Nearly VND2,000 billion to cope with climate change
Tuesday, 02 March 2010
Vietnam will allocate almost VND2,000 billion for
the national target programme to cope with climate change.
Of
the sum, more than 50 percent comes from the State budget and domestic
organizations and individuals, while the remainder is funded by foreign
organisations.
This
information was announced at a seminar in Hanoi
on February 26 to discuss measures to protect and develop wetlands and minimise
the negative impact of climate change.
The
national programme will be carried out in three phases: the first from 2009 to
2010, the second from 2010 to 2015, and the third from 2015 and the years to
come.
In
2010, the programme will focus on drawing up an action plan to adapt to climate
change and combine the plan with the country’s socio-economic development
strategy from 2010 to 2020, as well as the five-year socio-economic development
plan until 2015. A number of climate change adaptation projects will be
implemented in some select localities.
According
to scientists, Vietnam
is one of the countries most vulnerable to global climate change, especially
its coastal areas and wetlands.
Scientists
have predicted that if the sea water levels increase by 1m, about 10 percent of
Vietnam’s
population will suffer a direct impact and the country will lose about 10
percent of its GDP.
Meanwhile,
on February 27, a meeting was held in Hanoi
to mark World Wetlands Day(February 2).
The
event was co-organised by the General Department for Environment, Birdlife
International and the
International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
