The German Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and the German Reconstruction Bank (KFW) have pledged to fund a combined of $7 million for a project to cope with climate change in Vietnam and Laos in next four years, a KFW senior official said. Of the sum, $6 million will come from the German ministry and the rest from the KFW, the state-run Vietnam News Agency cited Alice Salburg as saying. The project will focus on improving capability of natural reserves, limiting illegally-transported timbers in Vietnam and Laos’ border provinces, restoring forests and reducing carbon dioxide emission in the environment. The project will be carried out in Vietnam’s central provinces of Quang Nam and Thua Thien-Hue and Laos’ Salavan and Sekong provinces, Alice said. Of the $7-million sum, $2.5 million is expected to benefit Thua Thien-Hue, Alice told the provincial leaders at a meeting last Friday. 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 Aug 20, Thoi Bao Kinh Te – Economic Times Aug 23 p4)
