Transcript Greening cities for a green economy in Vietnam: opportunities

Greening cities for a green economy
in Vietnam:
opportunities and challenges
Dr Do Nam Thang
Deputy Director General-International Cooperation Dept
Vietnam Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment
Contents
• Urbanization pressure
• How greening cities contribute to green
economy?
• Opportunities to develop green cites
• Challenges
1.Urbanization pressure
• Population growth
– Population: 90 mil, growth rate: 1.4 %
– Uneven distribution: mostly in Red River Delta &
Mekong River Delta (47%)
• Rapid urbanization
– Number of towns: from 500 (1990) to 800 (2014)
Urban population trend
1986-2010
33
35
% Urban population
30
26.32
23.97
25
20
19.3
19.5
1986
1990
20.75
15
10
5
0
1995
2000
Year
2005
2010
• Consequences:
– industrial facilities in residential areas
– inadequate infrastructure
– traffic congestion
– poor sanitation
Increased transport vehicles
• Before: bicycle
Now: motor bikes and cars
Increased no. of vehicles
2. Greening cities for green economy
• Green economy: an economy with low
carbon, resource efficient and socially
inclusive (UNEP 2010).
• Green cities or environmentally sustainable
cities: clean air, clean water, clean land and
climate resilient
• Green cities would need:
– Good urban planning
– Sufficient investment in infrastructure: public
transport, resource efficient buildings, water
supply and sanitation
– Proper municiple waste treatment
– Green industry: resource efficient,
environmentally friendly
How green cities contribute to green
economy?
• Reducing GHG in developing process (low
carbon development): at present, 70% GHG
emission is from cities
• Reducing resource and energy consumption
• Promoting renewable energy
• Reducing damage and loss due to
environmental degradation and climate
change
How green cities contribute to green
economy?
• Creating green jobs: in building retrofitting,
environmental services, public transport
• Reducing poverty
• Improving human health and living standards
Greening cities: opportunities
• Initial policy framework: green growth
strategy 2012, master program on developing
urban areas to respond to climate change
2014
• Ongoing ESC activities:
– National: indicators, awarding scheme, ASEAN
working group on ESC
– Local: ESC community-based models, 100 Resilient
Cities, City to city ESC exchange, Clean air cities
initiative….
Greening cities: challenges
• Limited awareness at all levels (policymaking,
public, business), mindsets of “mutually
exclusive notions: development or
environment”
• Low commitment from business and
community
• Poor coordination among sectors, greening
city activities
Potential research
• Underlying obstacles to awareness and
behavior
• Costs and benefits of greening city policy
options
• Impact of greening cities on economy wide