Climate change: 22 million Vietnamese people will lose their homes

This is the confirmation of the researchers in the Human Development Report 2008 published by UNDP in Vietnam and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment on November 28 in Hanoi.

The world faces twice the risk of disaster

Mr. Bernard O'Callaghan, Program Coordinator of the World Conservation Organization, said the report titled ' The fight against climate change: Human solidarity in a divided world ', gave Seeing climate challenges in the 21st century puts the world ahead of disaster risk twice. It is an immediate risk to human development and ecological disasters that threaten the planet.

Climate change also causes agricultural systems to be disrupted by increased drought, rising temperatures and erratic rainfall. This makes more 600 million people will face malnutrition.

The semi-arid regions in sub-Saharan Africa, with the highest poverty rate in the world, will face the risk of declining productivity by 26% by 2060.

The report also predicts an additional 1.8 billion people will face a shortage of water by 2080, in which large areas in South Asia and northern China will face a crisis. Ecology is very serious due to the gradual loss of glaciers and changes in rainfall.

(Artwork: Greenpeace.org) Along with 332 million people living in coastal and low-lying areas will lose their homes due to floods or tropical storms. Climate change also poses risks to health, causing 400 million more people to face the risk of malaria.

'Climate change will be a threat to all mankind. But the poor, who are not responsible for the ecological debt that we are in, are the ones who are facing the earliest and most serious damage to human development . Kernal Dervis, UNDP Director said.

Regarding the mitigation of climate change impacts, the authors of the report call on developed countries to play a leading role by cutting greenhouse gas emissions by at least 80% by the year 2050 and coming 2020 at least 30% compared to the level of 1990.

The report also recommends a combination of measures such as carbon taxation, more stringent emissions trading programs, and solutions for energy management and regulation .

22 million Vietnamese will lose their homes

According to Mr. O'Callaghan, climate change will cause great losses both in property and environment. Some models of climate change forecast show that when the temperature increases by 3-4 degrees Celsius, the number of people suffering from flooding in coastal areas is 134 - 332 million people.

An increase in tropical storm activity could also increase the number of people affected by 371 million by the end of the 21st century. Accordingly, when the sea level rises by 1 meter, in the lower part of Egypt, 6 million people may lose their homes and flood 4,500 km ² of cultivated land.

Particularly in Vietnam, sea level rise will leave 22 million Vietnamese homeless with losses of up to 10% of GDP. Stronger floods and typhoons may also slow progress in human development in key population areas, including the Mekong Delta.

The report also shows that climate change poses a threat to Vietnam at many levels. Rainfall is expected to increase and Vietnam will face stronger tropical storms. Sea level is expected to rise 33 cm in 2050 and 1 m in 2100.

'With the low-lying Mekong Delta, this is a very bleak forecast. Sea level rise as forecasted in 2030 will make about 45% of the area's land area at risk of salinization and damage to crops due to flooding. Rice productivity is expected to decrease by 9%. If the sea level rises by 1 meter, most of the Mekong Delta will be completely white for a long time of the year, ' said Bernard O'Callaghan.

Climate change also makes a large area of ​​the Mekong Delta, Red River and Central Coast flooded due to rising sea levels. Sea level rise also affects the wetlands of Vietnam's coastline, most seriously the mangrove forests of Ca Mau, Ho Chi Minh City, Vung Tau and Nam Dinh.

In terms of climate, the annual average temperature increases about 0.1 degrees Celsius / decade. In some summer months, the temperature increases by about 0.1 - 0.3 degrees Celsius / decade. Buy big more often.

The report also said that this change has caused great impacts on human development in the Mekong Delta. Accordingly, although poverty has been reduced, there are still 4 million people living in poverty in the Mekong Delta. For this group, a small decrease in income or loss of job opportunities due to flooding will have serious consequences for nutrition, health and education.

In which the poor will be at double risk. The likelihood of these people living in flood prone areas is higher, but the likelihood of living in solid, solid houses is lower.

Need to promote the use of clean energy

Talking to Tien Phong on the sidelines of the announcement ceremony, Dr. Truong Manh Tien, Director of the Institute of Natural Resources and Policy Strategy, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment said that the report is a big warning for countries around the world about these threats related to climate change.

Dr. Truong Manh Tien, Director of the Institute of Policy and Environmental Strategy, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (Photo: TP)

The report also ' reminds ' countries to have common sympathy and responsibility to solve this problem.Also according to Dr. Tien, countries need to promote the replacement of non-renewable materials that cause greenhouse effect, CO2 production (eg coal .) by using clean energy sources such as: solar, wind, ocean waves, etc.

Climate change is causing impacts that everyone can see as the melting of Antarctica, affecting the species, causing sea level rise to affect countries directly, especially countries islands, such as Maldivo, the country has more than 80% less than 1m.

'If the scenario happens, this country and other island nations will disappear. Thus, 'dehydration' is not due to war but sea level rise, due to climate change, environmental pollution. These are tragedies that are in fact appearing. If we don't act and let it happen, then there's nothing to say ' - Mr. Tien said.

According to Mr. Tien, we are in an integrated world, each country must have the same responsibility for reducing the lack of harm caused by climate change.Specifically, countries with resources support other countries, promote the use of clean energy, gradually replace the energy affecting the environment with clean energy.

Pham Tuyen