On May 8 the Vietnamese Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MONRE) and the French Development Agency (AFD) launched the General Monetary and Multisectoral Macrodynamics for the Ecological Shift (GEMMES) model in Hanoi. Vietnam will be the first Asian country to apply GEMMES.

The launching ceremony of the GEMMES model. Photo: Baotainguyenmoitruong.vn

The launch of the GEMMES model in Vietnam was secured under a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed between the MONRE and the AFD as part of Vietnamese Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong’s visit to France in March of this year.

The GEMMES project is part of the French government’s support for Vietnam to develop a long-term strategy in responding to the impacts of climate change. 

It’s also to facilitate the country’s implementation of the objectives of the Paris Agreement and its commitments to the international community.

Accordingly, the GEMMES team will work closely with the MONRE and Vietnam’s National Committee on Climate Change and apply the latest research methods to conduct research on climate change in Vietnam, thereby, providing the assessment on damage risks as well as the adaptation of the country, according to Mr Fabrice Richy, director of the AFD. 

The assessment will then be used to recommend advice on adaptation options and investment in different areas in Vietnam and determine its international position in future climate negotiations. The GEMMES project will also strengthen the network of French-Vietnamese researchers and experts.

Established in 2015, the application of the GEMMES model now has three versions - one at the global level, one at the European level, and a third version adapted to the national level. They are being used in Brazil, Côte d’Ivoire, Vietnam, Tunisia, and Colombia.

Vietnam is one of 10 countries that suffer most from the consequences of climate change, according to a 2017 report from German Watch, a non-profit, non-governmental organization based in Germany. 

Although it has a low level of green house effect, it will increase significantly due to fast industrialization and urbanization in the country. Responding to climate change is one of the most urgent tasks of Vietnam, according to the MONRE.

VN Economic Times