Solutions for Emission Reduction Towards Green Development

Recent extreme weather events such as rain, floods, droughts, and heatwaves, occurring with increasing frequency, highlight the complex developments of climate change. This phenomenon is negatively affecting every aspect of social life and sustainable development worldwide. Greenhouse gas emissions are one of the main causes of global climate change. Therefore, to minimize environmental impact, practical solutions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions are essential.

Proactive and Effective Adaptation

According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Vietnam's agriculture sector contributes about 30% of the total national greenhouse gas emissions. Emissions in agriculture are mainly concentrated in three key areas: rice cultivation emits 49.7 million tons of CO2 equivalent (CO2e), accounting for 50%; livestock farming emits 18.5 million tons of CO2e, accounting for 19%; and land management and fertilizer use emit 13.2 million tons of CO2e, accounting for 13%.

In recent years, the agriculture sector has implemented various emission reduction measures that have yielded significant results. In the Winter-Spring season of 2023-2024, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Hau Giang province collaborated with the National Agricultural Extension Center and Binh Dien Fertilizer Joint Stock Company to implement a low-emission smart rice cultivation model linked to green growth on a 10-hectare area in Vi Trung and Vi Binh communes, Vi Thuy district (Hau Giang).

These models have shown practical effectiveness and suitability for cultivation in different regions, combined with thorough and systematic training and technical transfer to farmers for proactive application. Additionally, new criteria such as soil environment improvement, increased rice quality, environmentally friendly cultivation, and greenhouse gas emission reduction in rice farming were evaluated. Implementing new cultivation techniques significantly reduced the amount of seed, fertilizer, and pesticide usage while still achieving high yields. Furthermore, the model integrates mechanization from land preparation, seeding, fertilizing, pesticide spraying, harvesting, and straw collection from the field, enhancing cultivation efficiency, reducing losses, and utilizing post-harvest by-products.

According to Mr. Vo Xuan Tan, Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Hau Giang province, with the "Low-emission smart rice cultivation linked to green growth" model, farmers receive training and guidance on comprehensive cultivation techniques, and enterprises ensure the purchase of post-harvest products. Besides economic benefits, the model also contributes to environmental significance by reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Dong Thap is one of the five provinces and cities in the Mekong Delta region selected by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to pilot the 1 million hectares high-quality, low-emission rice specialization project. The implementation of the high-quality, low-emission rice cultivation model at Thang Loi Agricultural Service Cooperative marks the beginning of concerted actions among the province's farmers, businesses, and cooperatives to build a rice industry chain towards carbon emission reduction, quality enhancement, and value addition.

From the pilot model, Dong Thap's agriculture sector will draw practical production experiences to expand the area under the 1 million hectares high-quality, low-emission rice specialization project. This will gradually spread new production rhythms to rice cultivators. Mr. Le Van Chan, Deputy Director of the Dong Thap Plant Protection and Cultivation Sub-Department, informed that the province will implement the 1 million hectares high-quality, low-emission rice specialization project in key rice cultivation areas such as Hong Ngu, Tan Hong, Cao Lanh, Tam Nong, Thanh Binh, Thap Muoi districts, and Hong Ngu city. Dong Thap aims to have about 20,000 hectares of rice participating in the project by the end of 2024, expanding to 50,000 hectares by 2025, and reaching 161,000 hectares of high-quality, low-emission rice by 2030.

Reducing greenhouse gas emissions in agriculture, linked with carbon credit recognition, will become a target for Dak Lak's agriculture sector, aiming to create high-quality products and build an environmentally friendly agricultural brand, ready to participate in the carbon credit market when it becomes operational in 2028. This requires local agriculture sectors to adopt new methods to approach green agriculture, reducing greenhouse gas emissions in rice production in the coming period. Proposed solutions include promoting water management through alternate wetting and drying (AWD) and optimizing input materials using the "1 must, 5 reductions" technique (1 must: use certified seeds; 5 reductions: reduced seed rate, water, fertilizer, pesticide use, and post-harvest losses). According to Mr. Nguyen Hoai Duong, Director of the Dak Lak Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, low-emission rice production aligns with the province's green, sustainable, and high-quality agricultural development orientation, opening new prospects for Dak Lak's rice. Transitioning to low-carbon rice cultivation is an urgent requirement for Dak Lak's and Vietnam's rice industry.

