VietNamNet Bridge – With a coastline of 3,200 kilometers, Vietnam is among the countries most vulnerable to climate change and rising sea levels, so Vietnamese people should join hands to cushion their impact.

Consul general of France in HCMC Emmanuel Ly-Batallan speaks at a news briefing on November 16 – Photo: Chinh Phong

The consul general of France in HCMC, Emmanuel Ly-Batallan, was speaking of this issue at a news briefing held on November 16 to introduce a program for activities in HCMC and Hanoi to raise awareness of climate change among citizens, businesses, social organizations and localities, and share experience, initiatives and measures to minimize the impact of climate change.

According to French development agency AFD, climate change has impacted on the world in general and Vietnam in particular. The agency said greenhouse gas emissions in Vietnam are relatively low compared to its population but would grow fast in the coming time.

Vietnam’s population makes up 1.3% of the world’s total while the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions account for 0.6% of the globe’s total. However, greenhouse gas emissions in this ASEAN nation have increased remarkably and may triple the current level by 2030.

AFD said that if sea levels rise by one meter, nearly 5% of Vietnam’s land area, 11% of its population and 7% of its farmland would be affected and much of the Mekong Delta submerged, thus affecting the country’s economic growth.

The agency called for the Vietnamese Government and local residents to stay aware of the impact of climate change and take quick action to cope with it.

According to the consul general and AFD director in Vietnam Remi Genevey, many attendees at a recent conference at Hoa Sen University in HCMC said Vietnam has taken no measures to cushion the impact of climate change but has adopted measures worked out by developed nations.

“This is wrong,” Ly-Batallan said, adding there are many projects implemented to tackle climate change.

A project in Phu An Bamboo Village in Ben Cat District, Binh Duong Province is a case in point. Under this project, residents grow bamboos to prevent landsides and drought, and this is a cost-efficient way to fight climate change, the consul general said.

The program in Vietnam has been launched by AFD in many countries in the world to welcome the 21st session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP 21), which is slated to take place in Paris from November 30 to December 11. At the conference, nations will clarify their commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

A series of activities in Vietnam to welcome the conference will take place from November 17 to December 23 in Hanoi and HCMC. They are organized by AFD, the French embassy in Hanoi, the French consulate general in HCMC and the French Institute in Vietnam.