Fellowship on climate change

The northwestern region is witnessing severe natural disasters with increasing frequency, large scale and unpredictable intensity. In May, the sun was burning hot in the northwestern region. The hot and dry westerly winds from Laos were calm. Trees were dormant. If it rained, it was accompanied with whirlwinds. Un, 70, the village patriarch of Co Liu Hamlet in Muong Phang commune in Dien Bien district, looked into the sky, and said: “When the moon looks like this, the drought will last a long time and rain will come only much later.” “I feel anxious when seeing longan trees close to blossoming, because this means big floods,” he added. However, there have been only two rains since Tet which were not enough to wet the soil. As a result, the rice fields in the mountainous districts of Son La, Dien Bien, Lai Chau and Hoa Binh are dry, while maize and cassava have not germinated. Even wild sunflowers are also withering under the sun. A local woman told … [Read more...] about Climate change in northwest causing drought, killing plants

The World Bank (WB) had assessed hazardous solid waste management in Vietnam with the focus on urban areas. The WB is always willing to assist Vietnam in climate change response and environmental protection, Benoit Bosquet, the WB's regional director for sustainable development in East Asia and Pacific, said at a meeting with Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Le Cong Thanh in Hanoi on December 9. At the meeting, Benoit Bosquet praised the Vietnamese government for taking practical actions in climate change adaptation and environmental protection, adding that he believed the government and especially the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MONRE) will achieve the targets. Currently, as the WB is assisting the MONRE in developing a project named "Renewing Vietnam’s national water governance", Benoit Bosquet stressed that he would do his utmost so that the project could be successfully concluded at the soonest possible. Regarding environmental … [Read more...] about WB willing to support Vietnam in climate change response and environmental protection

This poses a greater threat than rising sea levels due to climate change. When Mary Ann San Jose moved to Sitio Pariahan more than two decades ago, she could walk to the local chapel. Today, reaching it requires a swim. The main culprit is catastrophic subsidence caused by groundwater being pumped out from below, often via unregulated wells for homes, factories, and farms catering to a booming population and growing economy. The steady sinking of coastal towns and islets like Pariahan in the northern Philippines has caused Manila Bay's brackish water to pour inland and displace thousands, posing a greater threat than rising sea levels due to climate change. "It was so beautiful here before... Children were playing in the streets," San Jose said, adding: "Now we always need to use a boat." Most of the former residents have scattered to other parts of the region. Just a handful of families remain in Pariahan, which had its own elementary school, a basketball court and a chapel before the … [Read more...] about Sinking feeling: Philippine cities facing ‘slow-motion disaster’

Prof. Tran Thuc, chairman of the Vietnam Association of Meteorology and Hydrology, told the Voice of Vietnam online newspaper that Vietnamese central provinces are likely to suffer from severe drought and salt intrusion in the 2019-20 dry season. Severe drought hits central Vietnam Climate change: Quang Binh faces severe drought Water shortages loom for Hanoi as Da River dries up Sapa faces serious water shortage Professor Tran Thuc, chairman of the Vietnam Association of Meteorology and Hydrology. — Photo baotainguyenmoitruong.vn Is Vietnam included in the list of countries seriously hit by water shortage? Total rainfall in the Mekong basin from early June to July 25 this year is much lower than the average of the same period for many years – by 30 to 70 per cent. The water levels in the sub-Mekong region are also lower than the average water level for many years by between 2.5 to 5.5m. The water level in the Mekong Delta region of Vietnam is also much … [Read more...] about Drought, water shortages pose a big threat for Vietnam

Officers and soldiers of Vietnam's second level-2 field hospital (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – Preventing conflicts, enhancing preventive diplomacy, settling conflicts via peaceful measures, intensifying multilateralism, consolidating sustainable development, coping with climate change and promoting human rights will be Vietnam’s priorities during its term as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council for 2020-2021. With the aim of becoming a “partner for sustainable peace,” Vietnam has made direct contributions to international peacekeeping missions. Five years after Vietnam joined the UN peacekeeping operations in 2014, the country has sent officers to two UN peacekeeping missions in South Sudan and the Central African Republic. The country’s first level-2 field hospital has been awarded with the UN’s “For the cause of peacekeeping” order. As a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for 2008-2009, Vietnam … [Read more...] about Vietnam records remarkable achievements in human rights