Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai told a workshop in Hanoi on March 4 that the annual budget for climate change had reached trillions of Vietnamese dong (hundreds of millions of USD). “ Vietnam has been working hard to materialise international commitments to reducing natural calamities and adjusting climate change,” said the deputy PM. The event, officially themed as the “Second national forum on natural calamities reduction and climate change adjustment”, was co-sponsored by the UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR), UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID). It targeted agencies at all levels to join hands in research and dialogue as well as to share information and human and financial resources in reducing natural disasters and the impacts of climate change. The forum also launched a campaign to respond to UNISDR’s global programme, “Disaster Resilient Cities” … [Read more...] about Bản in : Vietnam ranks climate change as high priority
Natural events that cause climate change
Climate change puts lives and crops at risk
The Mekong Delta - Vietnam's rice basket - is an area of special concern Despite relatively low greenhouse gas emissions, Vietnam is still struggling with the effects of climate change, and persisting problems threaten the country's sustainable development efforts. Nguyen Thi Xoan lost her house in the Durian storm of 2006. So did neighbouring villagers in sea-front Binh Dai district in Ben Tre province, a place where four of the largest Mekong River offshoots pour into the East Sea. "It was 6am and we were all sleeping. The wind was getting stronger, and so my grandchildren rushed to the back of the house, taking shelter between four concrete water containers. After two hours, all the houses in my village collapsed. I saw everyone crying and I cried too," Xoan recalled. After the storm, Xoan's family had to live under a makeshift roof of coconut leaves. Danish Ambassador to Vietnam Peter Lysholt Hansen wrote: "The Durian storm that went through Ben Tre unexpectedly in December … [Read more...] about Climate change puts lives and crops at risk
Communities uniting to combat climate change
Climate change is now a global issue, affecting many countries and territories. Facing risks and challenges caused by climate change, the UN launched the "clean up the world" campaign 2009 with the theme "Communities uniting to combat climate change." Climate change - challenges of human Experts said that global warming, glaciers melting, greenhouse gases, and greenhouse effect are challenges of human. It is human being that is responsible for the global warming. It has resulted in ocean warming, sea-level rise, and Arctic and Antarctic warming. Climate change is now affecting all parts of the world and increasing the rate of some serious diseases, such as malaria, diarrhea, and malnutrition. Statistics released by Global Humanitarian Forum showed that every year climate change leaves over 315 people dead, 325 million people seriously affected, and economic losses of US$125 billion. By the year 2030, almost twice the number of people is expected to be seriously affected, either by … [Read more...] about Communities uniting to combat climate change
VN counts the cost of climate change
Viet Nam News reporters Minh Thi and Quynh Anh spoke to three experts who have recently returned from the COP 17 Durban climate change talks to see how the outcome will affect Viet Nam's on-going efforts in the fight against climate change. What are the successes of COP 17? Dao Xuan Lai, assistant country director and head of Sustainable Development Cluster, UNDP Viet Nam In my opinion, COP 17 marks another positive step forward thanks to the joint effort of all countries in the fight against climate change. After two weeks of tense negotiations and several all-nighters, more than 190 countries involved in the COP 17 climate change talks finally reached an agreement on a package of measures including a second commitment period under the Kyoto Protocol, the design of a Green Climate Fund, a mandate to get all countries in 2015 to sign a deal that would force them to cut emissions no later than 2020 as well as the work plan for 2012. As for the Green Climate Fund (FCF), unlike other … [Read more...] about VN counts the cost of climate change
Can UN scientists revive drive against climate change?
A leaden cloak of responsibility lies on the shoulders of UN scientists as they put the final touches to the first volume of a massive report that will give the world the most detailed picture yet of climate change. Due to be unveiled in Stockholm on September 27, the document will be scrutinised word by word by green groups, fossil-fuel lobbies and governments to see if it will yank climate change out of prolonged political limbo. The report will kick off the fifth assessment by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), an expert body set up in 1988 to provide neutral advice on global warming and its impacts. Six years ago, the IPCC's fourth assessment report unleashed a megawatt jolt of awareness. It declared that the planet was warming, that this was already starting to affect Earth's climate system and biosphere, and that there was overwhelming evidence that humans, especially by burning coal, gas and oil, were the cause. It earned the IPCC a share in the Nobel Peace … [Read more...] about Can UN scientists revive drive against climate change?