Conversations on Vietnam Development
“886 Dutch citizens, including teachers, entrepreneurs, grandparents and students united to sue their government for its inaction on climate change. In a decision likely to reverberate across the world, the court ordered the state to reduce emissions by 25% within 5 years to protect its citizens from climate change.”
Theguardian – Dutch ruling could trigger similar cases worldwide with citizens taking their governments to courts to make them act on climate promises
June 24th, 2015 by Sandy Dechert
Cleantecnica.com – “Recent decades have witnessed dramatic progress in global health,” says the US Agency for International Development. Smallpox has been eradicated within the past half century. In all but three countries (Afghanistan, Nigeria, and Pakistan), polio has been wiped out. Use of modern methods of contraception has increased from 10% in 1965 to more than 50% in 2013. Child deaths from diarrhea have been cut in half since 1990. Malaria deaths have fallen by more than a quarter globally since 2000. Only half as many mothers died in live childbirth in 2010, compared to 20 years earlier. Unheard of 50 years ago, HIV/AIDS has now transited from certain death to a chronic ailment.
But climate change could quickly wipe out the past 50 years of world health progress. Tiếp tục đọc “Climate Changes May Eradicate 50 Years Of World Health Progress (In Depth)”
Vietnam, amongst others, has electricity prices capped and differentiated for different users (the energy-intensive heavy industries being the most subsidised). More than US$2.5 billion is spent yearly to subsidise electricity prices from national utility EVN, distorting any competitive advantage renewable energy sources could have in a country with plenty of sun and wind resources.
Eco-Business: With the plunge in oil prices, countries in Southeast Asia have a golden opportunity to abolish fuel subsidies and introduce transparency in pricing. Image: Shutterstock
By Olivier Duguet – Wednesday 21 January 2015Vietnam has the opportunity to become a regional leader on developing mitigation and adaptation strategies and technologies, particularly vis-à-vis the less-developed Mekong countries. Vietnam’s diverse climates, topography and ecosystems can provide a useful testing ground for piloting new mitigation and adaptation approaches. Moreover, Vietnam’s close ties with China will pose both opportunities and challenges that will shape the country’s climate change response.
Chathamhouse.org – Author: Heike Baumüller
Government policies are the sticking points. Carbon pricing, favourable tax regimes and rebalancing of subsidies will encourage demand for low-carbon capital. Supply will be increased by government support for research and development and improved financial policies. Countries that understand these dynamics will benefit from more private financing and clean growth, as are Vietnam and Germany now. Those that do not will be left squeezing the last remnants of value out of waning industries.
Nature.com – Private finance can drive the energy transformation needed to meet global emissions goals — if backed by the right policies, says Nathan Fabian.
Illustration by Derek Bacon
Markets and governments are converging to address climate change. As scientific evidence and government actions strengthen, investors and financiers are reducing the exposure of their portfolios to risks from rising greenhouse-gas emissions. They are allocating more capital to low-carbon activities and less to carbon-intensive industries1. Tiếp tục đọc “Economics: Support low-carbon investment”
By Rabea Brauer | Vu Dang Tuan
Although Vietnam has very comprehensive frameworks for its climate and energy policy, there are justified doubts about the practicability of the strategy and its compatibility with economic development. This is reflected in the current climate and energy policy. Right now, it is impossible to consistently pursue the goal of balancing an effective climate policy with a low-carbon economy. This is because the goal is at odds with current developments in Vietnam’s energy sector. Germany Trade & Invest says that, in contrast to Germany’s energy policy, Vietnam has made the construction of coal-fired power plants a top priority, and this despite the fact that the country has considerable potential when it comes to renewable energies
(hydropower, biomass, nuclear energy).
CLIMATE OR THE ECONOMY? VIETNAM’S ATTEMPTS TO BALANCE GROWTH AND THE ENVIRONMENT
How do you achieve harmony between economic prosperity and a decisive climate policy? Governments all over the world are facing this dilemma and trying to tackle the serious challenges presented by the reciprocal relationship between economic policy and climate policy. Tiếp tục đọc “Climate or the Economy? Vietnam´s Attempts to Balance Growth and the Environment”
CVD 
Tiếp tục đọc “Hague climate change judgement could inspire a global civil movement” →