The National Assembly session is underway and as usual National Assembly deputies will build laws, supervise and decide major issues of the country. On this occasion, VietNamNet would like to introduce an article by Dr. Vu Ngoc Hoang entitled “Avoiding environmental disasters is the biggest issue of the 21st century”. 

Dead fish in the environmental disaster in the central region in April 2016.

The environment has been and will be increasingly related to the survival and development of people. Avoiding environmental disasters is the biggest problem in the 21st century around the globe.

Under the influence of an excessive human focus, many people believe that the environment is on the side of humans and surrounds humans, and that humans are the center and masters of the universe. The environment is for man to exploit, and serves man.

But now we know that that perception is wrong and it must be adjusted.

The environment is an irreplaceable condition of life. It is the living space, where humans and all creatures live. If the environment is spoiled, life will end. From that environment humans have huge energy resources and the resources would be endless if we preserve the environment. The natural environment is the spiritual mother of man, from which people are born, survive, live, experience and develop.

"I heard a steel enterprise promise that if they cause pollution, they would ‘hand over’ their plant to the state. I do not understand why the state needs to take that plant! This promise has no guarantee at all."

In the past, some scholars were wrong to say that the child (ie the human) must be separate totally from the mother, or split from nature to grow up. But gradually they had to adjust that the child must be engaged, loyal to the mother, respects the mother and loves the mother, so that it can grow up. Without respect, betraying the mother of nature, the human will return to the wild and cannot exist.

The Indians, with Eastern wisdom, many thousands of years ago believed that man is merely an element in the universe and the man must respect and be in harmony with other components in the world of nature. Thus, man will have happiness and have no sin.

In the history of many countries, some had a brilliant time in the past but then suddenly "disappeared". After hundreds or thousands of years, these civilizations were discovered by archaeologists.

In most of the cases, the destruction of these civilizations was caused by environmental problems. Only a few of them were destroyed by war.

And today, the living environment of mankind is facing terrible, unprecedented risks in the history of the earth. Therefore, the environment is still the factor for the existence or end of human civilization on earth.

In the 60s of the last century, in some coastal regions in the world many people suddenly caught serious diseases and died without clear reasons. A long time later, scientists found out that they died because their seas were seriously polluted by heavy metals.

For recent decades, many research institutions and scientists around the world have repeatedly warned and called for humanity to protect the atmospheric ozone layer, to avoid a terrible disaster for human and all species on earth. Researchers of bio-energy argue that the earth is crying because of the destruction caused by humans.

Many countries, during the process of promoting industrialization, could not avoid serious environmental pollution. They had to pay a hefty price to overcome the consequences, especially chemical, heavy metal pollution and nuclear radioactive waste. Many generations had to suffer the consequences of disasters.

Later, many countries did not learn from the lesson and could not avoid the situation due to difficulties or temptations of money, plus the selfish greed of man.

Currently, in developed countries, about 7 million people die annually due to environmental pollution.

This situation is caused by many reasons: Leaders and the community did not realize the level of danger and the seriousness of the problem; had short-sighted thinking; only saw the short-term benefit and not consequences in the long run; did not see the overall development strategy.

Other reasons include: irresponsibility and poor capability of officials who are in charge of assessing and licensing projects; lack of regulations and loose implementation of the law on environmental protection; corruption and group interest. 

In Vietnam, the Party and the State have issued many regulations and resolution on environmental management and state agencies have tried to manage the environment but pollution and environmental harm are still at an alarming level.

Air pollution in large cities is now at very high level. Forests in the Central Highlands and elsewhere across the country have been destroyed. Groundwater has plummeted sharply. Many rivers are contaminated. Many lakes and canals smell. The pollution of the marine environment caused by industrial waste is occurring at an alarming rate.

It's dangerous as toxic chemicals and heavy metals are and will be poured into the sea. Without timely and effective solutions, people will be ruined because of environmental pollution.

Dr. Vu Ngoc Hoang