10-year implementation of Party Resolution on climate change response under review

Participants focused on evaluating the various achievements, shortcomings, and limitations during the implementation process, as well as taking time to discuss new perspectives and specific goals, tasks, and solutions on responding to climate change moving forward.

In his address, Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Le Cong Thanh affirmed that over the past decade, Party committees and authorities at all levels, social communities, and people have actively implemented the resolution. Institutions and policies aimed at responding to climate change have been improved, whilst investment in natural disaster prevention and climate change responses has increased. 

Tang The Cuong, director of the MONRE’s Department of Climate Change, reported to the workshop that at present, all specific goals set in the resolution have been fully achieved, of which the target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions per unit of GDP has exceeded the set target.

The results indicate the strong determination of the Vietnamese Government in realising the dual goals of economic development and reduced greenhouse gas emissions, Cuong said. 

He added that the Prime Minister has promulgated a list of sectors and facilities which must carry out an inventory of greenhouse gases. The country has also recorded positive outcomes in reducing and eliminating substances that deplete the ozone layer, complied with international commitments, and build a project on developing the domestic carbon market. In addition, the nation has also joined the international carbon credit exchange under the clean development mechanism and rolled out the joint credit mechanism with Japan.

Vietnamese capacity for natural disaster forecasting, warning, and monitoring has been enhanced. Indeed, its climate change scenarios were updated periodically between 2016 and 2020 whilst flood maps were built to help localities implement solutions to boost socioeconomic development and adaptation to climate change in a more effective way. 

Losses to human lives and property caused by natural disasters have decreased significantly, with a decrease of 18% in human loss and 34% in material loss in the 2018 to 2022 period compared to the previous period from 2013 to 2017.

The majority of localities have issued a host of plans aimed at implementing the Paris agreement on climate change and to respond to climate change. The Government has therefore issued Resolution 120/NQ-CP on sustainable and climate-resilient development of the Mekong River delta as part of efforts to transform the region’s growth model for sustainable and prosperous development. 

Many important contents set out in the resolution have also been actively implemented, thereby bringing practical effects. This includes community-based and climate change-resilient livelihood models, along with both national target programmes and national science and technology programmes which seek to respond to climate change.
Vietnam has also strengthened international co-operation in climate change responses.

Recently, the country has adopted a political declaration establishing a Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) with partners, which makes up the driving force for energy transition and the development of renewable energy and other energy sources toward the carbon neutrality goal by 2050.