Special edition

The ice-sheets in Greenland and the Antarctic will continue to melt and sea levels will keep on rising as a consequence of global warming, regardless of whether the world’s leaders can reach a consensus at the 15th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP15) in Copenhagen this December, an important cornerstone for international climate negotiations.

The ice-sheets in Greenland and the Antarctic will continue to melt and sea levels will keep on rising as a consequence of global warming, regardless of whether the world’s leaders can reach a consensus at the 15th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP15) in Copenhagen this December, an important cornerstone for international climate negotiations.

Climate change is presented as one of the greatest challenges to development and a serious threat to human and economic progress.

Vietnam is among the countries predicted to be the most affected by climate change. Its climate, complex topography and long coastline make the nation one of the most disaster-prone in the world. Most of the disasters in Vietnam relate to the weather and climate conditions with storms, floods, droughts and other calamities taking a heavy toll on human life and assets. Climate change imposes not only changes in climatic variability, but also the frequency and intensity of extreme events. Thus, these disasters are more severe and difficult to predict and present a definite threat to Vietnam’s long-term sustainable development.

Despite its great efforts to ensure that the impacts of climate change do not jeopardise Vietnam’s impressive development achievements, the country like many other developing nations, cannot afford to do the work alone. International financial and technical support has been particularly helpful for Vietnam in coping with this global threat.

The assistance of the United Nations mission in Vietnam for the publication of this special edition, The Climate for Change, is part of such international support. The Editorial Management Board of Vietnam Investment Review (VIR) – the press office of Vietnam’s Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI) – would like to express its deep gratitude to the UN mission in Vietnam for its valuable assistance.

VIR’s Editorial Management Board also would like to express its deep gratitude to the Vietnam Institute of Meteorology, Hydrology and Environment (IMHEN) under Vietnam’s Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment for its particular assistance in the publication of this special edition.

VIR’s Editorial Management Board would like to thank the Government Office, the MPI, the Ministry of Information and Communications and other ministries and government line agencies for their valuable support to this publication.

VIR’s Editorial Management Board expects this special edition will offer up-to-date information about the effects of climate change on Vietnam’s ongoing development, Vietnam’s efforts to adapt to and mitigate this huge challenge, and the wider views on climate change of the public, foreign organisations and diplomatic delegations.

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