Enjoy your vlogs, hope you can upload more. On the first pointβ¦many think going out of the city will have better pollution and fresher air, but thatβs not always the case at all. For example, Samut Songkhram has significantly worse air pollution on average than Bangkok. Note: my job is to educate people about air pollution, so felt I should share info about this. Hereβs the exact info on that: Samut Songkhram came in with a yearly PM2.5 reading of 25.8 ΞΌg/mΒ³, once again placing it into the 'moderate' pollution ratings bracket. This is rated differently in regards to PM2.5, which is measured in micrograms per cubic meter, and requires a PM2.5 reading of anywhere between 12.1 to 35.4 ΞΌg/mΒ³ to be classified as such. This reading placed Samut Songkhram in 528th place out of all cities ranked worldwide in 2020, as well as in 37th place out of all cities ranked in Thailand for the same year. For some comparison, the capital city of Bangkok, which is somewhat infamous for its pollution levels and haze caused by millions of people and large amounts of traffic, came in at a much better placing of 68th place out of all cities ranked in Thailand. Cheers
Hey, thanks for the information. I'm always up for hearing/seeing different perspectives. You bring up a great point. Chiang Mai during burning season is a good example. Would you agree that generally, less densely populated areas have less air pollution? Aside from places with specific things causing it like burning season, factories, or natural disasters/weather patterns like dust stroms and volcanoes.
@@Minoritynomad thatβs an interesting question. Iβd like to see a study on the correlation between Population density and air pollution. Many of the major factors that affect air pollution (weather patterns, factory locations, burning) arenβt necessarily related to density factors. There are very few scenarios where a place only a couple hour drive will have drastically different air quality. In Thailand, you have to go nearly down to Phuket to get to a place that has air drastically better than BKK. This is all talking averages. Any given day it is possible that a couple hour drive will have far better aqi due to varying weather patterns.
Interesting. I think you would be hard pressed to find an expat here that wouldn't say Bangkok has the worst air quality in Thailand. One issue we have in the city is the size. AQI in one area would be very different than in another area of the city. Especially up north. Outside of burning season, Chiang Mai has better air than Bangkok. Not looking at the data, just everyday experience. This is Interesting.
@@Minoritynomad absolutely. I think being closer to nature in a place like CM with trees all around you can give you a false impression the AQ is better than reality, compared to being on a busy street in BKK with cars all around you. CM on average has 50% high PM2.5 levels throughout the year than BKK (I'd be interested to take burn season out of the data...although BKK would benefit from taking this data out too since AQ outside of these last couple months has been superb actually, I was quite shocked until December hit...). BKK ranks in the best 15% of Thailand rank cities in terms of AQ...although the air pollution is still not good (this time of year!). Unfortunately, a lot of manufacturing is leaving China (China's AQ is improving a lot), and coming to SEA and Thailand due to labor costs, this trend is only increasing.
I'm living in Krabi but was in Bangkok last week and loved it. I'm from NY so it felt a little like home... ((also spent the past 6 weeks in South Africa, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Qatar and Finland)) but I'm thinking I need to go back to Africa.
Nice! Iβm about to do the opposite. Ive been living in slow cities for the last 4+ years and Iβm ready to move to a more bustling place. Looking at Lisbon and Barcelona.
I dont think people recognise this happens until they leave. I hope visit friends I met traveling in their hometown, like totally different folks. And they hadn't noticed until I brought it up.
Another insightful video! Been in Saigon for nearly 4 years now and this is so true. I've definitely had to become much more assertive and not so "Texan" to strangers in order to survive here. If I held the door for every female or old person, I'd never get anywhere hahahaha
Hahahahaha. True that. I think there's a balance we have to find as expats between assimilation and authenticity. I'm always going to be the man I was raised to be. But, I have to adjust aspects of that upbringing/home training to my environment. Appreciate you commenting.
