Climate Change Top Concern for Vietnamese

Climate change, which is listed among the top three concerns globally after economic stability and terrorism, ranks the most concern for Vietnamese people, the Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC)’s survey showed. This is the first time HSBC has made such survey in Vietnam, finding that one in three Vietnamese people hear about climate change and its impacts on their daily life and 43% of questioned ones regard climate change as their top worry. Vietnamese also committed to take drastic measures to cope with climate change such as using energy more efficiently and economically and recycling domestic waste, the state-run Vietnam News Agency said late Oct 29. The survey also found that 43% of interviewees are willing to spend more money on energy-saving products, compared to the global average rate of 40%. As many as 53% of respondents hoped that the Vietnamese government will invest more in big-scale initiatives to cope with the global issue.  Vietnam is listed among five hardest-hit countries by climate change. If sea level rises one meter, 5% of the country’s land, 11% of its population and 7% of its agricultural land would be affected with the loss estimated at 10% of GDP. (vietnamplus.vn Oct 28, Nguoi Lao Dong Oct 29 p2)