School education on climate change adaptation promoted

An online conference was held in Hanoi and Vinh city, central Nghe An province, on August 21 to promote communication and education on climate change response and natural disaster prevention at school.
An online conference was held in Hanoi and Vinh city, central Nghe An province, on August 21 to promote communication and education on climate change response and natural disaster prevention at school.

Experts warned that Vietnam sits in the region dominated by monsoon tropical climate and near one of the world’s storm hotspots.

Over the past 15 years, natural disasters, including storms, floods, droughts and landslides, have killed and injured more than 10,700 people, while causing economic losses of about 1.5 percent of GDP each year, according to the Hydrometeorology and Climate Change Department.

The education sector is particularly vulnerable to the impact of environmental changes so the Ministry of Education and Training has issued an action plan to realise the national strategy on disaster prevention and mitigation between 2011 and 2020.

It has also enhanced cooperation with international and non-governmental partners in disaster risk management as well as set up a coordinating group in the field with the engagement of over 20 foreign organisations.

From now to 2015, the ministry plans to design PowerPoint lessons to equip teachers and students – who make up 25 percent of the national population, with necessary skills for climate change adaptation.

It will build schools that can resist natural disasters in vulnerable areas and concentrate on human resources training.-VNA

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