Facing donors, Vietnam urged to rethink coal-fueled growth
Vietnam seeks financial support for its ‘black to green’ transition, but international partners say what’s needed is better policy. International development partners and donors have called on Vietnam to commit to bigger greenhouse gas emission reductions, warning that fueling growth with coal will hurt the country with high environmental costs later. “No doubt adaptation is necessary but the less we invest in mitigation today, the more it will cost in adaptation in the future,” said Cecile Leroy, who attended a high level meeting in Hanoi on Tuesday as a representative of the European Union. Renewable energy and economic growth can go hand in hand, she said, pointing out that emissions in Europe have been reduced by 20 percent since 1990. Under a high emission scenario, nearly 40 percent of the Mekong Delta could be wiped out by the end of the century, according to projections by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment.
