Vietnam most seriously affected by climate change

Voice of Vietnam: Within the next 30 years, Vietnam will be among 30 “extreme risk” countries affected by climate change, says the United Nation in Vietnam in its recent fact sheet on climate change.

The conclusion was based on the Climate Change Vulnerability Index (CCVI), which evaluates 42 social, economic and environmental factors to assess national vulnerabilities across three core areas, namely exposure to climate-related natural disasters and sea-level rise; human sensitivity, in terms of population patterns, development, natural resources, agricultural dependency and conflicts; and future vulnerability considering the adaptive capacity of a country’s government and infrastructure to address climate change effects.

The Vietnam National Strategy on climate change has also indicated that over the past 50 years, the sea level has risen 20 cm, which is seriously affecting the Mekong and Red River Deltas.

Therefore, the UN warns, if no major action such as dyke reinforcements and improved drainage is taken, a one meter rise in mean sea levels along the coast of Vietnam will cause an estimated threat of inundation to 17,423 km2 or 5.3 percent of the country’s total land area. Specifically, it will threaten 39 percent of the Mekong River Delta, 10 percent of the Red River Delta, over 2.5 percent of central coast provinces, and more than 20 percent of Ho Chi Minh City....

A 2008 flood in Hanoi, shot by haithanh, Wikimedia Commons via Flickr, under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license