Local and foreign experts at a two-day conference ending last Friday in Can Tho City called on localities in the Mekong Delta to heighten preparedness to cope with consequences of climate change as the region is forecast to be hit the hardest by natural disasters in the future.
Over one million people in the Vietnam’s largest rice granary will be under direct impacts of high tides, storms, floods, droughts and seawater intrusion in 2050, said the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change at the first Mekong Delta Climate Change Forum held in Can Tho City. Vietnam is also one of five countries suffering worst impacts of climate change.
Experts attending the forum suggested many solutions to help the delta tackle negative impacts of the disasters. The event is a significant step towards the United Nations Climate Change Conference that will be held in Copenhagen, Denmark, said Danish Ambassador Peter Lysholt Hansen.
The Australian government pledged to cooperate with Vietnam to cope with developments of climate change and raise public’s knowledge of the matter. The Australian Center for International Agricultural Research will fund US$3.5 million for a research on a new rice variety that can grow in the changing climate, said Australian Ambassador Allaster Cox.
Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Pham Khoi Nguyen appraised the forum as a playground for leaders, scientists and donors to set up urgent actions to confront impacts of climate change. The forum also aimed to raise people’s and government offices’ awareness on the problem and boost international cooperation in the sector, said the Government Office Chairman Nguyen Xuan Phuc.
The Can Tho University has plans to open a three-day seminar for further discussion on solutions for climate change in the middle of next month.