National Assembly Delegate: 'Avoid economic achievements being swept away by polluted water and suffocating air'

Delegate Thach Phuoc Binh said that if we do not take strong action today, tomorrow all economic achievements will be swept away by polluted water and suffocating air.

Delegate Thach Phuoc Binh - Photo: GIA HAN

On the morning of October 28, the National Assembly discussed the report of the National Assembly Supervisory Delegation on the implementation of environmental protection policies and laws since the Law on Environmental Protection 2020 took effect.

One dollar spent on the environment today saves tens of dollars on healthcare and disaster relief tomorrow.

Giving his opinion during the discussion, delegate Thach Phuoc Binh ( Vinh Long ) commented, "For the first time, we put nature on par with humans, considering environmental protection as the foundation of growth, not the price to pay for development."

However, he acknowledged that pollution control work has progressed but is not sustainable.

The urban waste collection rate is 97%, but only 18% of wastewater is treated; nearly 60% of waste is still buried - mainly in rural and small urban areas.

Many landfills that have existed for decades such as Nam Son (Hanoi), Khanh Son (Da Nang), and Tan Long (Tien Giang) are still "environmental hotspots".

In Hanoi, there were times when fine dust exceeded the WHO threshold by 5-7 times, affecting the health of millions of people.

The Nhue - Day, Bac Hung Hai, and Cau river basins have organic pollution levels 3-5 times higher than allowed, while the budget for waste treatment is still too low, accounting for only about 1.2% of the total state budget expenditure, lower than Thailand, Indonesia, and Malaysia.

He pointed out that although the legal framework is progressive, there is still a "gap in action". Waste sorting at source only reaches about 15% of households, and many businesses still consider environmental costs a "burden" instead of an "investment for the future".

"All of that shows that Vietnam's environment is at its limit of tolerance. If there is no strong transformation, the cost of remediation will be much greater than the cost of prevention," Mr. Binh assessed.

From here, he realized that it was time to consider the environment as an indicator of national governance capacity, not just a technical task.

He proposed that the National Assembly include "green GDP", "low-carbon growth", and "environmental health index" in the system of national development indicators.

The government needs to issue a national green finance policy, issue climate bonds, establish local green funds and provide tax incentives for businesses investing in clean technology.

"One dong spent on the environment today will save dozens of dong for healthcare and disaster relief tomorrow," Mr. Binh said, suggesting administrative innovation, shifting from "control" to "smart monitoring".

Localities also need to be strongly decentralized according to the principle of "local decision - local action - local responsibility". Technology is the "extended arm" of public responsibility.

He stressed that environmental protection is not a trade-off for growth, but is the foundation for long-term development.

"If we do not act strongly today, tomorrow all economic achievements will be swept away by polluted water and suffocating air," Mr. Binh added.

Delegate Nguyen Lan Hieu - Photo: GIA HAN

There needs to be an investigation into the use of natural precious wood to make tables, chairs, cabinets, and beds.

Delegate Nguyen Lan Hieu (Gia Lai) said the monitoring delegation's report mentioned reforesting areas that had been cut down, but the most important thing now is to try to preserve the natural forest area.

"Perennial trees are the lungs, an effective mechanism to retain soil and water, avoiding landslides and floods that are happening more frequently and more severely in all regions of the country," said Mr. Hieu.

He suggested that the monitoring report should mention more specifically the situation of natural forest protection, stating clearly how much forest area will be used in the future, how to replant, what trees to plant...

"In particular, it is necessary to investigate the actual use of precious natural wood to make items such as tables, chairs, cabinets, and beds," Mr. Hieu suggested.

According to him, numbers are needed to prove "we are determined to protect the forest" and what results have been achieved.

He emphasized that to protect forests, we need to get to the "roots", which is the situation of deforestation to get wood to make utensils and to take forest land to develop projects.

According to delegate Nguyen Ngoc Son (Hai Phong), socio-economic development will not be sustainable if the environment continues to be considered "post-audit", "following behind", or "blocking risks".

He acknowledged that the environment has not received adequate investment. The budget for environmental causes is low, only about 0.7% of the state budget, in many localities it is below 0.3%, not enough to spend on monitoring, waste treatment, communication, inspection...

At the same time, it is proposed to increase public investment and budget expenditure for the environment. It is necessary to stipulate a minimum rate of 1% of total state budget expenditure for environmental causes - with public monitoring.

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Source: https://tuoitre.vn/dai-bieu-quoc-hoi-tranh-thanh-tuu-kinh-te-bi-dong-nuoc-o-nhiem-khong-khi-ngot-ngat-cuon-troi-20251028114345184.htm