Hanoi (VNA) – The National Committee for ClimateChange needs to enhance international cooperation and learn from othercountries’ experience to promote climate change response in Vietnam, PrimeMinister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said on May 18.

At the committee’s eighth meeting in Hanoi, theMinistry of Agriculture and Rural Development reported that climate change hasappeared sooner than forecast. The Mekong Delta, the country’s importantagricultural hub, has suffered from the most severe impacts. Up to 10 of the 13Mekong Delta provinces declared a state of disaster in the dry season lastyear.

Meanwhile, sea level rise eats up about 3 metresinto land along the coast in the central province of Phu Yen each year, theMinistry of Transport said, citing an international organisation.

In the climate change scenario updated in 2016by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, the sea level could riseby up to one metre by the end of the 21st century, flooding nearly 39 percentof the Mekong Delta’s area, 18 percent of Ho Chi Minh City, and 17 percent ofthe Red River Delta. Meanwhile, this scenario hasn’t taken into account landsubsidence due to groundwater exploitation and geological changes.

Participants said climate change has influencedVietnam more quickly and strongly than expected, as seen in frequent extremeweather conditions and serious natural disasters. They attributed the problemto human activities like greenhouse gas emissions, deforestation, sand miningon rivers and groundwater overexploitation.

While climate change response programmes need upto 30 billion USD to be carried out, the mobilisation of capital, including ODAloans, is facing difficulties, they added.

At the meeting, PM Phuc, who is also Chairman ofthe National Committee for Climate Change, said although a number of relevantresolutions and action programmes have been issued, many ministries, sectorsand localities have not fully realised the need to take action.

It is necessary to make all-level authorities,sectors and people fully understand climate change and response measures sinceif people lack awareness, any resources spent will be useless, he added.

The national committee must specify risks andopportunities of climate change in Vietnam while making overall plans to servethe building of needed tasks, he said, adding that the urgent problems thatneed to be addressed now include illegal sand mining and groundwaterexploitation, and developing eco-cities.

PM Phuc told the committee to make use ofpeople’s experience in climate change response and propose revisions to legalregulations, including the Law on Natural Disaster Prevention and Control.

Regarding the limited funding for climate changeresponse, the Government leader requested the Ministry of Planning andInvestment to work with relevant agencies to allocate financial resources in atransparent and effective manner, with priority given to the Mekong Delta.

Ministries and localities must devise concreteplans to carry out the assigned tasks in the implementation of the ParisAgreement on climate change, he said.-VNA