Joint Action Against Climate Change

In Vietnam, since 2011, numerous laws, strategies, and policies on climate change have been enacted, with national, sectoral, and local action programs gradually being developed and implemented.

The 2020 Environmental Protection Law includes a chapter on climate change response. Numerous policies, programs, and actions on climate change response have been issued and implemented. Prominent among these are the plan on tasks and solutions to implement the results of COP26; the national strategy on climate change for the period up to 2050; the national action plan on green growth for 2021-2030; the plan to reduce methane emissions by 2030; the national plan to implement the Glasgow Declaration on Forests and Land Use by 2030; updates to the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC); approval of Power Plan VIII and the National Energy Development Master Plan aimed at significantly reducing coal power and replacing it with renewable energy and LNG power; the adoption of the Political Declaration establishing a Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) and the approval of the plan to implement the Political Declaration establishing a Just Energy Transition Partnership in Vietnam. Ministries and sectors have developed and issued plans to implement the net-zero emission target. Businesses have taken action, promoting green transformation to respond to climate change and develop a low-carbon economy.

Vietnam has identified various greenhouse gas emission reduction measures until 2030 for energy, agriculture, land use, land-use change and forestry, waste, and industrial processes. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has issued Decision No. 1693/KH-BNN-KHCN approving the plan to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions in the agriculture and rural development sector until 2030, with a vision to 2050.

Vietnam has issued the national climate change strategy for the period up to 2050, with the overall goal of proactive and effective adaptation, reducing vulnerability, losses, and damages due to climate change; reducing greenhouse gas emissions to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, contributing positively and responsibly to the international community in protecting the earth's climate system; and taking advantage of climate change response opportunities to shift the growth model, enhancing the resilience and competitiveness of the economy.

Regarding greenhouse gas emission reduction: By 2030, ensuring total national greenhouse gas emissions are reduced by 43.5% compared to the business-as-usual (BAU) scenario. Specifically, the energy sector will reduce by 32.6%, with emissions not exceeding 457 million tons of CO2 equivalent (CO2e); the agriculture sector will reduce by 43.0%, with emissions not exceeding 64 million tons of CO2e; the forestry and land use sector will reduce emissions by 70% and increase carbon absorption by 20%, with total emissions and absorption reaching at least -95 million tons of CO2e; the waste sector will reduce by 60.7%, with emissions not exceeding 18 million tons of CO2e; and the industrial processes sector will reduce by 38.3%, with emissions not exceeding 86 million tons of CO2e. Facilities with annual greenhouse gas emissions of 2,000 tons of CO2e or more must implement greenhouse gas emission reductions.

By 2050, ensuring total national greenhouse gas emissions reach net-zero; emissions will peak in 2035 and then decline rapidly. Specifically, the energy sector will reduce by 91.6%, with emissions not exceeding 101 million tons of CO2e; the agriculture sector will reduce by 63.1%, with emissions not exceeding 56 million tons of CO2e; the forestry and land use sector will reduce emissions by 90% and increase carbon absorption by 30%, with total emissions and absorption reaching at least -185 million tons of CO2e; the waste sector will reduce by 90.7%, with emissions not exceeding 8 million tons of CO2e; and the industrial processes sector will reduce by 84.8%, with emissions not exceeding 20 million tons of CO2e. Facilities with annual greenhouse gas emissions of 200 tons of CO2e or more must implement greenhouse gas emission reductions...

Source: Nguyen Hong Diep (Vietnam News Agency), original article link: Giải pháp giảm phát thải hướng tới phát triển xanh | baotintuc.vn