Friday, April 15, 2011

Ha Noi needs better climate change plans

Viet Nam News: Authorities in the capital city need to do more to ensure Ha Noi's continued development is eco-friendly and "climate-proof", according to a UN climate change expert. Speaking at a press conference held by the UN's Habitat organisation in Ha Noi on Wednesday, UNDP Policy Advisor on Climate Change Koos Neefjes said that while existing master planning for Ha Noi took into account certain climate factors, "it is not entirely clear how Ha Noi plans to adapt to climate change effects, particularly with regard to water supply or with regard to flood safety."

Koos said the city's plans lacked details and could do better on providing both a vision and practical measures on moving towards a low-carbon city. He warned that the capital city's expansion into vulnerable or flood-prone areas should be minimised or completely eliminated as soon as possible, because "once (the city) expands to lower land, it is not going to be moved."

The press conference was held as part of a wider programme on highlighting climate change threats to cities around the world. Also speaking at the event, Habitat Programme Manager Nguyen Quang said many new urban areas in Viet Nam were expanding along the coast line, so city planners must carefully consider how to develop these areas in the safest way possible….

Shops lining the street leading to Ngoc Ha Market, Hanoi, shot by Dragfyre, Wikimedia Commons, under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license

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