Conversations on Vietnam Development
Big sales events like 10.10 or 11.11 singles day sales may excite shoppers and net billions in profits for online retailers but if we don’t stop this insatiable need to consume, all of us are in trouble, says climate activist Ho Xiang Tian.
Tiếp tục đọc “11.11 sales are a symptom of the greater disease of mindless consumerism”
Last month, nine philanthropic organizations pledged $5 billion to protect 30% of the planet over the next decade — the largest commitment of private funding ever made for the conservation of nature. These organizations intend to address three interrelated global crises — the climate crisis, the biodiversity crisis and the public health crisis — while working with Indigenous Peoples and local communities.
The pledges arrive not a moment too soon. A new report released on October 28, 2021 by WRI, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) reveals that despite substantial carbon stored and absorbed by forests across UNESCO’s World Heritage network, the climate benefits of even some of the world’s most iconic and protected places are under pressure from land use and climate change. Continued reliance on these forests’ carbon sinks and storage depends upon stronger protection measures.
Tiếp tục đọc “Climate Benefits of Iconic Protected Forests Are Under Threat”
By Nhung Nhung 9 November 2021 at 19:14
See also Aral Sea: The world 4th largest sea that dried up in 40 years
One summer evening, Le Phi Hai lost his house to the Tien River, one of the two main branches of the Mekong River flowing through the delta in Vietnam. Three summers later, at almost exactly the same hour, the river claimed his house again.
The first time erosion bit into his soil, Hai, now 66, was watching Euro 2016 on his small TV screen. At around 3am, as Cristiano Ronaldo missed a critical penalty shot in Portugal’s match against Austria thousands of miles away, a strange bubbling sound roared from the backyard of Hai’s low brick home in the riverside town of Hong Ngu. As the noise grew to a louder dull rumble, drowning out the screams of the match commentators, he left his TV and walked outside for a quick check. After a few steps, he heard a thunderous “Th-rump!” Suddenly Hai saw his bed, tables, chairs, and finally the TV, with Ronaldo’s face on screen, slump down into a void that had appeared under his feet. The backyard where he was standing became a tiny islet surrounded by turgid water, and down it went.
Tiếp tục đọc “Mekong Delta disappears under its residents’ feet”
CommentaryTopic Climate
The first two days of the UN Climate Conference (COP26) featured over 100 high-level announcements and speeches during the “World Leaders Summit,” helping set the tone for the two-week long conference. The gathering of world leaders was immediately preceded by the G20 Summit held in Rome.
While several important announcements were made that will help to move the needle on global climate action, negotiators will still have their work cut out for them as they try to pave the way for more progress in the coming days.
Here’s a look at the developments so far.
In a final communique, G20 nations recognized the importance of strengthening national climate action this decade, and committed to revisit and further enhance their 2030 emission reduction targets where necessary. This should pave the way for negotiators at COP26 to agree that major emitters will further strengthen their 2030 targets within the next couple of years to keep the Paris Agreement’s 1.5 degrees C (2.7 degrees F) temperature goal within reach.
Tiếp tục đọc “Top Takeaways from the UN World Leaders Summit at COP26”
By Eivind Samseth, Fabian Stockhausen, Xavier Veillard, and Alexander WeissO
Open interactive popup Article (8 pages)
European power markets have entered a period of unprecedented change. Power prices have touched new highs: baseload week-ahead prices have risen above €200 per megawatt-hour (MWh)1 in a number of European countries—about four times the average historical level. That increase has been prompted largely by a surge in natural-gas and carbon prices, which currently exceed €100 per MWh2 and €60 per metric ton, respectively. This development has affected the cost of power produced by natural-gas power plants, which broadly set prices in European markets.
At the same time, price volatility is reaching new heights as a result of the uncertain output of renewable assets and a tight supply-and-demand balance in the European power system. Navigating this next normal will be a key challenge for utilities, traders, and large power consumers, and that highlights the importance of developing resilient power-asset portfolios and managing risk.
