Denmark Pledges $3.3M for Vietnam Environment, Climate Change Projects

Denmark has pledged to provide more than DKK18 million ($3.3 million) of non-refundable aid for four environment and climate change projects in Vietnam next years. The newly-approved projects backed by the Danish government are in the first phase of the Vietnam-Denmark Research Cooperation Pilot Program. The four projects will focus on the impacts of climate change on the altering in land use and public livelihood in the Red River Delta, and assessment of these impacts on nature, environment and socio-economic development in central Vietnam. These projects will also concentrate on new rice varieties that can grow in deeply-flooded saltwater areas in response to possible high tides in the coastal plains and climate change and ecological systems at the river mouths in Vietnam. The prime minister also asked the Ministry of Science and Technology to give specific instructions to other agencies and project managers to carry out next steps under the current laws and regulations.  Vietnam is making efforts to build a monitoring system on climate change and sea level rise in order to put it into operation by 2015 in a move to cope with their impacts. Vietnam is listed among five hardest-hit countries by climate change. If sea level rises one meter, 5% of Vietnam’s land, 11% of its population and 7% of its agricultural land would be affected with the losses estimated at 10% of GDP. The government has so far mobilized more than $1.2 billion in aid from the international community in efforts to tackle climate change. (Quan Doi Nhan Dan – People’s Army Oct 12, gafin.vn Oct 11)