The 11th Party Central Committee of Vietnam has approved a resolution at its 7th session on adapting to climate change, managing natural resources and protecting the environment to build a green economy. By 2020, Vietnam will generally be able to actively respond to climate change, prevent natural disasters, reduce greenhouse gas emission and use natural resources more effectively and sustainably. Under the resolution, the country will focus on improving its capacity to forecast climate change, boosting public awareness on actively preventing natural disasters and adapting to climate change, as well as reducing potential losses caused by natural disasters. The country has set to be active in preventing and mitigating the effects of tides, flood and salinity resulted from rising sea level in coastal areas such as Ho Chi Minh City, Can Tho city, Ca Mau province, the Mekong Delta, the Red River Delta, the central coastal region. To manage natural resources, Vietnam will act against the reduction of water and forest resources, ensure a balance in land resources for socio-economic development, increase the efficiency of land use, while exploiting the ecology and biological resources in an effective and sustainable manner, and minimizing raw mineral exports. To protect the environment, Vietnam will treat 70% of sewage before pouring it into river basins and 85% of toxic waste and 100% of medical waste will be handled, while 65% of waste will be recycled. The country aims to address environmental pollution and improving air quality in urban and densely populated areas as well as terminate natural forest overexploitation and increase forest coverage to 45%. Vietnam targets to control environmental pollution and reduce biodiversity loss to ensure the quality of the living environment and maintain the ecological balance in a move to reach the current environmental standards of the region’s developed industrial countries by 2050. (Vietnamplus.vn June 9)