Enjoy your vlogs, hope you can upload more. On the first pointβ¦many think going out of the city will have better pollution and fresher air, but thatβs not always the case at all. For example, Samut Songkhram has significantly worse air pollution on average than Bangkok.
Note: my job is to educate people about air pollution, so felt I should share info about this.
Hereβs the exact info on that:
Samut Songkhram came in with a yearly PM2.5 reading of 25.8 ΞΌg/mΒ³, once again placing it into the 'moderate' pollution ratings bracket. This is rated differently in regards to PM2.5, which is measured in micrograms per cubic meter, and requires a PM2.5 reading of anywhere between 12.1 to 35.4 ΞΌg/mΒ³ to be classified as such.
This reading placed Samut Songkhram in 528th place out of all cities ranked worldwide in 2020, as well as in 37th place out of all cities ranked in Thailand for the same year. For some comparison, the capital city of Bangkok, which is somewhat infamous for its pollution levels and haze caused by millions of people and large amounts of traffic, came in at a much better placing of 68th place out of all cities ranked in Thailand.
Cheers
Hey, thanks for the information. I'm always up for hearing/seeing different perspectives. You bring up a great point. Chiang Mai during burning season is a good example. Would you agree that generally, less densely populated areas have less air pollution? Aside from places with specific things causing it like burning season, factories, or natural disasters/weather patterns like dust stroms and volcanoes.
@@Minoritynomad thatβs an interesting question. Iβd like to see a study on the correlation between Population density and air pollution. Many of the major factors that affect air pollution (weather patterns, factory locations, burning) arenβt necessarily related to density factors. There are very few scenarios where a place only a couple hour drive will have drastically different air quality. In Thailand, you have to go nearly down to Phuket to get to a place that has air drastically better than BKK. This is all talking averages. Any given day it is possible that a couple hour drive will have far better aqi due to varying weather patterns.
Interesting. I think you would be hard pressed to find an expat here that wouldn't say Bangkok has the worst air quality in Thailand. One issue we have in the city is the size. AQI in one area would be very different than in another area of the city. Especially up north. Outside of burning season, Chiang Mai has better air than Bangkok. Not looking at the data, just everyday experience. This is Interesting.
@@Minoritynomad absolutely. I think being closer to nature in a place like CM with trees all around you can give you a false impression the AQ is better than reality, compared to being on a busy street in BKK with cars all around you. CM on average has 50% high PM2.5 levels throughout the year than BKK (I'd be interested to take burn season out of the data...although BKK would benefit from taking this data out too since AQ outside of these last couple months has been superb actually, I was quite shocked until December hit...). BKK ranks in the best 15% of Thailand rank cities in terms of AQ...although the air pollution is still not good (this time of year!). Unfortunately, a lot of manufacturing is leaving China (China's AQ is improving a lot), and coming to SEA and Thailand due to labor costs, this trend is only increasing.
I'm living in Krabi but was in Bangkok last week and loved it. I'm from NY so it felt a little like home... ((also spent the past 6 weeks in South Africa, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Qatar and Finland)) but I'm thinking I need to go back to Africa.
Nice! Iβm about to do the opposite. Ive been living in slow cities for the last 4+ years and Iβm ready to move to a more bustling place. Looking at Lisbon and Barcelona.
Hey, small city break. Lol. Barcelona is niceeeeee. Crazy in the summers though. If you move there, check out Andorra.
SO SO TRUE
I Live in NYC for 27 yrs
I dont think people recognise this happens until they leave. I hope visit friends I met traveling in their hometown, like totally different folks. And they hadn't noticed until I brought it up.
Another insightful video! Been in Saigon for nearly 4 years now and this is so true. I've definitely had to become much more assertive and not so "Texan" to strangers in order to survive here. If I held the door for every female or old person, I'd never get anywhere hahahaha
Hahahahaha. True that. I think there's a balance we have to find as expats between assimilation and authenticity. I'm always going to be the man I was raised to be. But, I have to adjust aspects of that upbringing/home training to my environment. Appreciate you commenting.