The most pressing issues in Asia’s urban resilience have been discussed at the Asia-Pacific Forum on Urban Resilience and Adaptation–Resilient Cities Asia Pacific Congress 2017 (RCAP), held in Ho Chi Minh City in conjunction with Asia LEDS Partnership Forum.The Vietnamese Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI) was the co-host of this event. In its third year, this time, RCAP attracted 150 participants from local governments in the region, major international organisations, and funding agencies.Pham Hoang Mai, head of the Department of Science, Education, Resources and Environment at MPI, said that Vietnam wanted to collaborate with other countries in the region to fight climate change and reduce carbon emissions, following the Paris Agreement at the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference (also known as COP21).“Local governments in the Asia-Pacific need to build smart cities that minimise carbon emissions, focus on sustainability, and improve energy … [Read more...] about Asian cities vow to combat climate change
Climate change
Fighting climate change and other water hazards
Because of growing demand for water in Vietnam, the country’s water resources are getting thinner. What factors are challenging water security in the country?Located in a tropical monsoon region and in the lower reaches of the Red and Mekong rivers, Vietnam receives a lot of rainfall, averaging at about 1,800-2,000 millimetres per year. However, it is distributed unevenly throughout the year.Vietnam also has more than 3,000 rivers and streams nationwide, including big river systems like the Red, Ma, and Ca rivers in the northern region, many small rivers in the central region, and the Dong Nai and Cuu Long rivers in the southern region.The country has a total annual water volume of more than 830 billion cubic metres serving over 92 million people. Thus, Vietnam is not a country that suffers from water shortages.However, over the past years, water security is emerging as a concern as droughts, saline intrusion, and water shortages start to hurt production and livelihoods. This is … [Read more...] about Fighting climate change and other water hazards
Mekong Delta faces three big challenges caused by climate change
VietNamNet Bridge - Mekong Delta, the rice granary of Vietnam, is facing three challenges due to the impact of climate change, unsustainable development and hydropower plants on the Mekong River, according to Nguyen Huu Thien, an independent expert on Mekong Delta ecology.Over the last 20 years, large areas in the two ‘water bags’ of Dong Thap Muoi and Long Xuyen Quadrangle have been enclosed by embankments to serve rice cultivation. Local authorities decided that farmers needed to cultivate three rice crops a year instead of two to have higher income. Just within 11 years, in 2000-2012, the third-crop area in four provinces of Kien Giang, An Giang, Dong Thap and Long An soared by seven times, from 53,500 hectares to 403,500 hectares. In 2017, the total third-crop area in the flood season in the entire delta reached 810,000 hectares.However, while the embankments helped local farmers cultivate one more rice crop, they caused more severe floods in the lowlands because a … [Read more...] about Mekong Delta faces three big challenges caused by climate change
Green growth promoted to respond to climate change
The Mekong Delta is home to more than 18 million people and is Vietnam’s key industrial-agriculture hub. But the region is facing serious climate change challenges including a rising sea level, receding mangrove forests and coastal erosion. The average temperature in the region is expected to increase 0.7 degrees Celsius by 2020 and 2 degrees Celsius by 2025. The volume of CO2 emissions in the region is likely to increase rapidly in the near future due to its rapid development. Green growth inevitableThe government adopted a National Strategy on Green Growth in 2012 focused on reducing greenhouse gas emission, greening production, and greening consumers’ lifestyles. An Giang, Ca Mau, Bac Lieu, Kien Giang, Soc Trang and Hau Giang provinces are finalizing their plans in response to the Strategy.Vo Doan Dung of the Hau Giang Department of Planning and Investment said green growth is inevitable. He said promoting green growth will reduce greenhouse gas emissions and make … [Read more...] about Green growth promoted to respond to climate change
Vietnam lacks climate change adaption funds
VietNamNet Bridge – Vietnam needs US$140billion to $179 billion in the next 20 years for climate change reduction and adaptation, as well as technology. However, the current budget can meet only some 5 per cent of the estimated demand, Nguyen Ngoc Hung, deputy head of People’s Aid Coordination Committee under the Viet Nam Union of Science and Technology Association told the Dai Doan Ket (Great Unity) newspaper. In a recent workshop on mobilising sources to adapt to climate change in An Giang Province, environmental experts said that Vietnam needs some $30 billion to reach the target of reducing greenhouse gas by 2020. The budget to realise this target accounts for 0.1 per cent of GDP. Out of more than $3.3 billion assistance given by non-governmental organisations to Vietnam between 2001 and 2016, only $2.5 million, equivalent to 7.4 per cent, was for natural resources and the environment sector. In the first six months of this year, Cuu Long (Mekong) … [Read more...] about Vietnam lacks climate change adaption funds