A national programme to respond to climate change will require VND2 trillion (US$121.2 million) to provide climate change scenarios from 2009-15.
This was revealed at a workshop on climate change held on Tuesday by Nguyen Van Thang, director of the Research Centre for Meteorology and Climatology under the Institute of Meteorology, Hydrology and Environment.
He said the draft National Target Programme in Responding to Climate Change (NTP RCC) would use the funds to present about 36 detailed scenarios on climate change as drawn up by international scientists.
Accordingly, the NTP RCC will estimate the rise in sea levels, the temperature and the impact of climate change to build action plans.
Thang said the VND2 trillion budget does not include measures to cope with climate change related problems.
The Danish International Development Agency (Danida) Board in Copenhagen will provide Viet Nam’s climate change response programme with approximately $40 million towards adaptation and mitigation efforts, he said.
The World Conservation Union will also grant Viet Nam $5 million to build action plans to prepare for climate change impacts.
The NTP RCC is still waiting for approval from the Prime Minister for the programme.
The funds from international sources will be disbursed as soon as the approval is received.
Viet Nam is believed to be one of the five most vulnerable countries in the world to the negative impacts of climate change.
It is estimated that for the past 50 years, average temperatures in Viet Nam have risen by 0.7 degrees, and could rise by another 3 degrees by 2100.
During the same period, the sea levels had risen by 20cm and could go up to 1m by 2100. A 1m rise in sea level would affect approximately 5 per cent of Viet Nam’s land area, 11 per cent of the population, 7 per cent of agriculture and reduce Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 10 per cent, said Thang.
Nguyen Huu Ninh, co-chairman of the summit conference’s Programme in Responding to Climate Change held in the US today will present his research findings on climate change in the Greater Mekong Subregion and Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta for discussion.
The conference will seek measures to deal with the fallout of climate change over the next 50 years, including environment pollution, food security and the migration of inhabitants in Greater Mekong Subregion and Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta.
After the conference, Ninh will give a lecture on his findings at the Darmouth University.
Nguyen Huu Ninh, chairman of the Centre for Education Research and Environment Development, was part of the team that won the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize for its efforts in informing the world about the likely impact of man-made climate change.
