Vietnamese delegate: “We have national climate program”

By: Jasmine on October 7th, 2009

BANGKOK–Today, Ho Chi Minh City is under nearly a meter and a half of floodwater. A Mekong Delta city, Can Tho City, was just overcome by historical floods.

Normal life in the central provinces hasn’t yet returned after a damaging typhoon last week. Weather reports say that central Vietnam is now facing another typhoon even more serious from the Pacific Ocean.

Climate change science predicts an increase in severity of natural disasters like storms. Vietnam lately has seen several examples of this. Experts say Vietnam is one of the countries most vulnerable to climate-related disasters. At the same time, at UN climate talks in Bangkok, a big gap remains between developed and developing countries in negotiations. The Bangkok talks are a lead up to talks in Copenhagen in December, when the future of the Kyoto Protocol may be decided.

Developing country negotiators complain that “the ball is in developed countries’ hands” and time is running out. The Copenhagen talks are just 60 days away. Developing countries are left struggling with limited money, information and experience in coping with climate change.

“Though seeing impacts of climate change day by day, we don’t have any of our own surveys or statistics to understand exactly the threats,” says Dr. Nguyen Binh Thin, director of the Standing Office of Steering Committee For Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation, Vietnam Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

However, Dr. Thin said at the Bangkok talks that Vietnam already had a national target program to respond to climate change, signed by the prime minister. That program asks all provinces and government departments to build their own action plans to reduce climate change and prepare for its impacts. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development was the first one to produce scenario and action plans in August, 2009.

Based on this, all construction and investment activities by the ministry have to consider climate change, says Dr. Thin. “For example, the breakwater along Kien Giang Coast, which we’re in the progress of building, has to be constructed not only for the next five or 10 years, but also for the long-term future.”

“If the sea-level rise is higher than forecast, we just keep raising it. No need to build a new one. That also means we have to invest more budget for its basic layers now. It takes double the money, but we must do it.”

According to this national climate program, departments from agriculture to banking in all provinces need to develop climate plans. This poses many challenges. “In a developing country that still has a percentage of the population facing poverty, we can’t expect stronger awareness about responsibility for climate change,” said Dr. Thin.  “However, I think the Vietnam Government has been trying its best to respond to this issue.”