VietNamNet Bridge 25 Jun 13;
The Mekong Delta, the country's biggest agricultural hub, might experience a sea level rise of 30cm sooner rather than expected - as early as 2040.
This is revealed in a World Bank report titled Turn down the heat: Climate extremes, regional impacts and the case for resilience, which was released globally last week.
The report said the rapid rise would mean a loss of about 12 per cent of crop production due to inundation and salinity intrusion. It was projected that rice production could drop by about 2.6 million tonnes per year.
The report said the Mekong Delta and two other Asian river deltas in Asia were particularly at risk because they were less than two metres above sea level.
It said that rising sea levels, more intense tropical cyclones and land subsidence caused by human activities, would disrupt the main economic activities of the delta - agriculture, aquaculture, fisheries and tourism.
The Washington-based development bank estimated the cost of adapting shrimp and catfish aquaculture in the Mekong Delta would range from US$130-190 million per year.
HCM City was also declared to be among coastal cities in Southeast Asia hardest hit by rising seas and increased storm surges. The report claimed that up to 60 per cent of the built-up area could expect rises of up to one metre.
Ajali Acharya, the World Bank Viet Nam's environment cluster leader, said the report provided scientific evidences on which Viet Nam and development partners could help the country move along the low-carbon, climate-resilient, sustainable-development path.
Tran Thuc, director of Viet Nam's Institute of Meteorology, Hydrology and Environment, agreed with the World Bank's recommendation that Southeast Asian countries intensify actions to address the impacts of climate change.
He said Viet Nam had made remarkable efforts, with short-term priority going to climate adaptation.
He said much needed to be done in disaster mitigation, flood management and building climate resilience, especially among those poor.
"The core of climate change adaptation is becoming more and more about poverty reduction," he said.
The World Bank is working with Viet Nam on a series of policy actions to mitigate climate change impacts and is discussing programmes in HCM City and in the Mekong Delta to address some of these threats.
Source: VNS
Global warming puts Vietnam livelihoods under threat, World Bank warns
thanhniennews.com 24 Jun 13;
Vietnamese farmers harvest rice. A recent World Bank report says livelihoods in Southeast Asia, including Vietnam, are being threatened by climate change. Photo by Ngoc Thang
Livelihoods in Vietnam, which is part of “vulnerable” Southeast Asia, are facing threats from sea-level rise, ocean warming, and more severe storms and floods caused by an increasing possibility of the temperature rising by four degrees Celsius, the World Bank warns in a report.
The report titled “Turn Down the Heat: Climate Extremes, Regional Impacts and the Case for Resilience” and released last week said Southeast Asia, parts of which were archipelagoes and whose large populations live in low-lying deltaic and coastal regions, was “particularly vulnerable” to the impacts of rising sea levels.
A rise of 30 centimeters, which could occur as early as 2040, could cause a loss of around 12 percent in agricultural production in the Mekong Delta region due to flooding and seawater intrusion.
The region contributes around half of Vietnam’s total agricultural output, especially rice.
Climate change's consequences like tropical storms, salinity intrusion, and coastal floods, would also threaten aquaculture, a rapidly growing industry that is important to the economy and food security in Southeast Asia, it said.
Rising temperatures could exceed the tolerance limits of farmed aquatic species.
In Vietnam, the aquaculture sector contributes around 5 percent of GDP.
Fisheries, especially coral reef fisheries, were likely to be impacted by the rise, warming, and acidification of oceans, causing considerable reductions in maximum catch potential in the region, including 16 percent in Vietnamese waters.
The sea-level rise and tropical storms could increase the intrusion of seawater, thereby contaminating freshwater sources and causing increased health problems such as miscarriages, skin and respiratory diseases, and diarrhea.
Ho Chi Minh City, Jakarta, Manila, and Bangkok, are expected to see sea levels rise by 50 centimeters by about 2060 and 100 centimeters by 2090.
The report, by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research and Climate Analytics, looks at the risks that the three “most vulnerable” regions of Southeast Asia, South Asia, and Sub-Saharan Africa are likely to encounter if the temperature increases by two degrees in 20-30 years or even four degrees by the end of this century.
“It is not too late to hold warming near two degrees Celsius, and build resilience to temperatures and other climate impacts that are expected to still pose significant risks to agriculture, water resources, coastal infrastructure, and human health," it said.
“The window for holding warming below two degrees Celsius and avoiding a four degrees Celsius rise is closing rapidly, and the time to act is now.”
Axel van Trotsenburg, the World Bank's vice president for East Asia and Pacific, said: “Many Southeast Asian countries are already taking concerted actions to address the impacts of climate change, but this report tells us that we need to do much more [to reduce the ever-increasing vulnerability of populations to climate risk].”
