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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?
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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)
Consequences: • industrial facilities in residential areas • inadequate infrastructure • traffic congestion • poor sanitation
Increased transport vehicles • Before: bicycle Now: motor bikes and cars
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