On 20 March 2025, H.E. Ms. Arjaree Sriratanaban, Ambassador of Thailand to Australia, attended the launch of the CANBREATHE project (Climate Attribution of Wildfire Smoke Impacts on Priority Population Health in Southeast Asia and Australia) at the University of Canberra. The Honourable Bill Shorten, Vice Chancellor, University of Canberra, gave the opening remarks at the launch event.

 

CANBREATHE is a collaborative effort led by the HEAL Global Research Centre, under the Health Research Institute (HRI) of the University of Canberra, in partnership with 22 agencies and institutions from Australia and Southeast Asia, including Thailand, Lao PDR, and Indonesia. The project will combine climate modelling, health data and storylines to communicate the long-term effects of bushfires and smoke haze pollution exposure in the region. Insights from the project will be used to promote awareness and support policy development.

 

Experts from Thai institutions, namely, Mahidol University, Chiang Mai University, and the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT), participated in the CANBREATHE project launch online. Additionally, Thai agencies involved in the project include the Department of Climate Change and Environment, and the Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency (GISTDA).