Vietnam steps up climate change adaptation efforts
Vietnam is making substantial efforts to fulfil its National Target Programme to Respond to Climate Change in 2015, hoping to assess the phenomenon’s impacts on each sector and locality and ultimately design a feasible action plan to counteract these effects.
Earlier this year, the Prime Minister approved the allocation of 3 trillion VND (140.6 million USD) from the State budget for climate change projects.
These projects include 16 unfinished projects under the Support Programme to Respond to Climate Change (SP-RCC) in previous years, projects on planting forest in coastal marshes and river upstream regions, and pressing projects on the SP-RCC list that have yet to commence.
The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment plans to update climate change and rising sea level scenarios for each locality by the fourth quarter of this year, enabling ministries, sectors and localities to build effective action plans for 2016-2020.
It also highlights the need to raise climate change adaptation capacity for the Mekong Delta, considered the most vulnerable area to this phenomenon.
The National Target Programme to Respond to Climate Change was approved in 2008. Since then, Vietnam has achieved remarkable results in policymaking as well as implementing specific projects.
Thanks to Vietnam’s improved role and position through regional and international negotiations, support from the international community for the country has increased. Over the past five years, Vietnam has received over 1.3 billion USD for this essential programme.
UN climate change official promises support to Vietnam
Chairman of the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Rajendra Pachauri promised to stand side by side with Vietnam in mitigating the adverse effects of climate change while meeting Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung in Hanoi on January 21.
He underlined that if nothing is done about the current emission level, the sea level could rise by 98 cm by 2100, while even a rise of half that level already brings severe consequences for many countries, including Vietnam.
The PM told Pachauri that Vietnam considers the response to climate change, rising sea level and natural disasters as crucial to its path of sustainable development.
The country established a National Steering Committee on Climate Change led by the PM and an advisory council to update the government on global reports and offer recommendations on coping measures over short and long terms.
Vietnam will do its best and join efforts with global community to cope with the changing climate, he said.
Besides making its own efforts, Vietnam is keen to receive more effective assistance from the UN, foreign donors and scientists, including sharing studies, and offering recommendations and funding for relevant projects, the leader added.
At the same time, he hailed the effective support that the UN has given to Vietnam in many areas, including climate change response.