In this article, we explore five trends that will shape the European power sector in the decade to come and offer some perspectives on how utilities and large consumers might respond.
The European power market is undergoing major changes. Five trends underpin these developments.
By Ekaphone Phouthonesy12 October 2021 at 1:30 (Updated on 18 October 2021 at 15:00)
Through a variety of data sources an evidence-based picture of electricity pricing and the electricity-generation business in Laos is revealed.
A 42-year-old resident of Thongsanang village in central Vientiane, nicknamed To, was upset after receiving an electricity bill in May that was almost twice as high as normal.
“I’m going to send a letter to EDL asking them to investigate this unusual increase in my bill,” he told friends at a local coffee shop.
“Normally, I pay around 900,000 kip (US$95) a month, but this month I had to pay 1.6 million kip (US$168),” said Mr To, a worker with a monthly salary of about 1.8 million kip (US$190).
Tiếp tục đọc “What does the data tell us about electricity pricing in Laos?”
September 24, 2021
On September 21, 2021, Chinese president Xi Jinping announced at the United Nations General Assembly debate that China would not build any new coal-fired power plants abroad and would step up its support for developing green and low-carbon energy in developing countries. He also reiterated the country’s goal to become carbon neutral by 2060 and peak carbon emissions by 2030, targets which he had first announced last year. This new announcement sets the tone for the upcoming UN climate change conference, COP26, which will be held in Glasgow in early November.
Q1: Why does this new climate commitment matter?
A1: Xi Jinping’s speech at last year’s UN General Assembly was noteworthy because it set a timeline for China’s decarbonization. However, in addition to not specifying a peak level of emissions, it also left unanswered the question of whether the country would shoulder the responsibility for climate action outside its borders. China’s role as the largest public financier of coal projects globally has come into particular focus this past year as other governments, such as the G7 members, have pledged to slash their public financing of such projects. There were multiple calls from the international community, including U.S. special envoy for climate John Kerry, for China to end its support for coal projects globally.
Tiếp tục đọc “China’s Commitment to Stop Overseas Financing of New Coal Plants in Perspective”
Surging natural gas prices in Europe, driven by rising demand and tight supply, are pushing up electricity prices; to prevent volatility, governments need to commit more clearly to a low-carbon future.
Since January 2021, natural gas prices have soared by more than 170% in Europe (Figure 1), sparking concerns about the potential macroeconomic implications.https://e.infogram.com/1p761ygy79gngyhz5yydwzln9lanq3km1rm?parent_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bruegel.org%2F2021%2F09%2Fis-europes-gas-and-electricity-price-surge-a-one-off%2F&src=embed#async_embed
Both demand and supply factors have contributed to a tightening of the European gas market.
European gas demand is increasing in residential heating, industry and power generation. Higher demand for residential heating due to a cold winter and widespread remote working pushed up overall European gas demand by 7.6% in the first quarter of 2021. Also, a combination of continued industrial output rebound, summer heatwaves with increased use of air conditioning and rallying EU carbon prices fostering a switch from coal to gas, kept European gas demand high throughout the second quarter of the year.
Tiếp tục đọc “Is Europe’s gas and electricity price surge a one-off?”
Europe’s energy ambitions are clear: to shift to a low-carbon future by remaking its power generating and distribution systems. But the present situation is an expensive mess. A global supply crunch for natural gas, bottlenecks for renewable energy and wind speeds in the North Sea among the slowest in 20 years, idling turbines, have contributed to soaring electricity prices. As winter approaches, governments are preparing to intervene if needed in volatile energy markets to keep homes warm and factories running.
