Part II: Adapting to develop

Climate change (CC) has been clearly affecting all aspects of life, typically the increasingly unusual and extreme forms of natural disasters. In this reality, the requirement is not only to strengthen the capacity for natural disaster prevention and control (PCTT) but also to proactively adapt to CC in a comprehensive manner. Phu Tho province is synchronously implementing engineering and non-engineering solutions, from planning, science and technology, transforming livelihood models to improving community capacity, promoting green transformation, developing low-carbon economy... to minimize risks and ensure stable life.

Báo Phú Thọ•24/06/2025

Responding to Climate Change: Identifying Challenges, Taking Practical Action

Students of Van Lang Secondary School, Viet Tri city, paint murals about natural disaster prevention and raise awareness about climate change.

Prevention is better than cure.

In the development orientation, the Resolutions of the 18th Phu Tho Provincial Party Congress, term 2015-2020 and the 19th Phu Tho Provincial Party Congress, term 2020-2025 both set the task of strengthening management and effective use of resources, environmental protection, proactively preventing natural disasters, and responding to climate change as key tasks.

On that basis, Phu Tho province synchronously deploys both structural and non-structural solutions to effectively adapt to climate change, reduce disaster risks and enhance resilience and adaptive capacity of communities, economic sectors and ecosystems. Contents such as integrating PCTT and CC into socio-economic development planning; investing in infrastructure towards adaptation based on risk zoning; improving disaster warning and forecasting capacity using digital technology; upgrading irrigation systems, dams, river embankments, and handling vulnerable points; arranging residents in high-risk areas; focusing on communication and raising public awareness; protecting natural forests and biodiversity; developing ecological, organic, smart, low-emission agriculture; promoting adaptive livelihood models based on local advantages... are being implemented relatively synchronously and in depth by the province.

The implementation of flash flood, landslide and multi-disaster warning forecasts on a digital technology platform helps provide timely and accurate information, effectively serving the work of PCTT. In the province, applications and software systems continue to be maintained to update information, forecasts and warnings on weather, hydrometeorology including: National disaster monitoring system, automatic rain gauge system, satellite cloud image monitoring system, maintaining 2 camera points to monitor water levels at Bua River and Thao River...

In community communication and education, the province improves the quality and diversifies the forms of communication and dissemination of knowledge on proactive response to climate change. Implement training, coaching and support programs to improve farmers' resilience to climate change, including providing knowledge on sustainable farming methods, efficient use of water resources and application of technology in agricultural production, environmental protection and adaptation to climate change. In particular, mobilize the participation of the community and use indigenous knowledge in responding to climate change, creating commitment and consensus in implementing response measures.

Along with raising public awareness, the province focuses on implementing fundamental technical solutions, especially investing in irrigation infrastructure and consolidating disaster prevention and control works - a key factor in minimizing risks and protecting people's safety. From 2021 to the end of 2024, the province has implemented 20 emergency treatment works, including 12 works to handle river bank erosion with a length of over 10km; 2 works to handle embankment erosion, 1.4km long; 4 works to handle culverts; 2 dike incident works. Implemented 41 projects to repair and renovate culverts under the dike; maintained and repaired 5.4km of embankment, 3.1km of dike corridor; renovated, upgraded and completed repairs of 45.6km of dikes of all kinds. Implemented renovation, repair and upgrading of 27 dams in the province; Focus on dredging many frequently flooded drainage canals to ensure flood drainage.

At the same time, invest in, relocate, and rearrange residential areas in areas frequently affected by extreme climate. In the 2021-2024 period, implement 3 projects to stabilize residents in disaster-affected areas in Tan Son district and continue to implement a number of key projects on disaster prevention and control.

In recent times, serious landslides due to natural disasters have directly threatened the safety of households in Nhang hamlet, Kim Thuong commune, Tan Son district. In this situation, the Provincial People's Committee decided to build a resettlement area on an area of nearly 5 hectares, about 1km from the old location, to urgently relocate more than 60 households living in areas at high risk of landslides. Mr. Ha Van Than - Head of the area said: "Thanks to the attention and support of the State, the resettlement area has been built spaciously, with synchronous infrastructure. Since then, people have been assured to stabilize their lives, restore and develop their livelihoods, opening up new opportunities for people to have a solid place to live, better living conditions, more favorable production and most importantly, no longer have to worry about the storms and rains".

Part II: Adapting to develop

The resettlement area for the disaster area in Nhang hamlet, Kim Thuong commune, Tan Son district was completed, helping to stabilize the lives of people in the landslide area.

Integrating strategic response solutions

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

Phu Tho province's 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 to implement the national strategy for disaster prevention and response to 2030, with a vision to 2050 of Phu Tho province; Disaster prevention and response and search and rescue plan for the period 2021-2026. Integrate climate change monitoring results according to the provisions of Article 37 of the Law on Hydrometeorology into the province's strategies, planning and plans. The Provincial People's Committee approved "Zoning and map of zoning of flood and flash flood risks 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 advances in responding to climate change, resource management and environmental protection to meet the requirements of socio-economic development of the province. Many provincial-level scientific and technological topics and projects have been and are being implemented, contributing to the exploitation, rational and effective use of natural resources, environmental protection, practically serving the work of forecasting and warning about resources and environment, overcoming environmental degradation, incidents and climate change in the area.

Although solutions have been implemented, due to limited resources and low public awareness... while the challenges posed by climate change are increasingly complex, they are beyond the response capacity of a single industry, field or locality, requiring drastic, synchronous and long-term participation of the entire political system, business community and society as a whole.

Therefore, in the coming time, it is necessary to continue to issue appropriate integrated policies and measures for all sectors and industries. Promote the implementation of the National Strategy on Green Growth for the period 2021 - 2030, vision 2050; National Strategy on Climate Change for the period up to 2050. Strengthen the synchronous implementation of mechanisms, policies and laws on climate change suitable to each stage of socio-economic development of the province, in harmony with national and global policies and international treaties on climate change to which Vietnam is a member.

In particular, the province has issued the Climate Change Adaptation Plan for Phu Tho province 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 Control, said: “The tasks and solutions set out 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, adaptive infrastructure development, strengthening healthcare and social security are given special attention to minimize the impacts of climate change. At the same time, promoting disaster risk reduction through forecasting, early warning and construction and upgrading of disaster prevention works to protect people's lives and property from increasing extreme climate phenomena. The goal is to minimize vulnerability and risks to the negative impacts of climate change through improving the resilience and adaptive capacity of nature and society, minimizing losses and damages”.

Adapting to climate change is no longer an option but has become a mandatory requirement in the development process of each locality. With high political determination, long-term vision and 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 for today but also opens up green growth opportunities for the future. It is an irreversible development path, requiring the consensus and joint efforts of the entire political system, business community and 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, taking practical action
Currently, climate change (CC) is becoming increasingly complex, causing many negative consequences and implications. The abnormality and unpredictability of CC has affected almost all areas in all aspects, from society to the economy, not only causing extreme weather phenomena such as floods, droughts, storms, landslides, but also affecting food security, water resources, public health and even national security. In the face of this situation, correctly identifying the challenges and concretizing them into sustainable response actions is an urgent requirement, requiring the synchronous participation of the entire political system and society.