Lawmakers are aware of their responsibilities in coping with climate
change, energy shortages and waste of natural resources, a senior
legislator told reporters recently.
Deputy
Chairman of the National Assembly’s Committee on Science, Technology and
Environment Nghiem Vu Khai pointed out that it was urgent for lawmakers
to act strongly against these problems, a reference to the upcoming
ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) meeting in Hanoi.
Asked why members of parliaments (MPs) are likely to address these
global concerns at AIPA, Khai said a majority of Southeast Asian nations
have suffered from climate change impacts and Vietnam was the worst
hit.
Climate forecasters say that if seawater
levels rise by one metre, Vietnam will lose 40,000 sq. km. of arable
land, impacting on 20 million people due to reduced dwelling space and
cultivated land, dry water sources and a decrease in agricultural
production output.
Warmer weather will lead to
serious natural disasters such as storms, floods and droughts, spreading
epidemics and other risks.
“It’s obvious that
climate change has increased poverty and threatens to eliminate
achievements made by some countries in implementing the Millennium
Development Goals,” said the legislator.
Climate
change attracted increased attention from lawmakers at the recent AIPA
meetings. Resolutions passed by AIPA committees all emphasised an urgent
need to cope with climate change in an effective and timely way and
highlighted concrete measures.
However, these
documents have merely demonstrated the will and attitude of lawmakers
towards the problem rather than determined their legal value or high
feasibility, Khai acknowledged.
“From awareness to
action is a long process. What AIPA has done so far has made positive
and recognised contributions, making a foundation for the upcoming
meeting of the regional legislative body to make a huge leap in its plan
of action against climate change,” Khai said.
He
highlighted Vietnam’s efforts in this field, culminating in the
issuance of the national target programme to cope with climate change,
together with the Prime Minister’s decision on December 2, 2008.
Vietnam is evaluating damages caused by climate change to
different industries and residential quarters, and using these
evaluations to work out programmes and plans of action to mitigate
damages and secure sustainable development.
The
national target programme has called for strengthening cooperation with
regional countries and the international community in mitigating climate
change and its negative impact.
AIPA-31 is
expected to pass a framework programme of action against climate change,
which underlines measures to mobilise human and financial resources
from ASEAN members, ASEAN dialogue partners and regional and
international organisations.
“The later the action comes the bigger damages are and the higher the cost is.”
“As the AIPA President and the Asian country suffering most from
climate change, the Vietnam National Assembly is making the greatest
possible efforts to work closely with other AIPA members, special
observers and dialogue partners in making active, practical and feasible
measures to address climate change,” said the senior lawmaker.
In response to a question about ASEAN lawmakers’ concerns and
solutions to the burning energy security issue, the Vietnamese
legislator said the issue has been mentioned in a number of AIPA
resolutions in recent years.
“Among climate
change, energy security, peace and regional security, energy security
has been placed as top priority, not only by ASEAN members but also the
world.”
“It is common in Southeast Asia that the
use of energy remains wasteful and ineffective. Customers largely
choose to use energy guzzlers while energy management technology is
still backwards, causing high loss rates,” Khai said.
The Vietnamese National Assembly approved the law on thrift and
effective use of energy in June after issuing a number of legal
documents in electricity and natural resources, including rules to
sustain energy security and thrifty and efficient use of energy.
In the next few years, Vietnam will have to import energy, arousing both lawmaker and public concerns.
The problem is quite avoidable as the country has great potential for
energy savings with some industries capable of cutting down between 20
and 30 percent of their energy consumption. The cost for energy savings
is equal to just one-third of production costs.
If
energy use becomes more thrifty and the use of renewable energy is on a
rise, Vietnam can reduce or put an end to the import of energy
soon, the senior lawmaker pointed out.
He said as
the host of AIPA-31, Vietnam should share experiences and cooperate
with other AIPA members and dialogue partners in working out the most
effective solutions to sustain energy security.
Khai pointed out some fundamental conditions to the concept of energy
security, including economic restructuring towards a reduction in energy
consumption and application of technology for economical and
environmentally friendly energy use.
He explained
that the favoured technology should reduce emissions of greenhouse gas
and increase the proportion of renewable energy.
Energy security should be integrated into programmes against climate
change or on water and mineral resource security and environmental
protection, he said.
The legislator also called
for raising public awareness and establishing good behaviour and a
lifestyle of energy savings for consumers and the community./.