Energy prices skyrocketed as economies emerge from the pandemic — boosting demand just as supplies are falling short. Coal plants have been shuttered, gas stockpiles are low and the continent’s increasing reliance on renewable sources of energy is exposing its vulnerability. Even with mild weather in September, gas and electricity prices were breaking records across the continent and in the U.K. Italy’s Ecological Transition Minister Roberto Cingolani said he expected power prices to increase by 40% in the third quarter. In the U.K., CF Industries Holdings Inc., a major fertilizer producer, shut two plants, and Norwegian ammonia manufacturer Yara International ASA curbed its European production because of high fuel costs, as the crunch started to hit industrial companies.
Tiếp tục đọc “What’s Behind Europe’s Skyrocketing Power Prices”
Trang Nguyen is a rarity in Vietnam where civil society is viewed with scepticism and most young people want more lucrative careers.
![Trang has won international recognition for her work including the Future for Nature Award [Theo Krus/Courtesy of Trang Nguyen]](https://www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Trang-recieving-future-for-nature-award.jpg?resize=770%2C513)
By Sen Nguyen10 Sep 2021
Standing on top of a four-wheel drive looking out at a central Kenyan wildlife reserve wearing a bucket hat and walking boots, Trang Nguyen stands apart from most Vietnamese who prefer European charm and East Asian wonders for their holidays and photographic memories.
But Trang is no ordinary traveller.
The 31-year-old founder and executive director of WildAct, a Vietnamese conservation NGO, travels the world as a wildlife conservation scientist.
Tiếp tục đọc “The young Vietnamese helping tackle the illegal wildlife trade”
NUS said the best elements of Yale-NUS and its own University Scholars Programme will form the basis of a yet-to-be-named new college.ST PHOTO: CHONG JUN LIANG
Sandra Davie, Ang Qing and Ng Wei Kai PUBLISHEDSEP 5, 2021, 5:00 AM SGT
SINGAPORE – More than a week since the shock announcement that Yale-NUS College will close its doors in 2025, students and alumni are still wondering if they will get a more detailed explanation of the decision.
China-led investments needed to assist COVID-damaged economies
Chinese high-speed trains are flagship Belt and Road Initiative projects that will dramatically improve connectivity in mainland Southeast Asia. © APCK TAN, Nikkei staff writerSeptember 1, 2021 21:14 JST
SHANGHAI — Ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations called on Wednesday for more multilateral investments through China’s Belt and Road Initiative to support economic recovery while the COVID-19 pandemic continues to depress regional economic growth.
Meeting online at a Belt and Road Summit, ASEAN ministers said the region has benefited from the infrastructure and digital connectivity already brought about by BRI, but new initiatives are needed to create opportunities amid pandemic-induced uncertainties.
Tiếp tục đọc “ASEAN needs more Belt and Road money, say ministers”
03/09/2021 07:14 GMT+7
Trưng bày sách “Thơ Việt Nam đương đại” tại phòng đọc Thư viện Quốc gia Pháp
Họ đang tìm mọi cơ hội để hướng về và phát triển đất nước. Cũng có thể là người chẳng có máu mủ ruột rà gì với quốc gia bé nhỏ này nhưng họ lại bị hai chữ “Việt Nam” quyến luyến và không ngừng cổ vũ cho sự phát triển của nó.
Khi thế giới trở nên phẳng, những giấc mơ cũng không có “quốc tịch”. Ước mong về một Việt Nam mạnh giàu, khởi sinh bên ngoài lãnh thổ, nói với ta nhiều hơn về cái di sản hiện tồn trên đường phát triển đó.
Tiếp tục đọc “Việt Nam mạnh giàu: Giấc mơ từ bên ngoài Tổ quốc”
By Oliver Noyan | EURACTIV.de | translated by Daniel Eck
3 Sept 2021 (updated: 0:16)
Europe is not just trailing behind in terms of numbers, but also with respect to quality. Most advanced microchips, which are used in smartphones, computers and other high-tech devices, are currently produced almost exclusively in Asia. [SCHUTTERSTOCK/genkur]
Languages: Deutsch
Tiếp tục đọc “Germany to invest billions to bring semiconductor production back to Europe”
CVD 