A national action plan on green growth was launched on July 2 by the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MoPI) with the assistance from the UN Development Programme.

The action plan aims to realise the National Strategy on Green Growth by 2020 with a vision to 2050, which was approved by the Prime Minister on September 25, 2012 with a total capital of 30 billion USD.

First of all, the ministry will review development plans of localities, ministries and sectors with a view to adjusting them along the green growth orientation.

Ministries, sectors and localities are required to develop their own plans of action to promote green growth and seek suitable mechanisms to mobilize funding for carrying out these plans.

The MoPI said attention should be paid to developing environmentally-friendly industries, reducing energy consumption in production, transport and trade and promoting the use of new clean energies. Besides, measures should be sought to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through developing sustainable agriculture, increasing the recycle of agricultural by-products, and expanding forest coverage to 45 percent by 2020.

New transport, energy and irrigational works should be designed to be able to adapt to climate change. New urban areas must meet new green standards while existing towns and cities will have to make changes to improve their environment.

According to the strategy, Vietnam is striving to decrease greenhouse gas emission in 2020 by 8-10 percent compared with that of 2010, while increasing the value of green and high technology products in GDP to 42-45 percent.-VNA