Air pollution costs Vietnam at least 10.8 billion USD each year
Vietnam suffers around 10.8 – 13.2 billion USD worth of economic losses associated with ambient air pollution each year, equivalent to 4.45 – 5.64 percent of the country’s GDP, heard a discussion in Hanoi on January 14.
Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam suffers around 10.8 – 13.2 billion USD worthof economic losses associated with ambient air pollution each year, equivalentto 4.45 – 5.64 percent of the country’s GDP, heard a discussion in Hanoi onJanuary 14.
The figure is calculated by a research project of the National University ofEconomics (NEU), according to Associate Professor Dinh Duc Truong, Director ofthe NEU’s faculty of environment, climate change and urban development.
He also cited another research project conducted by theBill and Melinda Gates Foundation which claimed that some 71,000 deaths inVietnam in 2018 were caused by environmental pollution, with around 50,000deaths directed related to air pollution.
President of the Vietnam Clean Air Network Hoang Duong Tung said that emissionsfrom vehicles are a major source of air pollution in urban areas (60 percent),adding Vietnam is the world’s fourth largest motorcycle market with 46 millionvehicles, after China, India and Indonesia.
Coal-fired power plants, cement and steel production facilities, constructionactivities and the burning of stubble, are also responsible for a largeproportion of urban air pollution, he added.
To cut pollution, Tung suggested limiting the use of personal vehicles anddeveloping public transport infrastructure. He also laid stress on the need tocomplete a legal framework, enhance environmental monitoring activities, andpublicise monitoring information for coal-fired, steel, cement and chemicalplants.
Meanwhile, Truong underlined that comprehensive measures should be put in placeto reduce activities that harm the environment.
He recommended applying carbon taxes and environmental fees, issuing greenbonds and encouraging investment in the form of Public-Private partnership inenvironmental monitoring activities and clean energy./.
Kindergartens and primary schools in Hanoi will be closed if the air quality index (AQI) hits 300 and above, equivalent to hazardous levels, city authorities announced on December 25.
The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MoNRE) has been installing a system to monitor air quality across all provinces and cities with a view to improving air quality and people’s health.
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Wutip, the first storm in the East Sea so far this year, has wreaked havoc across central Vietnam, claiming lives, displacing residents, and causing widespread damage to houses, crops, and infrastructure, the Department of Dyke Management and Disaster Prevention and Control reported as of 6:30 pm on June 13.
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Vietnam has demonstrated its strong commitments by participating in global sustainable development forums, signing multiple free trade agreements, and attracting support from international partners for the implementation of the SDGs.
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This year’s World Oceans Day on June 8 is themed 'Wonderful Oceans: Sustaining What Sustains Us', while World Environment Day is on June 5 with the theme: 'Beat Plastic Pollution'.
According to Director of the provincial Department of Agriculture and Environment Le Huu Toan, a fire prevention and control plan has been in place since the dry season began, including round-the-clock patrols and rapid-response teams to snuff out fires before they could spread.
Renowned artists including Ha Anh Tuan, Den Vau, and Phan Manh Quynh, along with many directors and attendees, took part in planting hundreds of rare tree species such as mun (Diospyros mun) and cho chi (Parashorea chinensis) in the Thung Bong area of the Cuc Phuong National Park, contributing to forest ecosystem restoration.
Hanoi is suffering bad air days. (Photo: VNA) 
