Mitigation and measurement of greenhouse gas emissions in Viet Nam

With a new IKI project, the German Federal Environment Ministry is supporting the Vietnamese government with its ambitious climate change mitigation objectives. The project is helping to establish structures and gain knowledge for developing and implementing nationally appropriate mitigation actions (NAMAs).

Viet Nam's economy is growing rapidly, which is also reflected in the country's increasing rate of greenhouse gas emissions. Compared with 2000, the Vietnamese government estimates that its greenhouse gas emissions will double by 2020. At the same time, due to its location, Viet Nam is particularly threatened by the impacts of climate change. The country has a 3,600 kilometre coastline and two large river deltas where the Mekong and the Red River flow into the South China Sea. Of the 91.5 million residents, approximately every tenth person lives in a coastal region or in the delta region of the two large rivers. These people are therefore directly exposed to impacts of climate change such as increases in storm frequency or flooding as well as rising sea levels.

Within this context, the Vietnamese government has decided to take up measures of its own to mitigate its greenhouse gas emissions (nationally appropriate mitigation actions – NAMAs) that meet international standards for measurement, reporting and verification (MRV).

Through a new International Climate Initiative (IKI) project, the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety (BMUB) wants to support the Vietnamese government in achieving its ambitious climate objectives. Over a four-year timeframe, BMUB is providing funding of up to EUR 4 million; the project will be implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH. The specific aim of the project is to support Viet Nam's Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and other relevant institutions in establishing the necessary structures and expertise to develop and implement NAMAs. The project partners are creating a coordinating and advisory office for climate change mitigation activities, which will support the different line ministries in developing NAMAs that are eligible for financing, and will provide overall coordination for the process. To support the establishment of a national MRV system, an online platform will be created for collecting emissions data and information, and making these available. In the future, the new MRV system will pool together the mitigation impacts of all NAMAs.

MRV of greenhouse gas emissions is a core element of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. It serves to make the progress of individual states towards combatting climate change measurable and to ensure transparency. The new IKI project helps to further develop and implement effective MRV systems for voluntary climate change mitigation activities in developing and emerging economies which can serve as models for other countries.