Thẻ: Environment

Vietnam’s environmental NGOs face uncertain status, shrinking civic space

~ Đào Thu Hằng ~ 1 bình luận

news.mongabay.com

by Hướng Thiện on 13 February 2023

  • A wave of recent closures of environment organizations in Vietnam, as well as the arrests of NGO leaders, reflects the difficult position that activists face in the one-party state.
  • Nonprofit organizations have an unclear legal status in the country, and are vulnerable to pressure from the state as well as from powerful private interests.
  • Though the communist-led government has at times recognized the value of NGOs as partners in implementing social and environmental programs, it has also attacked the concept of civil society as a threat to official ideology and morality.

Thuý, who helped run environmental programs at a nonprofit based in Ho Chi Minh City, had for weeks pondered quitting her job to pursue an advanced degree. The 24-year-old, who like all NGO workers interviewed for this story used a pseudonym due to fear of reprisals, was at a loss as to how to communicate her hard decision to her supervisors. While she felt it was time to move on, Thuý was grateful for the open-minded and dynamic working environment that had allowed her to grow tremendously.

Much to Thuý’s surprise, it was her supervisors who initiated a conversation about her career, advising her to be prepared to leave soon, because their organization was being told “from above” to shut down.

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Slice of paradise: Auction of 100 Indonesian islands delayed after criticism

~ Trần Đình Hoành ~ Bình luận về bài viết này

By Kelsey Ables and  Winda Charmila, December 11, 2022, Washington Post

Sotheby’s auction of the exclusive licensed rights to the Widi Reserve, more than100 environmentally protected islands that cover 25,000 acres in Indonesia, has been delayed from its originally scheduled date last week. The holdup follows backlash from environmental groups, which say the privatization and development of the islands could cause ecological damage and interfere with life in coastal communities.

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UN General Assembly declares access to clean and healthy environment a universal human right

~ Trần Đình Hoành ~ 1 bình luận

28 July 2022

Climate and Environment UN NEWS

With 161 votes in favour, and eight abstentions*, the UN General Assembly adopted a historic resolution on Thursday, declaring access to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment, a universal human right.

The resolution, based on a similar text adopted last year by the Human Rights Council, calls upon States, international organisations, and business enterprises to scale up efforts to ensure a healthy environment for all. 

The UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, welcomed the ‘historic’ decision and said the landmark development demonstrates that Member States can come together in the collective fight against the triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution.

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Myanmar’s environment hit by rare earth mining boom

~ Đào Thu Hằng ~ Bình luận về bài viết này

Pristine parts of northern Kachin State are under threat as demand grows for high-tech devices that rely on rare earth.

mekongeye.com

Kachin State’s Chipwi Township in northernmost Myanmar is known for its pristine forests and crystal-clear water.

But 10 years ago, local residents started noticing the patches of land that had been cleared on the lush mountains surrounding their town, which borders China’s Yunnan province. It started with one patch of land, where all the trees were cut down. Then others followed.

Soon locals saw heavy machinery being moved through their town, heading to those barren plots of land. Then workers started flooding in. They excavated the ground and left open pits, many filled with chemically-laced water, in areas once rich in woodland. The water near those sites was no longer clean.

It became obvious at that stage that the newcomers were looking for something underneath the ground – rare earth, which contains elements widely used in high-tech products like smartphones, computer components, electric vehicles and solar cells.  

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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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Indonesian environment ministry ends WWF partnership amid public spat

~ Đào Thu Hằng ~ Bình luận về bài viết này
by  on 29 January 2020

  • Indonesia’s environment ministry has terminated its forest conservation partnership with WWF, citing the organization’s violations of their agreement.
  • But the spat appears to have been inflamed by high-profile social media posts that praised WWF Indonesia’s work to tackle forest fires last year during a period in which government efforts faced widespread criticism.
  • WWF Indonesia has operated in Indonesia for more than 50 years, and its ongoing programs with other government institutions remain unaffected by the environment ministry’s move.

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Vietnam’s first carmaker to launch nonprofit electric bus service

~ Đào Thu Hằng ~ Bình luận về bài viết này
Vietnam’s first carmaker to launch nonprofit electric bus service

Vinfast announced Thursday the establishment of VinBus, which will offer passenger transportation services in major Vietnamese cities.

The company said that the Vinbus Transport Service Co. will operate under a non-profit model, aiming to develop a modern public transportation system that reduces pollution and noise in Vietnam’s major cities.

The company will exclusively produce and run electric buses, it said.

VinBus has a charter capital of VND1 trillion ($42.88 million), and expects to start running bus routes in 5 major cities: Hanoi, Hai Phong, Da Nang, Ho Chi Minh City and Can Tho.

In the short term, the company plans to operate 3,000 electric buses made by VinFast.

At present, the VinFast bus factory is still under construction. German industrial manufacturing giant Siemens has agreed to provide the technology and components to build electric buses here.

