last year was the worst&nbsp;year&nbsp;on record in Thailand for air pollution. It managed to beat out South Asia and China -- where aged urban transportation and dirty industry play bigger parts in the problem -- for hosting the filthiest air in the world for days on end. Are we due for more of the same? Last year, parts of Chiang Rai went literally off the charts as transboundary &ldquo;haze&rdquo; from Laos and Myanmar exacerbated already extremely serious problems in Thailand caused by the burning of agricultural leftovers, mostly from maize, tapioca, rice and sugar cane cultivation. A new aspect of the problem last year was the greatly increased deliberate torching of forest floors in impoverished Laos to create grazing areas for free-roaming cattle to supply the seemingly endless demand for cheap beef, particularly in southern China. Thailand CAN (Clean Air Network) has had a citizen-led draft Clean Air Act as one of seven versions currently being vetted by parliament. By law, as the only citizen group, it gets one third of the legislative working committee, but can any of this make a difference in the kingdom&rsquo;s vast and lawless boondocks? And what of neighbouring countries that lie beyond the reach of any law enforcement? As the dry season -- aggravated by the parching El Nino weather effect -- draws to a head, come to the FCCT to hear more about the annual environmental crisis that poses a bigger public health threat than the COVID-19 pandemic ever did. Confirmed speakers: Decharut Sukkumnoed, director of Think Forward Center, Move Forward Party and advisor to the leader of the opposition in parliament. Weenarin Lulitanonda, co-founder, Thailand CAN (Clean Air Network) and former World Bank economist. Danny Marks, assistant professor of environmental politics and policy in the school of law and government, Dublin City University. Ingo Puhl, managing director and co-founder of South Pole Group, an expert on carbon mitigation. Moderator: Dominic Faulder, FCCT board member and Nikkei Asia associate editor.Photo: Northern Thailand, March 2024 by Annelie Langerak.