The Environmental Protection Law 2005 revealed some shortcomings and does not promote the role as a legal foundation, as well as does not keep up the trend of rapid and sustainable development of the economy. To meet these requirements, the 13th National Assembly, the 7th session passed the amended Law on Environmental Protection (Environmental Protection Law 2014). The Environmental Protection Law 2014, which comes into effect from January 1st 2015, includes the specific contents with many new features compared to the Environmental Protection Law 2005.New contents
The Environmental Protection Law 2014 includes 20 chapters and 170 articles – an increase of 5 chapters and 34 articles compared with the Law on Environmental Protection 2005. The content of the Environmental Protection Law 2014 specifies the sense of Article 43 of the Constitution of 2013: “Everyone has the right to live in a healthy environment and is obliged to protect the environment.”
According to Mr Bui Cach Tuyen, Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, General Director of the Environment Administration, in the Environmental Protection Law 2014, the strategic environment assessment is more limited, focusing on strategy and planning, reducing plans that need to assess the environmental impact. Environmental protection plan, a new term, is based on a commitment to environmental protection in the old law. However, the environmental protection plan has new aspects which are more advanced and can be easily applied in existing social conditions. The Environmental Protection Law 2014 has a separate chapter on climate change. Climate change (CC) is a major problem of the world, as well as Vietnam, a country with a long coastline leaving it vulnerable to the effects of CC. Especially, there is one chapter on marine environmental protection and islands. This is a general chapter, giving the principle problems in creating unity of the Environmental Protection Law. These details will be formed in the sea and islands natural resources Law that the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment prepares to submit to the Parliament for approval and promulgation. It clearly defines the responsibilities of ministries. As Article 141, 142 of the Environmental Protection Law 2014, the Minister of Natural Resources and Environment is responsible at the Government for all matters related to the legislation under the Law. The other Ministries are involved to implement aspects of the Law. The Law also adds new concepts such as the concept of green growth, environmentally friendly products, and the provisions on the laboratories and research facilities related to Agent Orange (Dioxin). A new feature is the mention of the role of social organizations such as the Fatherland Front’s participation in environmental protection. The Law has provisions to enhance the role of the organization in hand with the community to participate in environmental protection.
It is important to raise awareness of environmental protection
During the implementation process of industrialisation and modernisation of the country, the introduction and development of many factories discharges increased industrial waste gases into the environment, so environmental protection has vital meaning. If there is no environmental protection or waste treatment before discharge into the environment, it will cause serious consequences to health, human life and the sustainable development of the country. The environmental protection has somewhat limited the harmful effects of waste and emissions of factories. The world now faces the situation that the Earth is heating up, and the problem of environmental protection is no longer the duty of individuals, but of all mankind. Environmental protection is one of the problems of human survival, the factor that ensures the health and quality of life of the people; contributing to socio-economic development, political stability, national security and promoting international economic integration of our country.
According to Dr Nguyen Trung Thang, Deputy Director, Institute of Strategy and Policy on Environment, when the Law on Environmental Protection comes into effect, it creates positive features in the protection of the environment, contributing to changing perceptions of organisations and individuals in performing the task of protecting the environment, to meet the requirements of sustainable development of the country. The violations of environmental protection are still ongoing, with increasingly complex and sophisticated forms, as the development of small and medium hydropower projects, mining projects and massive forest land conversion projects are so severe. The main cause of these is that the environmental assessment is overlooked or done without an earnest consideration of the competent authorities assigned to carry out the process of environmental impact assessment.
Hoang Minh Son, Deputy Director of the Legal Policy Department, the Environment Administration, said that people’s awareness is still the most important thing, and in addition to the institutional policy of the State to strengthen environmental protection, it is needed to have extensive propaganda activities to raise awareness of environmental protection and education on environmental protection. Each of us should join hands together to participate in environmental protection through specific jobs. Let’s make the world cleaner, “Save the Earth” is the slogan of the whole of humanity today.
Do Ngoc
Đăng ký: VietNam News