1. Vietnam’s active participation in and strong commitments to the fight against climate change at the 21st Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP 21) were highly valued by many countries, contributing to the success of the historic event. Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung delivered a speech at the summit, highlighting Vietnam’s contributions to building the Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDC) report and the Green Climate Foundation. COP 21, also known as the 2015 Paris Climate Conference, will, for the first time in over 20 years of UN negotiations, aim to achieve a legally binding and universal agreement on climate change, with the aim of keeping global warming below 2 degree Celsius at the end of the 21st century in comparison with the industrial period of 1850-1990. 2. The Law on Natural Resources, Marine and Island Environments was adopted by the National Assembly (NA). For the first time, the law will … [Read more...] about Top ten events of natural resources and environment sector in 2015 announced
Completely natural
Deputy PM asks for completed legal framework on natural resources and environment
The Deputy PM made the request while addressing a conference held in Hanoi on January 5 by the MONRE to review its operation in 2015 and implement its action plan for 2016. He stressed that managing natural resources, protecting the environment and coping with climate change play a decisive role in the sustainable development of each country and nation, while challenging humanity in the upcoming decades. In Vietnam, the challenges are even bigger due to limited natural resources against increasing demand for exploitation and use set in the context of huge pressure from socio-economic development, rising sea levels and extreme weather, he noted The Party and State always attach great care to the work, he reaffirmed, adding that in the 2011-2015 period, two Party resolutions and five acts were promulgated in the field. Identifying the MONRE’s tasks for 2016, he requested the ministry to soon build and promulgate documents on guiding the implementation of the Law on Natural … [Read more...] about Deputy PM asks for completed legal framework on natural resources and environment
LET THE GREEN NATURE COMPLETE A MEANINGFUL CHILDHOOD
LET THE GREEN NATURE COMPLETE A MEANINGFUL CHILDHOOD In HCMC, most children grow up not with kites, flowers or green trees; but lots of high technology devices such as iPhone, and iPad. With the philosophy of preserving the values of nature and family, Kusto Home devoted almost 85% of the area of Diamond Island to public green space, increasing the green density of the island to 16m2/person – significantly higher than the global standard of 10-15m2/person and the HCMC standard of 4m2/person. Modern parents and the fear of their children growing with technologies, but not with nature Studies have shown that staying close to the natural environment is the best way for children to grow both intellectually and physically. Researcher Frances Ming Kua even refers to the green environment as a type of vitamin, called Vitamin G (“G” for “Green”). The natural environment is one of the essential ingredients that should be made available frequently to children. … [Read more...] about LET THE GREEN NATURE COMPLETE A MEANINGFUL CHILDHOOD
The beauty of nature glued on a canvas
With a talent for making art with leaves, one student has founded an arts company hoping to popularise the method. Le Dac Trung is a third year student at Ha Noi Architecture University, but his passion is leaves. When not in school, Trung spends his time creating elaborate collages of fallen leaves, composites of his forays down Ha Noi’s city streets and into the wooded areas of its surrounding provinces. Hoping to popularise the method, Trung and his friends founded Viet Leaf-Painting Company on a small lane on Truong Chinh Street in Ha Noi, home to around 12 painters aged 20-28. Artistic hunts On his hunts, Trung looks for a variety of shapes and colours in his leaves and takes care to make sure they are not damaged in transit. Even so, he says there are only two suitable kinds to be found in Ha Noi. The rest must be gathered in neighbouring provinces. All leaves subsequently undergo a treatment process where they are boiled for a week or more. "During the process, I … [Read more...] about The beauty of nature glued on a canvas
Madrid gets a new contemporary art museum—complete with vertical garden of 15,000 plants
Madrid’s latest art museum, the CaixaForum, has opened in the heart of the city’s cultural district near the Prado, the Reina Sofia and the Thyssen-Bornemisza museums. The $94m project has been funded by the Caixa Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the Spanish bank, Caixa d’Estalvis i Pensions de Barcelona. Designed by Swiss architects Herzog & de Meuron, the museum is housed in a converted 1899 power station. The building—one of the city’s few remaining examples of historically significant industrial architecture—was acquired by the foundation in 2001. The 19th-century brick walls have been retained, but raised on piers so that visitors can walk underneath the building. There are two underground floors, while a two-floor attic storey of rusted iron surmounts the original building. The conversion has increased the floorspace five-fold—from 2,000 sq. m to 10,000 sq. m. “The fact that its heavy mass is detached from the ground in … [Read more...] about Madrid gets a new contemporary art museum—complete with vertical garden of 15,000 plants