Global integration creates plenty of opportunities for Vietnam’s promotion of environmental protection. To make these opportunities come true, challenges from public awareness and legislation as well as the efficacy of environmental protection projects need to be eliminated .
Great opportunity from “open-door policy”
Vietnam Communist Party and Government have paid increasing attention to environmental protection work, especially since its adoption of open-door policies and the expansion of regional and international cooperation. “No sacrifice for economic development” and “Environmental protection investment means investment for sustainable development” are guiding viewpoints that Vietnamese people and international community agree upon.
International economic integration has been bringing out plenty of great opportunities to Vietnam’s environment industry. There are three noticeable benefits in terms of public awareness, finance and technology.
Opening doors for global integration, Vietnam has participated in environment organizations and working groups, thus gaining information and knowledge on environment developments and global climate change, updating global trend of environmental protection and perceiving reciprocal relations and impacts of foreign trade and environment. International experience shows that many countries have paid a heavy price for industrialization due to lack of adequate attention on environmental protection.
The obtainment of ODA funds for the purpose of implementation of environmental protection projects is a significant benefit that Vietnam enjoys from global economic integration. At present, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment alone is implementing 56 programs and projects with a total budget of US$ 455.5 million, of which US$ 371 million is from international support.
In addition, Vietnam receives transfer of advanced technology, greener technology and waste-reducing technology. Over the past few years, many foreign-invested projects in Vietnam have applied technology advances which cause less pollution, less greenhouse gas omission and use raw materials and energy more effectively.
How to overcome quite big challenges?
Opportunities from international investment and cooperation in the fields of environment protection only sustains if we proactively overcome existing problems of public awareness, legislation and at the same time strengthen the capacity of environmental project implementation.
Being conscious of environmental protection, the public however considers short-term economic benefits and ignores environmental benefits and long-term consequences. That is the reason why existing pollution hotspots remain unchanged while new ones emerge and develop more complicatedly.
In addition, the system of legislation, mechanism and policies relating to environmental protection has not been completed. The overlapping and conflict among environment-related legislations and policies still remain while pollution is everywhere from resident areas to industrial parks, from farming fields to rivers, etc.
In the context of deeper international economic integration, with a view to achieve highly effective environmental protection work, comprehensive measures should be implemented. Such wide-ranging measures include raising awareness of all levels of authority, sectors and public, reviewing and revising related legislation system (Law on Environmental Protection, Mineral Law, Law on Water Resources, Land Law, Law on Construction, Transport and Maritime Law, Administrative and Tax Law, etc.) to mitigate overlapping content. In particular, in the future, it is important and necessary to reach early completion of draft law on environmental protection.
In terms of international cooperation, it is necessary for Vietnam to extend strategic partnership relating to environmental protection, enforce international treaties on environmental protection and bilateral and multilateral agreements on environment resources that Vietnam has signed so far.
Đăng ký: VietNam News
