So, ahead of his trip to the Large Cities Climate Summit, Apirak staged a 15-minute lights out in the Thai capital.

The stunt was to publicise the signing of the Bangkok Declaration, a commitment by 35 government and private organisations to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions.

But, if Bangkok is going to make a real contribution to a cleaner world then Apirak admitted politicians needed broad-based support from what he called "people politics" to fight ignorance and red tape.

"Bangkok is responsible for as much as 40 per cent of CO2 emissions in Thailand," Apirak said. "These come from 5.5 million vehicles on the road every day.

"There are millions of ways to cut back emissions, as other cities have shown. But the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration lacks the necessary authority to impose needed changes without major public support."

While at the New York summit Apirak will speak at a transport panel hosted by the City of New York, the Clinton Foundation Climate Initiative and civic, environmental and corporate groups.

Because cities are responsible for three quarters of the world's energy consumption, the four-day summit will talk about how to reduce CO2 emissions.

Transport, energy generation and infrastructure building stand out as three big polluters in Bangkok, according to leading climate scientist Anond Sanidvongs.

He is Southeast Asia director of the Global Change System for Analysis, Research and Training, or START, and said "significant legal and structural changes" were required to reduce emissions from these sectors.

"We commenced a few weeks ago drafting a proposal for internal discussion among related agencies to introduce measures to reduce Bangkok carbon emissions. But, some proposals require drastic change. I'm not so positive we will see them happen quickly," Anond said.

Anond points to the one problem that has given capital governors headaches for decades - the motor car.

Impressed by the success of London and Singapore, New York mayor Michael Bloomberg last month proposed congestion pricing. It will require motorists to pay US$8 (Bt275) to enter inner Manhattan.

Some believe this is the most controversial and politically courageous of Bloomberg's 127 initiatives to reduce carbon emissions and improve quality of life in the Big Apple.

Apirak admires Bloomberg's courage but quickly dismisses the possibility of introducing similar measures here.

"Our public transport system is not ready. If we introduce something so dramatic without first educating people of the need to change our lifestyles they may resist - or outright oppose any future initiatives to address global warming," Apirak said.

"What do you expect from a city still fighting a very basic disciplinary problem - littering.

"People still spit on the street. One man did it inches from me recently," he noted.

He admitted Bangkok needed better public transport before it could force cars off the streets.

Capital buses are both dirty and dangerous. They are managed by the Mass Transit Authority. Cars, lorries and motorcycles come under the jurisdiction of the Land Transport Department.

"We must break the cycle somehow," asserted former governor Bhichit Rattakul.

Now director of the Asian Disaster Preparedness Centre, Bhichit confirmed threats to the city from rising sea levels are real and imminent.

His centre is preparing flood-protection models for the Mekong basin.

Anond cites two indicators suggesting the effects of global warming have reached Thailand already: sea levels between two and three millimetres higher than those of a decade ago and higher temperatures in hill-country areas.

Recent simulation models developed by foreign experts show almost 55 per cent of Bangkok will be flooded if mean sea levels rise by 50 centimetres and 72 per cent if they rise 100 centimetres.

"Bangkok is, on average, 50 centimetres above the mean sea level," Bhichit warned.

"We have some dams to block water from the Chao Phya River but a lot of water will rise through drainage systems which may well be under water once the sea rises. We need massive pumps and land we can turn into 'monkey cheeks' to store water. But land around Bangkok is very expensive."

Anond said mitigation and adaptation must be a priority.

Apirak and other metropolitan leaders in New York are focusing on carbon. Anond said if all emissions ended tomorrow sea levels would continue to rise and the earth continue to warm because it would take 50 years to dissipate what has already been dumped into the atmosphere.

"Adaptation is an urgent issue and should be on the national agenda. We need more specific studies detailing the areas that will be affected and how to mitigate impact.

"City planning will have to follow these studies so we stop building the wrong infrastructure in the wrong places."

Nantiya Tangwisutijit

The Nation