Vietnam raises emission reduction target to 9% by 2030, says official

Vietnam has committed to a 7.3% cut in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions compared to the Business as Usual scenario (BAU) by 2025 and has raised its emission reduction target to 9% by 2030 in its newly updated Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), 1% higher than that contained in the previous NDC.

In its updated NDC, Vietnam has targeted a 9% decrease in its greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. (Illustrative photo)
In its updated NDC, Vietnam has targeted a 9% decrease in its greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. (Illustrative photo)

Pham Van Tan, Deputy Director of the Climate Change Department under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, made the remark at a seminar jointly held by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Vietnam, the Climate Change Working Group in Vietnam (CCWG) and Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) Vietnam in Hanoi on November 10.

The above-mentioned contribution could be increased up to 27% with international support, an increase of 2% compared to the objective set in the previous NDC, he said.

According to Claudia Ehing, Director of FES Asia Climate & Energy Project and the FES Representative in Vietnam, Vietnam submitted its NDC update on September 11, 2020, becoming the 13th country to do so thus far.

Vietnam’s updated NDC now looks at the entire economy, including the industrial process for the period from 2021 to 2030 - a step forward from the previous NDC that only looked at four sectors, namely agriculture, energy, waste, and land use, land-use change and forestry, she said.

The FES representative added that the updated NDC outlines the many benefits from decarbonising the energy sector, investing in climate action in Vietnam, and raising awareness of NDC benefits which aim to call for domestic support and the creation of a global momentum towards climate change mitigation activity.

At the seminar, participants proposed a coordination mechanism between NGOs and the Climate Change Department to further strengthen information exchange.