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7 Environment and Development Stories to Watch in 2019

~ Đào Thu Hằng ~ Bình luận về bài viết này
WRI
by Sarah Parsons Sarah Parsons – January 11, 2019
      
California wildfire
A firefighter battles a fire along the Ronald Reagan Freeway, aka state Highway 118, in Simi Valley, Calif. Photo by Ringo H.W. Chiu/AP

One hundred years ago, 1919 was a really big year: Countries signed the Treaty of Versailles to end World War I, Mahatma Gandhi began his nonviolent resistance against British rule, the Grand Canyon became a national park. And on a lighter note, pop-up toasters entered kitchens for the first time!

A century later, 2019 shows signs of being another big year—and a precarious one, as WRI President and CEO Andrew Steer explained at the Institute’s annual Stories to Watch presentation on January 9 in Washington. Tiếp tục đọc “7 Environment and Development Stories to Watch in 2019” →

Q&A: Air Pollution Remains Cause for Alarm in Asia

~ Đào Thu Hằng ~ Bình luận về bài viết này
IPSnews.net

IPS correspondent Sinsiri Tiwutanond spoke to Global Green Growth Institute’s director-general Dr. Frank Rijsberman about Asia’s fight against air pollution.

On any given day, a pall of smog and dust hangs over Kabul’s streets. It clings to the face, burns the eyes, and stains the hands. It bathes the cars, often stuck bumper-to-bumper in traffic, and occludes the view of the distant mountains. Credit: Anand Gopal/IPS

BANGKOK , Jul 17 2018 (IPS) – At the start of the year the pollution in Vietnam’s capital, Hanoi, reached six times the World Health Organization’s guideline levels for air quality.

Yet the levels, which appear higher than those of South Korea’s capital Seoul—where most people monitor the air pollution levels daily—is not treated with equal concern because of a lack of general awareness. This is despite the fact that air pollution has become the largest cause of premature deaths in Asia.

“When I went to Vietnam, I realised no one thought there was an air pollution problem because no one was directly addressing it. It was worse than Seoul when we checked the level there. In Seoul, people talk about air pollution everyday. In the morning, you check the air quality to see if you need a mask or if the kids can play outside. In Hanoi, the problem is just as bad but people just don’t know about it,” Global Green Growth Institute’s director-general Dr. Frank Rijsberman told IPS. Tiếp tục đọc “Q&A: Air Pollution Remains Cause for Alarm in Asia” →

Thailand: The rich world’s new dumpsite for e-waste

~ Đào Thu Hằng ~ Bình luận về bài viết này

euractive.com 

Jul 3, 2018

Royal Thai Police raid Wai Mei Dat. Gaylord boxes and Super Sacks filled with imported e-waste. Photo Copyright The Nation, Thailand Portal. May 22, 2018. [baselactionnetwork / Flickr]

Thailand has become one of the largest dumpsites for electronic waste from developed countries since China’s January ban on the import of plastic waste. EURACTIV’s partner Le Journal de l’environnement reports. Tiếp tục đọc “Thailand: The rich world’s new dumpsite for e-waste” →

Vietnam’s Champion for Renewable Energy: Q&A with Goldman Prize Winner Khanh Nguy Thi

~ Đào Thu Hằng ~ Bình luận về bài viết này
WRI
by Katie Pastor Katie Pastor – April 30, 2018       

Khanh Nguy Thi grew up near a coal plant in Bac Am, a village in northern Vietnam. While Nguy Thi’s lifelong dream was to become a diplomat, the memory of pollution in her hometown pulled her toward work in water conservation and community development.

In 2011, Khanh founded the Green Innovation and Development Centre (GreenID) to promote sustainable energy development in Vietnam. She also started the Vietnam Sustainable Energy Alliance, a network of 11 Vietnamese and international environmental organizations that collaborate on regional energy issues. Tiếp tục đọc “Vietnam’s Champion for Renewable Energy: Q&A with Goldman Prize Winner Khanh Nguy Thi” →

We calculated how much money trees save for your city

~ Đào Thu Hằng ~ Bình luận về bài viết này

theconversation

Megacities are on the rise. There are currently 47 such areas around the globe, each housing more than 10 million residents.

More than half the global population now lives in urban areas, comprising about 3 percent of the Earth. The ecological footprint of this growth is vast and there’s far more that can be done to improve life for urban residents around the world. Tiếp tục đọc “We calculated how much money trees save for your city” →

Goldman environmental prize: top awards dominated by women for first time

~ Đào Thu Hằng ~ 1 bình luận

theguardian.com

Winners are all grassroots activists who have taken on powerful vested interests

 Global environment editor

Goldman environment prizewinners 2018: (clockwise from top left) Manny Calonzo, Francia Márquez, Nguy Thi Khanh, LeAnne Walters, Makoma Lekalakala and Liz McDaid, Claire Nouvian.
 Goldman environment prizewinners 2018: (clockwise from top left) Manny Calonzo, Francia Márquez, Nguy Thi Khanh, LeAnne Walters, Makoma Lekalakala and Liz McDaid, Claire Nouvian. Photograph: 2018 Goldman Environmental Prize

The world’s foremost environmental prize has announced more female winners than ever before, recognising the increasingly prominent role that women are playing in defending the planet.
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