Vietnam to be one of top ten nations hardest-hit by climate change

September 25, 2014 | 08:36

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Vietnam is expected to be among the top 10 countries in the world most affected by climate change, according to the United Nations.

Hoi An Ancient Town flooded in a storm last year

Each year, Vietnam suffers loss estimated at USD780 million due to public health and environmental problems related to climate change.

The UN report shows that the Mekong Delta would be extremely vulnerable to any rise in sea level. According to the most recent models, if the sea level were to rise 1m, more than 20% HCM City would be flooded. This would directly impact 10-12% of the Vietnamese population and cause losses of 10% of the GDP.

In the scenario on climate change put forth by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MONRE), by the year of 2100, if sea levels rose by 1m, the Mekong Delta region and HCM City would lose the equivalent one fourth of the country’s total rice output.

Trung Duc Tri, deputy head of Climate Change Department under MONRE, said that a national programme in response to climate change has been piloted in a number of localities.

The programme is aimed to help coastal farmers turn into growing crops which could better adapt to increased salinity. Coastal mangrove forest systems, a natural barrier for fresh water systems, have been attempted in 29 coastal localities.

Dtinews

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