Vietnam updates emission target in Paris climate agreement

Vinh Tan 4 thermal coal-fired power plant in the central province of Binh Thuan. (Source: VNA)

Deputy Minister of Environment and Natural Resources Vo Tuan Nhan announced the review during a recent consultation workshop, where international partners such as UNDP and EU contributed ideas and technical expertise to help the country reduce its emissions.

Nhan said that Vietnam started its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) back in June last year and the report has been mostly completed. The greenhouse gas mitigation component focuses primarily on energy-related policies, industrial and agricultural production, land use, land-use change and forestry (LULUCF) and waste.

Evaluation of data needed for calculating costs and the feasibility of greenhouse gas mitigation in various areas and opportunities to mitigate greenhouse gas emission between 2020 and 2030 were also discussed.

Delegates debated Vietnam’s capability to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 8% by 2030 and even achieve a 25% cut with international support. They identified priority solutions for greenhouse gas mitigation and challenges to take such measures.

At the event, the review team proposed 45 plans for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in agriculture, industry, energy and LULUCF to achieve a cut of more than 299 million tonnes of CO2 between 2020 and 2030.

The team is working to review the local status of climate change adaptation, calculate losses and damage and benefits of integrating climate change adaptation and mitigation, and evaluate impacts of Vietnam’s emissions cut target on the country’s socio-economic development.

Hoang Anh, an expert from the agriculture ministry and a member of the NDC review team, suggested the NDC include issues like Agriculture 4.0, organic agriculture and aquaculture.

According to Prof. Tran Thuc, vice chairman of the advisory council for the National Committee on Climate Change, the NDC is one of Vietnam’s responsibilities to the international community. Close coordination between ministries and State bodies is vital for the development and implementation of Vietnam’s NDC, he stressed, adding that socio-economic development is Vietnam’s ultimate goal but it must be realised in tandem with adaptation to climate change.

After signing the global climate agreement in Paris in April in 2016, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc officially ratified the accord in November the same year – coinciding with the day the accord went into force and effectively binding Vietnam to the deal’s terms that set out to keep global warming in check.

As part of the efforts shared by 195 nations, each country is expected to submit an updated report on its NDCs every five years in to ensure the global temperature rise will not exceed 2 degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial level by the end of this century. The agreement also seeks to eventually achieve net zero emissions.

Currently, according to climate watch organisations, Vietnam ranks 27th in greenhouse gas emissions, contributing around 0.72% to the global emissions.