A solar energy tree system at the Marina Sands Bay, Singapore (Source :dulich-singapore.vn)
Hanoi (VNA) – Growing bioenergy plants in abandoned mining sites could help with environmental protection and climate change adaptation, experts said at a workshop in Hanoi on November 19.
Hoang Duong Tung, Deputy Head of the Vietnam Environment Administration under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MoNRE), said his ministry and cities and provinces across the country have approved 1,420 environmental rehabilitation projects for such sites since 2008.
However, in reality, many localities have yet to pay due attention to and invest properly in environmental protection and rehabilitation in mineral mining. This has resulted in the depletion of natural resources and has negatively affected the health and safety of local people.
He noted that MoNRE and the German Federal Ministry for Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety (BMU) studied the possibility of mitigating greenhouse gas emissions through growing bioenergy crops.
A suitable bioenergy cultivation system will help promote green growth in Vietnam , he added.
The term “energy plant” is new in Vietnam, he said. It should be popularised among management agencies, businesses, organisations and locals to increase the crops’ coverage and develop clean energy.
He expressed his hope that in the near future, Vietnam will cover extensive areas with energy plants.
The German side pledged to work closely with Vietnam in environmental protection and climate change resilience, especially by sharing experiences in growing energy crops.
The Independent Institute for Environmental Issues (UfU), which was started in 1989 by a group of nearly 40 East German scientists, prepared a feasibility study on bioenergy crops in Vietnam in 2013 and 2014 to investigate the potential for the cultivation of bioenergy crops in contaminated sites in Vietnam.
The research indicated that different bioenergy crop varieties, like cassava and jatropha, are already cultivated in Vietnam. The abandoned mining sites make the best case for the cultivation of energy crops, followed by sites that are contaminated by dioxins.-VNA
