19 localities put on forest-fire alert; 'Money trees' popular for upcoming Tet; 136 Vietnamese women freed from prostitution den in Malaysia; 1,751 organizations, individuals fined for environment pollution

An estimated 7,000 properties around England and Wales will be sacrificed to rising seas over the next century, according to the Environment Agency.  

 The population of mussels could be threatened by climate change, as it has made oceans increasingly acidic, a team of British researchers revealed on Wednesday.

 VietNamNet Bridge – Ho Chi Minh City is taking all possible measures to deal with deteriorating inundation as a result of climate change and sea level rise.

 Vietnam has submitted its first Biennial Update Reports (BUR) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Secretariat at the United Nations Conference of the Parties (COP 20) held recently in Lima, Peru.

Construction starts on new branches of central hospitals; Rare pheasant spotted in central province; Two detained for human trafficking; Troubled cargo vessel saved by Coast Guard; Vietnam-Finland Innovation Programme enters second phase

 The Ministry of Education and Training on Tuesday organised the closing ceremony for the Education Initiative for Sustainable Development (ESD), started in March 2013 jointly with the UNESCO.

 VietNamNet Bridge – Abnormal weather patterns will appear more regularly and winter could be colder, while temperatures in Hanoi may exceed 42oC in summer.

 The World Bank is funding a rural development project to help the Mekong Delta of Vietnam improve its climate change resilience.

 VietNamNet Bridge – Deforestation and habitat loss as well as climate change impacts explain the increased appearance of viper bite victims in emergency rooms in central Viet Nam.

 Schemes to tackle climate change could prove disastrous for billions of people, but might be required for the good of the planet, scientists say.

 The worldwide cost of obesity is about the same as smoking or armed conflict and greater than both alcoholism and climate change, research has suggested.

VietNamNet Bridge – Water utilities in Viet Nam, particularly in the Mekong Delta, must take pro-active action to safeguard the sustainability of future public water-supply services, as climate change is affecting water production,

Thirty nations meeting in Berlin have pledged $9.3bn (£6bn) for a fund to help developing countries cut emissions and prepare for climate change.

 VietNamNet Bridge – ASEAN should play an active role in maintaining peace, security and stability in the region, and implement the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea,

 VietNamNet Bridge – The HCM City Climate Change Steering Board has suggested that residents collect rainwater for household use as a way to reduce flooding and save clean water.

 VietNamNet Bridge – This ancient city is taking steps to prevent its Old Quarter and the highly popular Cua Dai Beach from being washed away by climate change.

The Quang Binh Province People's Committee defended the controversial cable car project scheduled to be built near the world's largest cave, Son Doong.

 Australia's Academy of Science says an Australian government draft plan to protect the Great Barrier Reef will not prevent its decline.

After three days of discussion, the international forum on building resilience to climate change impacts in coastal Southeast Asia released a declaration with 39 recommendations for the governments of Vietnam, Thailand and Cambodia.