Tác giả: Đào Thu Hằng

I'm from Hanoi, Viet Nam. I'm an author of Dot Chuoi Non (dotchuoinon.com/author/hangbelu/), a blog on Positive thinking, founded by Dr. Tran Dinh Hoanh, an attorney in Washington DC. I'm a co-founder of Conversations on Vietnam Development - cvdvn.net, a virtual think tank. I am a co-founder of two companies in Viet Nam working on children education services. I advise companies on STEAM education, English language education for children and students in Vietnam. I'm studying the Buddha's teaching and the teaching of Jesus. I practice mindful living including meditation. I hold a PhD on Sustainable Energy Systems from University of Lisbon and Aalto University. I graduated from Hanoi University of Technology on Environmental Engineering. I obtained a Master degree of the same major from Stanford University and Nanyang Technological University. My English-language blog at: hangbelu.wordpress/. I play table tennis as a hobby.

Synthetic drugs from Asia are fuelling global public health and crime concerns

~ Đào Thu Hằng ~ Bình luận về bài viết này

UNODC.org

Hanoi (Viet Nam), 29 August 2017 – East and Southeast Asia are at the heart of the global synthetic drug trade, with some drugs manufactured and trafficked in and from the region causing serious public health problems in the region and other parts of the world, said the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) at a high level in Hanoi, Viet Nam, with the ASEAN group of states, Australia, Canada, China, Japan, the Republic of Korea, the United States, and the European Union.

The region has recently been acknowledged to be the largest methamphetamine market, with seizures surpassing the total for North America. Most countries in the region have reported record meth seizures in recent years, and the number of people admitted for methamphetamine treatment has also been on the rise for several years in a row.

“Methamphetamine use is on the increase across Viet Nam, not only among young drug users in major cities, but also industrialized areas, villages and communities,” said Hoang Anh Tuyen, Deputy Director of the Standing Office on Drugs and Crime (SODC) of the Ministry of Public Security of Viet Nam. “We will not be able to cope unless market demand is addressed and we make progress on trafficking into the country with our neighbours.”

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Vietnam sees 6-fold increase in number of synthetic drug users: UN report

~ Đào Thu Hằng ~ Bình luận về bài viết này

vnexpress.net

By Minh Nga   June 11, 2021 | 04:45 pm GMT+7Vietnam sees 6-fold increase in number of synthetic drug users: UN reportSynthetic drugs hidden in medicine boxes were found in packages sent from abroad to Vietnam in July 2020. Photo by Vietnam Customs.

The number of synthetic drug users in Vietnam has jumped six-fold since 2017, the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime has said in a report.

‘Synthetic Drugs in East and Southeast Asia: latest developments and challenges 2021’, released Thursday, estimated the figure at nearly 190,000 last year.

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Carbon Pricing Aids Vietnam’s Efforts Towards Decarbonization

~ Đào Thu Hằng ~ Bình luận về bài viết này
Image

worldbank.org

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

  • Vietnam’s revised Law on Environmental Protection (LEP) to be effective as of January 1, 2022 legalizes the establishment of a carbon market.
  • The carbon market aims to address multiple goals: reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, enhancing Vietnam’s contribution to global climate change goals, and encouraging greener and cleaner technology innovation.

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State of Climate Action 2021: Systems Transformations Required to Limit Global Warming to 1.5°C

~ Đào Thu Hằng ~ Bình luận về bài viết này

WRI.org

Transformations must occur across every sector at far faster pace than recent trends to keep the window open to achieve the Paris Agreement’s goal to limit global warming to 1.5°C, according to this Systems Change Lab report authored by the UN High-Level Climate Champions, Climate Action Tracker, ClimateWorks Foundation, Bezos Earth Fund and World Resources Institute.

Limiting global warming to 1.5°C requires far-reaching transformations across power generation, buildings, industry, transport, land use, coastal zone management, and agriculture, as well as the immediate scale-up of technological carbon removal and climate finance. This report translates these transitions into 40 targets for 2030 and 2050, with measurable indicators.

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11.11 sales are a symptom of the greater disease of mindless consumerism

~ Đào Thu Hằng ~ Bình luận về bài viết này

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.

CNA.com

Commentary: 11.11 sales are a symptom of the greater disease of mindless consumerism
Workers sort out parcels for delivery in Beijing on Jul 14, 2021. (File photo: AP/Ng Han Guan)

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Climate Benefits of Iconic Protected Forests Are Under Threat

~ Đào Thu Hằng ~ Bình luận về bài viết này

WRI.org

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.

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Mekong Delta disappears under its residents’ feet

~ Đào Thu Hằng ~ Bình luận về bài viết này

mekongeye.com

By Nhung Nhung 9 November 2021 at 19:14

It took thousands of years for the Mekong Delta to come into existence. It might take humans just a few more decades to undo it.

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.

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Top Takeaways from the UN World Leaders Summit at COP26

~ Đào Thu Hằng ~ Bình luận về bài viết này
Dawn over Glasgow COP26

CommentaryTopic Climate

WRI.org

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.

Limited Progress at G20 Summit in Rome

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.  

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Five trends reshaping European power markets

~ Đào Thu Hằng ~ Bình luận về bài viết này

mckinsey.com

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.

What’s ahead for the European power sector?

The European power market is undergoing major changes. Five trends underpin these developments.

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What does the data tell us about electricity pricing in Laos?

~ Đào Thu Hằng ~ Bình luận về bài viết này

mekongeye.com

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).

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The Global Sustainable Competitiveness Index 2021

~ Đào Thu Hằng ~ Bình luận về bài viết này

solability.com

  • Scandinavia keeps topping the GSCI: Sweden is leading the Sustainable Competitiveness Index, closely followed by Denmark, Iceland & Finland, while Norway is ranked 9
  • The top 20 are dominated by Northern European countries, including the Baltic states
  • Of the top twenty nations only one is not European – New Zealand on 11
  • The UK is ranked 15, Germany 22
  • The World’s largest economy, the US, is ranked 32. The US ranks particularly low in resource efficiency, but also social capital – potentially undermining the global status of the US in the future
  • Of the large emerging economies (BRICs), China is ranked 37, Brazil 49, Russia 51, and India 130.
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China’s Commitment to Stop Overseas Financing of New Coal Plants in Perspective

~ Đào Thu Hằng ~ Bình luận về bài viết này

CSIS.org

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.

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Is Europe’s gas and electricity price surge a one-off?

~ Đào Thu Hằng ~ Bình luận về bài viết này

bruegel.org

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.

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What’s Behind Europe’s Skyrocketing Power Prices

~ Đào Thu Hằng ~ Bình luận về bài viết này

bloomberg.com

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.

1. What’s the problem here?

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.

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The young Vietnamese helping tackle the illegal wildlife trade

~ Đào Thu Hằng ~ 1 bình luận

Alzajeera.com

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]
Trang has won international recognition for her work including the Future for Nature Award [Theo Krus/Courtesy of Trang Nguyen]

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.

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