Part II: Adapting for Development

Responding to climate change: Identifying challenges, taking practical action.

Students at Van Lang Secondary School in Viet Tri City painted murals about disaster prevention and raising awareness about climate change.

Prevention is better than cure.

In its development orientation, the Resolutions of the 18th Congress of the Phu Tho Provincial Party Committee (2015-2020 term) and the 19th Congress (2020-2025 term) both prioritize strengthening the management and effective use of resources, protecting the environment, proactively preventing and mitigating natural disasters, and responding to climate change.

Based on this, Phu Tho province is implementing a comprehensive set of solutions, both structural and non-structural, to effectively adapt to climate change, mitigate natural disaster risks, and enhance the resilience and adaptive capacity of communities, economic sectors, and ecosystems. These include integrating disaster prevention and climate change mitigation into socio-economic development planning; investing in adaptive infrastructure based on risk zoning; improving disaster warning and forecasting capabilities using digital technology; upgrading irrigation systems, reservoirs, dams, and river embankments; addressing vulnerable points; relocating residents in high-risk areas; focusing on communication and raising community awareness; protecting natural forests and biodiversity; developing ecological, organic, smart, and low-emission agriculture; and promoting adaptive livelihood models based on local advantages. These measures are being implemented relatively comprehensively and in depth by the province.

The deployment of digital technology- based forecasts for flash floods, landslides, and multiple natural disasters helps provide timely and accurate information, effectively serving disaster prevention and control efforts. The province continues to maintain applications and software systems to update weather and hydrological information, including: the National Disaster Monitoring System, the automatic rain gauge system, the satellite cloud imagery tracking system, and two camera monitoring points for water levels on the Bua and Thao rivers...

In community outreach and education, the province is improving the quality and diversifying the forms of communication and dissemination of knowledge on proactively responding to climate change. It is implementing training and support programs to enhance farmers' resilience to climate change, including providing knowledge on sustainable farming methods, efficient water use, and the application of technology in agricultural production, environmental protection, and climate change adaptation. In particular, it is mobilizing community participation and utilizing indigenous knowledge in responding to climate change, creating commitment and consensus in implementing response measures.

Alongside raising public awareness, the province focuses on implementing fundamental technical solutions, especially investing in irrigation infrastructure and strengthening flood control structures – key factors in minimizing risks and protecting people's safety. From 2021 to the end of 2024, the province implemented 20 emergency response projects, including 12 projects addressing riverbank erosion with a length of over 10km; 2 projects addressing embankment erosion, with a length of 1.4km; 4 projects addressing culverts; and 2 projects addressing dike failures. 41 projects were carried out to repair and maintain culverts under dikes; 5.4km of embankments and 3.1km of dike corridor roads were maintained and repaired; and 45.6km of various types of dikes were renovated, upgraded, and repaired. 27 reservoir and dam projects were also renovated, repaired, and upgraded in the province. Focus on dredging many drainage canals that are frequently flooded to ensure proper flood drainage.

Simultaneously, investment will be made in relocating and reorganizing residential areas in regions frequently affected by extreme weather events. During the 2021-2024 period, three projects for the stable resettlement of residents in disaster-prone areas within Tan Son district will be implemented, and several key projects on disaster prevention and control will continue to be deployed.

Recently, severe landslides caused by natural disasters have directly threatened the safety of households in Nhang hamlet, Kim Thuong commune, Tan Son district. In response, the Provincial People's Committee decided to build a resettlement area on nearly 5 hectares, about 1km from the original location, to urgently relocate more than 60 households living in the high-risk landslide area. Mr. Ha Van Than, the head of the resettlement area, said: “Thanks to the attention and support of the State, the resettlement area has been built in a modern and well-equipped manner. As a result, the people can now feel secure in their lives, recover and develop their livelihoods, opening up new opportunities for them to have a stable place to live, better living conditions, more favorable production, and most importantly, no longer have to worry every time storms and floods come.”

Part II: Adapting for Development

The resettlement area for people affected by landslides in Nhàng hamlet, Kim Thượng commune, Tân Sơn district, has been completed, helping to stabilize the lives of residents in the landslide-affected area.

