The workshop was organized by the Government Office, the Office of the Party’s Central Committee, the Office of the President, the Office of theNational Assembly and the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment in an attempt to raise awareness on this issue among senior leaders and staff.

The Head of the Government Office, Nguyen Xuan Phuc, said climate change is clearly evident from global warming and rising sea levels and poses one of the greatest challenges for mankind in the 21st century. Climate change is to blame for increasingly severe natural disasters worldwide, he stressed.

Meanwhile, Vietnam is one of the five nations most affected by climate change and rising sea levels, according to the World Bank. If no effective solution is taken, a large area of the Mekong and Red River Delta will be submerged by sea by the end of the 21st century, when sea level is predicted to rise by 0.7-1m.

Some research shows that the average temperature has increased by 0.5-0.7 degrees Celsius over the past 50 years, resulting in a 20-cm rise in sea level. By 2100, Vietnam’s average temperature will possibly rise by 3 degrees Celsius, and sea level by 1m, directly affecting 10 percent of the population.

Climate change can have an enormous impact on certain vulnerable areas such as agriculture, cooking security, water resources, health, and infrastructure of the coastal regions, experts said.

In response to climate change, the government participated in and approved the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Kyoto Protocol. In 2008, the Vietnamese Prime Minister ratified a National Goal Programme for Coping with the problem. He has recently approved a preliminary action plan devised by the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment.

In addition, many ministries, provinces and cities have carried out research projects to assess the state and impact of climate change.

Vietnam’s efforts to fight climate change have been recognized by the international community. The Danish ambassador to Vietnam, Peter Lysholt Hansen, said he highly appreciated the Vietnamese Government’s strong commitment to sustainable development.

VietNamNet/VOV