Vietnam and Spain have agreed to strengthen the two countries' cooperation at international forums and organisations, including the United Nations and the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM), to cope with global challenges such as climate change, energy and food security. The agreement was reached during the talks between Vietnamese State President Nguyen Minh Triet and Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero in Madrid on December 15. The two sides also agreed to closely cooperate in boosting the ASEAN-EU relations and strengthening each country's relationship with the two regional organsiations, especially when Vietnam will assume the ASEAN Chair in 2010 and Spain will undertake the EU Presidency in the first six months of next year. President Triet highlighted Vietnam's decision to participate in the "Alliance of Civilisations" under Spain's initiative and PM Zapatero welcomed the decision. At the talks, the Spanish PM praised Vietnam's socio-economic achievements … [Read more...] about Vietnam, Spain cooperate in climate change, energy security
Climate change
10 provinces have got a plan to cope with climate change
To date, only 10 out of 63 provinces and cities have completed the drawing up of the action plans to cope with the climate change, according to the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment. The top priority measures mentioned in the plans are to build multi-functional houses for local residents in the areas often stricken by floods and typhoons, and build dyke systems to prevent the salinity intrusion. The climate change has put a big challenge to the Vietnam’s socio-economic development. The warming up of the Earth, the sea water level rise, the flooded area increases and the salinity intrusion - the demonstrations of the climate change – have affected Vietnam. Agriculture land area narrowed The global climate is getting warmer and the sea water level is rising. Experts believe that these things would go more rapidly in the time to come. Meanwhile, there always exists a big gap between the world’s awareness and the action in fighting against the climate … [Read more...] about 10 provinces have got a plan to cope with climate change
Weather project helps minority women battle climate change
VietNamNet Bridge – The climate in the valley of Muong Phang in the mountainous Dien Bien Province is no longer as it was over previous centuries. But the change has brought some benefits to local farmers.The valley, roughly 21 km to the northwest of Dien Bien Phu City, has gotten warmer over the last decade. The ethnic minority families who were born and grew up in the valley, in poverty, had relied mainly on a single summer-autumn rice season to make a living as the winter was too cold to plant anything. Now they have managed to double their incomes as the rising average temperatures in the coldest months allowed another rice harvest in winter and spring.This kind of climate change is, of course, not all good news. Alongside warmer temperatures, it has brought about more flash floods that bury the village under mud, unexpected drops in temperatures, hoar frost that freezes crops and heavier rains that flood the fields.It became harder for the locals, who had little idea about … [Read more...] about Weather project helps minority women battle climate change
Climate change – the threat comes closer
Vietnam is considered one of the five most vulnerable countries in the world which may be the biggest sufferers in the global climate change. Weather becoming more and more unpredictable Under the impacts of the climate change, weather performs in a strange way, which comes contrary to the natural law. In summer, temperature goes up to 39-40oC, while in winter, the temperatures goes down to 5-7oC. Storms and floods come more regularly, which cause big damages to the infrastructure, environment, and death tolls. According to the Institute of Hydrometeorology and Environment, the average temperature has gone up by 0.1oC, while the sea water level has risen by 2.5-3 cm over the last decade. The changes in the precipitation with more rains in the rainy season and less rains in dry season are the main that cause bigger and more regular floods, as well as more serious droughts. The government and relevant agencies have drawn up different climate change scenarios and solutions to … [Read more...] about Climate change – the threat comes closer
About climate change, homosexuality, traffic rules, illegal foreign workers in Vietnam and others…
Commenting on “ Climate change needs long-term plan,” Tom Harris, Executive Director of the International Climate Science Coalition (ICSC) from Ottawa, Canada, wrote: “It is very unlikely that global warming will cause increased extreme weather. If the world warms due to increasing greenhouse gas emissions, temperatures at high latitudes are forecast to rise the most, reducing the difference between arctic and tropical temperatures. Since this differential drives weather, we should see weaker mid-latitude cyclones in a warmer world and so less extremes in weather, not more.” It is also a mistake to blame human activities for current weather extremes. For example, the Non-governmental International Panel on Climate Change (nipccreport.org) includes a study published this year in "Geophysical Research Letters", about the causes of the 2010 Russian heat wave. Researchers concluded that it "was due to internal atmospheric dynamical processes" and “it is … [Read more...] about About climate change, homosexuality, traffic rules, illegal foreign workers in Vietnam and others…