On Wednesday, a workshop to launch the project ‘Upgrading the Viet Nam 2050 Calculator Pathways and Developing a Version of Webtool for Provincial Policy Making Levels on Energy and Greenhouse Gas Emissions’ took place in Da Nang.

The project is part of the implementation of Calculator 2050, an open-source tool built in the UK, which aims to support energy policy making and measure greenhouse gas emissions to tackle climate change, improve air quality, and reduce dependence on fuel imports.

The workshop in progress

With support given by the British Embassy in Viet Nam, the project is being implemented from this month up to February 2017.  The aim is to help the city learn how to make policies for tightening the management of energy and greenhouse gas emissions.

The focus is to encourage local businesses, economic organisations and residents to become actively involved in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, cope with climate changes and promote environmental protection in the city.

Addressing the workshop, municipal People’s Committee Vice Chairman Nguyen Ngoc Tuan remarked that Da Nang, which boasts a 35km-long stunning coastline, is very vulnerable to the negative impacts of the increasing intensity of storms and rises in sea level.  The current changes in weather patterns and the increasing ocean acidification are adversely affecting the livelihoods of local residents, especially fishermen.

In an attempt to deal with this problem, Vice Chairman Tuan asked local relevant agencies to learn from the valuable experiences of domestic and foreign experts involved in the project.  This will help the city to develop effective polices for managing energy and reducing greenhouse gas emissions, as well as to take the initiative to cope with climate change and sea level rises in the near future.