Integrating strategic response solutions

Responding to climate change is not only a solution for protection but also an opportunity to restructure the growth model towards green and sustainable development. All levels and sectors in the province have proactively integrated the content and results of climate change monitoring into the province's and sector's overall development plans. Through this, the province has implemented specific and scientific measures to adjust development policies, protect the environment, minimize negative impacts from climate change, and build effective early warning systems and disaster prevention and control solutions.

The Phu Tho Provincial Planning for the period 2021-2030, with a vision to 2050, includes a plan for disaster prevention and response to climate change; the province also issued a Plan for implementing the national strategy for disaster prevention and control until 2030, with a vision to 2050 for Phu Tho province; and a Disaster Prevention and Control and Search and Rescue Plan for the period 2021-2026. The province integrates the results of climate change monitoring, as stipulated in Article 37 of the Law on Meteorology and Hydrology, into its strategies, plans, and programs. The Provincial People's Committee approved the "Zoning and mapping of flood and flash flood risk zones under the impact of climate change in Phu Tho province".

With the view that socio-economic development must be based on science, technology, and high-quality human resources, Phu Tho province has paid attention to and promoted research and application of scientific and technological advancements in responding to climate change, managing resources, and protecting the environment to meet the socio-economic development requirements of the province. Many provincial-level science and technology projects have been and are being implemented, contributing to the rational and effective exploitation and use of natural resources, environmental protection, and practically serving the work of forecasting and warning about resources and the environment, mitigating environmental degradation and incidents, and responding to climate change in the province.

Despite implementing solutions, due to limited resources and a lack of community awareness, the challenges posed by climate change are becoming increasingly complex, exceeding the capacity of any single sector, field, or locality to respond. This requires decisive, coordinated, and long-term involvement from the entire political system, the business community, and society as a whole.

Therefore, in the coming period, it is necessary to continue issuing appropriate integrated policies and measures for all sectors and industries. It is crucial to accelerate the implementation of the National Strategy on Green Growth for the period 2021-2030, with a vision to 2050; and the National Strategy on Climate Change for the period up to 2050. Furthermore, it is essential to strengthen the synchronized implementation of mechanisms, policies, and laws on climate change, in accordance with each stage of the province's socio-economic development, and in harmony with national and global policies and international climate change treaties to which Vietnam is a signatory.

In particular, the province has issued the Phu Tho Provincial Climate Change Adaptation Plan for the period 2021-2030, with a vision to 2050 (updated). Comrade Tran Quoc Binh - Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Environment, Standing Member of the Provincial Steering Committee for Disaster Prevention and Search and Rescue, said: “The tasks and solutions outlined in the Plan are quite comprehensive, focusing on improving the resilience and adaptability of nature, economy, and society, ensuring sustainable livelihoods. Smart agriculture, forest and ecosystem management, development of adaptive infrastructure, and strengthening health and social security are given special attention to minimize the impacts of climate change. At the same time, we will promote disaster risk reduction through forecasting, early warning, and the construction and upgrading of disaster prevention and control works to protect people's lives and property from increasing extreme weather events. The goal is to minimize vulnerability and risks from the negative impacts of climate change by improving the resilience and adaptability of nature and society, and minimizing losses and damage.”

Adapting to climate change is no longer an option but a mandatory requirement in the development process of each locality. With strong political will, a long-term vision, and a comprehensive approach, Phu Tho province is gradually concretizing strategic goals into practical and effective actions. Integrating climate adaptation into socio-economic development not only contributes to protecting a sustainable living environment today but also opens up opportunities for green growth in the future. This is an irreversible path of development, requiring the concerted efforts of the entire political system, the business community, and the people, for a community safe from natural disasters and proactive in the face of climate change.

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Responding to climate change: Identifying challenges, to take practical action.
Currently, climate change is becoming increasingly complex, causing many negative consequences and repercussions. The unpredictability and abnormality of climate change have impacted almost all sectors, from society to the economy, not only causing extreme weather events such as floods, droughts, storms, and landslides, but also affecting food security, water resources, public health, and even national security. Given this reality, correctly identifying the challenges and translating them into sustainable response actions is an urgent requirement, demanding the concerted efforts of the entire political system and society.