Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Le Cong Thanh
(standing) speaks at the workshop in Can Tho on October 7 (Photo: VNA
Participants in the event, held by the National Assembly’s Committee on Science,
Technology and Environment and the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ),
discussed such issues as legislation for promoting the business of carbon credit
trading and the engagement in the world’s carbon market, renewable energy
development, efficient energy use, environmentally friendly production and
consumption, science-technology application promotion, and inter-regional
connectivity in climate
change response.
Those opinions will be taken into consideration during the amendment of climate
change-related articles in the 2014 Law on Environment Protection.
According to experts, climate change is a major challenge affecting every aspect
of life, economy and society. In recent years, climate change has become
increasingly unpredictable with more frequent and serious storms, flooding,
drought, saltwater intrusion, riverbank and coastal erosion, and sea level rise,
especially in the Mekong Delta.
Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Le Cong Thanh said policies
relevant to climate change will be a focus of a draft law revising and
supplementing some articles of the 2014 Law on Environment Protection.
The revision is meant to meet economic development requirements, enhance
inter-regional connectivity in climate change response, and perfect the legal
framework for realising Vietnam’s commitments in international agreements. It
will help not only address challenges posed by climate change but also make use
of the chances generated by this global phenomenon, he noted.
Country Director of GIZ Vietnam Jasper Abramowski said Vietnam, which has a long
coastline and many deltas, is highly vulnerable to climate change. It has been
taking solutions to cope with climate change, and the German Government has also
actively helped with the making of climate change-related laws in Vietnam.
He added that with the support and cooperation of the GIZ, Germany’s knowledge
and experience will prove useful for the amendment and supplementation of the
relevant articles in the Law on Environment Protection, as well as for the
coordination with different local agencies in dealing with climate change issues
to realise Vietnam’s commitments in the UN Framework Convention on Climate
Change.
Marcel Reymond, head of cooperation at the Swiss Embassy in Vietnam, said every
year, the Mekong Delta loses from 130 – 190 million USD to climate change. He
highlighted his country is willing to continue assisting Vietnam in implementing
the Government’s resolution on sustainably developing the Mekong Delta in
response to climate change.
Source: VNA