Climate change and the future of Vietnam

Published: 07/12/2009 05:00

The UN Conference on Climate Change will last from December 7-18 in Denmark. This is the final chance for countries to reach an agreement on cooperative action to cope with climate change.

The Vietnamese Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment’s map of the Mekong Delta if the sea level rises by just 1 meter.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) said that the earth’s temperature rose by 0.74 degrees Celsius from 1906-2005 and will increase further. 90 percent of the increase has been caused by energy production, deforestation, transportation, agriculture and industry.

Coping with the rise in sea levels temperature increases may be the most costly projects. Most developing countries, which must focus on hunger eradication, poverty reduction and other urgent social issues don’t have funds to deal with climate change.

Vietnam has a coastline of 3500 kilometers and is among five countries that will suffer most from rising seas.

According to the World Bank, if the sea level increases by 1 meter, 11 percent of Vietnam’s population (10 million people), may lose their homes. One third of the Mekong Delta, home to over 17 million people, will be submerged.

How is climate change changing life on our planet? How have each of us participated in the process that has brought the world to this point? Take a look at the following photos.

Climate change makes the weather turns cold suddenly, killing fish en mass at a farm in China (photo: Reuters).

Drought in a village of H’Mong people in Moc Chau, Son La province, a very rare phenomenon in this area.

A group of man carry a big tree trunk in Quang Nam province. After the post- Typhoon Miranae floods, huge numbers of trees floated from the central highlands downstream in many rivers. The flood brought to light the terrible devastation of the forests.

A bare hill with several trees in Dien Bien Dong. The forests in Son La province have been destroyed.

The Red River dried up to reveal its bottom in early December 2009. Since November 2009, the river’s level has reached its lowest levels in 107 years.

Flood tides, a phenomenon of climate change, swept away 18 houses in one district of Quang Ngai. Flood tides have gradually destroyed many residential areas in Vietnam.

Mr. Nguyen Van Dau and his grandson eat a meal in flood water caused by a flood tide in HCM City. His family has had to live with flooding for several years. The flood tides rise year by year.

Nguyen Duy Thanh, 53, from Ben Tre, planted 1 hectare of rice but harvested only straw. In early December 2009, the record high flood tide brought sea water into the fields. His investment of 15 million dong, a bank loan, was swept away within several days.

Belchatow, the largest thermo-power plant in Europe, emitting smoke. Man’s non-stop demand for energy forces power plants to run at full capacity, consuming natural resources and discharging the CO2 that causes global warming (photo: Reuters).

A melting iceberg in the South Pole, taken recently by a group of adventurers. Global warming rapidly melts the polar ice, causing the sea rise.

Brazil’s Amazon region is facing its most serious drought ever. A Brazilian fisherman rows on the Dos Reis Lake, covered by dead fish, on December 3, 2009. On his boat is the body of a crocodile. Dos Reis Lake is part of the Amazon river system. (photo: Reuters)