Vietnam’s carbon dioxide emissions increased from about 6.7 percent in 1995-2000 to 10.6 percent in 2000-2005, the highest in the world.

Senior Advisor to the World Bank’s private sector funding arm International Finance Corporation, Clive Mason, also told the conference energy consumption needs in Vietnam have been soaring by 17-20 percent each year because of rapid economic growth and industrial development as well as an increasing population.

Energy consumption in Vietnam is the highest among APEC economies and higher than Thailand and Malaysia by 1.5 -1.7 times.

Mason said the energy saving potential in several sectors in Vietnam was quite high at 50, 35 and 20 percent respectively in the cement, ceramic and steel industries.

VietNamNet/Thanh Nien