Proactively adapting to climate change, the foundation for socio-economic development

The draft documents of the 14th National Party Congress have added environmental protection, effective adaptation to climate change, and institutional development to promote green economic development and circular economy in association with socio-economic development as key tasks. This marks the Party's deep awareness of sustainable development based on three pillars: Economy - Society and Environment.

The new point in the Draft is that environmental protection together with socio- economic development is the central task. This reflects our Party's new, comprehensive and profound awareness of sustainable development in the new era.

In reality, up to now, when the scale of the economy, social level and community awareness have developed, the environmental consequences of hot growth are increasingly evident such as: air pollution, natural forest degradation, saltwater intrusion, climate change... The impact of abnormal and extreme natural disasters and environmental degradation not only reduces labor productivity, affects people's health, but also directly threatens human security, non-traditional security and national competitiveness.

The environment plays a fundamental role in sustainable socio-economic development. Therefore, the harmony between economic growth and environmental protection or environmental protection for sustainable economic development is the first basis to ensure sustainable development in general and economic development in particular. From that perspective, our Party affirms that environmental protection is a central task closely linked to economic and social development.

The viewpoints and policies of the Party and the State as well as the international commitments that Vietnam is implementing have clearly stated: Green economy, circular economy, low-carbon economy are the path to bring the country to sustainable development. It is necessary to overcome and immediately eliminate the mindset of pursuing immediate economic benefits while ignoring the responsibility to protect the environment; firmly adhere to the viewpoint of development that does not sacrifice the environment in exchange for the economy...

Affirming the above issues, recently at a working session with the Government, Vice Chairman of the National Assembly Le Minh Hoan said that ministries, branches and localities need to proactively study and promptly institutionalize the Party's viewpoints and policies on environmental protection and climate change response in the documents of the 14th National Party Congress, especially the report of the Central Executive Committee. At the same time, continue to resolutely implement the viewpoints, goals, tasks and solutions stated in Resolution 7 of the 11th Central Committee on proactively responding to climate change, strengthening resource management and environmental protection, Conclusion No. 56-KL/TW dated August 23, 2019 and Conclusion No. 81-KL/TW dated June 4, 2024 of the Politburo on continuing to implement Resolution 7 of the 11th Central Committee, promptly institutionalize key resolutions in the process of perfecting the legal system on environmental protection; Continue to promote decentralization, delegation of authority, and assignment of responsibilities to localities according to the motto "locality decides, locality acts, locality is responsible".

Ministries, branches and localities continue to perfect the system of legal documents on environmental protection; focusing on urgently researching and reviewing the development and promulgation of environmental technical standards and regulations, ensuring consistency and uniformity, with a suitable roadmap equivalent to that of developed countries; in which the prerequisite is to focus on improving the quality of life and health of people towards international parity; regularly updating scientific and technological advances, effectively preventing the trend of shifting waste flows from abroad to Vietnam.

Competent authorities complete technical guidelines, norms, and unit prices for state management of environmental protection, ensuring the implementation of the principle of "polluters pay", creating resources for reinvestment in environmental protection; promulgate mechanisms and policies to promote the development of environmental industry and services; develop the capacity to provide environmental services, especially recycling, waste treatment, and environmental pollution treatment; overcome the lack of synchronization between legal regulations on environmental protection and conditions for ensuring technical infrastructure for environmental protection and specific development conditions of each residential area.

Referring to the issue of proactive adaptation to climate change stated in the Draft Document of the 14th Party Congress, Dr. Truong Ba Kien, Deputy Director of the Center for Meteorological and Climate Research (Institute of Meteorological, Hydrological and Climate Change Sciences, Ministry of Agriculture and Environment) stated that currently, complex climate change has increased the extremity of weather patterns, typically the heavy rain and floods that occurred in the Northern and Central regions last October, the great impact of storms, storm circulation No. 13 in the first days of November; storm FUNG-WONG entered the East Sea and became storm No. 14 in 2025. Along with that, the frequency of strong storms occurring continuously.... Climate change has been and is the underlying factor that increases the extremity of storms and floods.

Therefore, the Draft Document of the 14th Congress has added the content of environmental protection and effective adaptation to climate change. This is an important, necessary and realistic addition. Along with environmental protection, effective adaptation to climate change is also a trend that Vietnam needs to proactively adapt to in the coming years.

To effectively respond to extreme weather patterns caused by climate change as well as proactively adapt to climate change, functional units need to comprehensively upgrade the real-time forecasting and warning system, integrate meteorological, hydrological, radar and reservoir data; apply AI, Big Data and complex models to detect dangerous weather combinations early. At the same time, expand multi-channel warning communication to each household in remote, mountainous and riverside areas; organize periodic "four on-site" drills and activate inter-regional control mechanisms, ensuring coordination between the meteorological, hydroelectric, agricultural and disaster prevention sectors.

Along with that, it is necessary to standardize and expand inter-reservoir - inter-basin operations, strengthen dam safety monitoring and recalculate flood prevention capacity according to extreme scenarios. Promote greening of upstream forests, conserve protective forests, and build dynamic flood and landslide risk maps using satellite data and LiDAR (technology that uses lasers to measure distances, create 3D maps of the surrounding environment and identify objects). Develop green infrastructure - permeable urban areas, maintain natural flood escape corridors and establish an inter-regional data sharing mechanism so that development planning does not conflict with basin safety.

Localities need to integrate climate change adaptation into regional, provincial and infrastructure planning. Build a multi-disaster early warning system using artificial intelligence (AI), IoT (Internet of Things) and automatic sensors; move towards establishing a “Digital Twin” (a dynamic digital copy of an object, process or physical system, continuously connected to the original by real-time data from sensors) for the Central region to serve safety planning. At the same time, improve climate risk management capacity for local authorities, promote the green development model - adapt to nature and build a culture of proactive response, safe communities against natural disasters.

Regarding solutions to improve forecasting and early warning capacity, contributing to reducing natural disaster risks in the context of climate change, Director of the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting Mai Van Khiem said that it is necessary to continue modernizing monitoring technology, increasing the number of monitoring points, continuing to develop forecasting models, applying artificial intelligence (AI) to operations, and improving analytical capacity to provide bulletins closer to reality, especially for extreme weather events.

Along with that, strengthen the diverse communication system, ensure that news, forecasts and warnings are concise, clear and easy to understand to people in vulnerable areas. At the same time, it is necessary to strengthen coordination between hydrometeorological agencies with local authorities, response forces and the media to promptly convert forecast information into specific actions. Focus on training, improving response skills for the community and incorporating knowledge of natural disaster prevention and control into educational programs. With these solutions, natural disaster prevention and control work will gradually become more professional, helping the community adapt safely and reduce damage.

Sharing the view that environmental protection along with socio-economic development is the central task stated in the Draft Document of the 14th Party Congress, Secretary of the Party Cell of Xuan Non village, Thu Lam commune, Hanoi city Le Thi Dinh said that when environmental protection is identified as a central pillar of development, it will become a new measure for all socio-economic policies. However, to protect the environment in a truly sustainable way, the thinking and actions of each person must aim towards "greening" from the smallest things such as planting trees, planting flowers... to bigger things such as "green transformation", "green economy"... Along with that, focus on educating on the issue of sustainable environmental protection in all levels of education to form the awareness of green living of each citizen in the community...

Source: https://baotintuc.vn/thoi-su/chu-dong-thich-ung-bien-doi-khi-hau-nen-tang-cho-su-phat-tien-kinh-te-xa-hoi-20251111081322676.htm