Vietnam affirms its consistent stance to continue pursuing the goals and commitments at COP26, actively implementing specific actions to realize the goals. As a responsible member of the international community, Vietnam signed the Climate Convention in 1992 and the Kyoto Protocol in 1998. Vietnam also signed the Paris Agreement on Climate Change in 2016. Vietnam has taken many steps in its commitments under the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) such as: establishing JETP Steering Committee, approving JETP projects, especially approving Vietnam’s Eighth National Power Development Plan (PDP VIII) with amibitious goals for renewable energy.
Vietnam is one of the 10 countries most affected by climate change. Vietnam has been taking actions to implement the country’s strong commitments to combat climate change.
Climate change has created unique challenges globally, from rising temperatures, extended periods of drought, rising sea levels and extreme weather events. In response, the Vietnamese government has made strides in building institutional capacity as well as setting goals and strategies to address climate change.
Vietnam always prioritises resources and special attention to respond to climate change. The Government of Vietnam has issued the country’s National Climate Change Strategy (NCCS) to 2050. The overall objective of NCCS is to proactively and effectively adapt to climate change, deal with vulnerabilities and risks caused by climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050. In addition, Vietnam has issued an action plan to reduce methane emissions till 2030 and Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC).
Recently, Vietnam has achieved important results in the National Strategy on Climate Change for the period 2011-2020. Greenhouse gas emissions in energy activities compared to the Business-As-Usual Scenario (BAU) are reduced by 12.9per cent, energy consumption per Unit of GDP decreased by an average of 1.8 per cent/year, the proportion of industrial enterprises with awareness of green production has increased from 28 per cent in 2010 to 46.9 per cent in 2020, the forest coverage rate in 2020 reached 42 per cent.
Vietnam and international community to join hands in climate change response
The COP28 conference will open a new phase in global efforts to respond to climate change, with an international consensus to work together to bring net emissions to “zero” by mid-century.
With a global, all-people approach and comprehensive action, Vietnam will work more with the international community to implement the country’s concrete strategies, plans and actions and consider this an opportunity to transform Vietnam’s economy towards green, low-carbon, climate-resilient manner.