Việt Nam, RoK step up cooperation in climate change response

Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Lê Công Thành speaks at the virtual meeting on Thursday. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Lê Công Thành and Deputy Minister of the Republic of Korea’s Ministry of Environment Hyoeun Jenny Kim co-chaired the first meeting of the Vietnam-RoK Joint Working Group on Climate Change Cooperation on June 20.

The virtual meeting came after both countries pledged to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 at the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in 2021.

Thành highlighted Vietnam’s National Climate Change Strategy (2021-2030) with a vision to 2050, which outlines measures for adaptation and mitigation. He pointed to numerous international agreements, including the 2021 Framework Agreement with the RoK as crucial steps in tackling climate change.

Việt Nam’s updated Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) submitted to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in 2022 commits to a 15.8 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, he said, adding that the country is planning a pilot domestic carbon market in 2025, with full operation targeted for 2028.

Looking ahead to COP29, Việt Nam hopes for clearer guidelines on climate finance goals and the establishment of rules for bilateral cooperation on carbon credit exchanges under the Paris Agreement’s Article 6, he said.

He expressed Việt Nam’s desire to learn from the RoK’s experience in developing its domestic carbon market and facilitating international carbon credit exchange, particularly for bilateral agreements.

Kim, for her part, highlighted the active participation of both sides in implementing the Framework Agreement, with the potential for further collaboration, especially on carbon markets.

Representatives from Vietnamese ministries presented proposals to strengthen bilateral cooperation in the field.

The Korean side also proposed projects on greenhouse gas reduction, including initiatives in non-fired brick production, rooftop solar power, biomass fuel use in industrial boilers, among others. — VNS