Experts discuss climate change response integration into socio-economic development

ABO/NDO – Experts gathered at an international seminar, held by the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences (VASS) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Hanoi on November 7, to discuss climate change response integration into Vietnam’s socio-economic development plans.

Bac Kan province has developed agricultural production models adaptive to climate change. (Representative photo: baobackan.org.vn).

The workshop focused on key topics concerning climate change mitigation, investment opportunities for renewable energy and potential for utilisation, as well as tools for assessing environmental strategies in Vietnam.

At the seminar, Dr. Dang Xuan Thanh, Vice President of the VASS, said that, from 2014, under the Law on Environmental Protection, all works, strategies and plans for socio-economic development in Vietnam have to carry out climate - environmental assessment and the regulation has become a regular practice in Vietnam to date. The workshop is an opportunity for experts, scientists and environmental researchers to better understand the integration of climate change requirements into the socio-economic development strategies and plans in Vietnam, he added.

According to a new report published by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in October, the earth will get 3C warmer by the end of the 21st century. This will inevitably have a negative impact. Global warming will reach 1C above preindustrial levels. For Vietnam, the effects of global warming can be seen through the phenomenon of increased floods, declining aquatic resources and the disappearance of coral reefs and seagrass beds. This has been affecting the livelihoods of people working in the fisheries sector.

Jiri Dusik, an international technical expert at UNDP's Green Growth and Sustainable Development, said that currently, the consumption of carbon in the Vietnamese economy is still high. For Vietnam, greenhouse gas emissions are projected to increase nearly threefold during 2010-2030, mainly from the energy sector, suggesting Vietnam should consider turning to the use of renewable energy earlier. It is forecast that by 2030 renewable energy will be a cheaper source for electricity production than traditional fossil fuels.

As coal power still accounts for a large proportion of Vietnam's total electricity production, according to Jiri Dusik, the nation should soon consider alternative solutions for traditional energy sources, replacing them with renewable energy, such as wind and solar power.