Mai Hoang Climate Writing by Mai Mai

by Mai Ngoc Xuan Hoang

Foreword In recalling memories from my childhood, two experiences stand out to me the most, both having to do with a certain Party broadcaster’s monotone announcements, perspiration, the changing flow of water and the tense silence of night... ~ ON AIR ~ “This is an important news bulletin. To cope with the ravaging drought, hydroelectric turbines will be turned off today from 7pm to midnight in districts 9 to 12. This is in accordance with the Five Year Plan. Listen. Listen carefully.” Candle nights we called them — district-wide blackouts that bore the regularity of fire drills or flea market gatherings — nothing newsworthy. I looked forward to them in a way. There was something romantic, after all, about doing one’s homework in the flicker of the yellow flame or the searing white flashlight. The only irksome part was the awful heat, which would rise, as it seemed, from the very matted floor we lay on and the four walls that enclosed us in that airless oven. And then there were the flood nights, which came hard on the heels of the dry season’s conclusion. Indeed, my childhood Saigon seemed to always have either too much or too little water — never just enough. I was luckier than many. The most damage our domicile ever incurred from flood nights was a few damp patches here and there, half a feet of water on the floor. Nothing permanent. Returning home after my first school year away, I was most struck by the absence of candle nights. Sure, it was a gradual change — the number of power cuts Saigon residents experienced had been on the decline since 3

2010. But some things one doesn’t quite notice until one has been away. Thanks to new coal-fired power plants that more than doubled our energy output in less than a decade, Vietnam is now quite immune to the willy-nillies of natural rainfall and hydroelectric turbines. But at what cost? In 2019, Ha Noi became the world’s most polluted city, according to World Air Quality. Smog from burning fossils hangs like a white curtain of fog on the country’s capital. As to the flood nights, they did not disappear, oh no. In Ho Chi Minh, the flood nights increased in frequency and scale, wreaking damage not only to family homes but also to the city’s streets. Water, with nowhere to drain now that natural swamps around the city have mostly been filled up for the construction of new apartments, forms rivers that disable even the most resilient of motorbike engines. One can imagine the chaos that ensues. Every year, we are flooded, more from increasingly unpredictable tropical storms now than monsoon season. These two stories — the nights of floods and the nights of candles — may not seem connected, but in my fifteen-year-old mind they both represented how Vietnam has treated its environment in the name of development; how, in the ten short years between my childhood and my studying abroad, my city and country have changed dramatically in their status as culprit and victim of climate change. For, make no mistake, adverse weather events in Vietnam have much to do with global warming, ultimately the result of our releasing too much greenhouse gases, burning too much fossil fuels for energy. Two summers ago, I began pondering what other stories out there were symptomatic of climate change in my country. After all, us residents of Saigon by no means had it the worst. I looked North and South to talk to 4

people who had experienced crop loss due to unpredictable temperatures, the complete demise of their home and family from a ravaging flood. This climate writing portfolio, then, is the product of my two-year search for climate stories, as well as countless attempts to pitch to media outlets local and international. Here you will find seventeen of my most cherished stories about climate impact, climate adaptation, climate mitigation, and climate negotiations â&#x20AC;&#x201D; specifically the United Nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 24th Climate Change Conference (COP24), which I had the privilege to attend with climate journalism NGO Climate Tracker as the youngest-ever Journalism Fellow. In my country, protesting is illegal and striking is unheard of. There is not much one can do by way of traditional climate activism. Journalism is my form of activism. By communicating climate stories with sound science as well as a human face, I hope to connect different stakeholders and decision makers with each other â&#x20AC;&#x201D; the scientists, the policymakers, and yes, most importantly, the people. Despite my childhood fondness for them, I do not want to bring back the candle nights. I understand the importance of economic development, which has lifted so many in my country out of hunger and destitution. Still, I believe that there is another way of doing things, a greener, brighter path that does not lead to flood nights, or crop-loss nights, or breathing-through-pollution nights. And it starts from knowing where our priorities lie.

Table of Contents INTERNATIONAL MEDIA

Waste energy – an opportunity wasted

Son Doong: A Cave’s Story

Vietnam ranks 6th on global climate vulnerability list

We’re not suggesting developing countries stop using coal immediately, says IPCC co-chair

Defining a “just transition” for Vietnam

Global Strikes #1: Climate Justice & Intersectionality 37 Global Strikes #2: To the Youth Leaders — Don’t Let 43 Your Movement be Co-opted! NATIONAL MEDIA (English)

The Perilous Life in the North

Highlighting the downside of thermal power

Earth Hour Vietnam: The Story of a Youth-Empowered Movement

NATIONAL MEDIA (translated from Vietnamese original)

Salt Intrusion in the Mekong: The Solutions are Here - Will They be Accepted? 88 Sao Vang - Dai Nguyet: Another Oily Deal Signed 93 Should Vietnam Continue to Develop its Petroleum Industry? COP24: Climate Discussions Stall Over Financial Concerns – What is in it for Developing Countries? 101 The Silesian Promise: A True Just Transition, or Just a Declaration? 104 80 Percent of Those Displaced by Climate Change are Women

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Where are Indigenous Peoples at the UN’s Largest Climate Talk? 112 A Conversation with Tom B.K. Goldtooth, Executive Director, Indigenous Environmental Network Greta Thunberg and Our Generation’s Scandalous Climate Demands

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INTERNATIONAL MEDIA Articles published, republished or currated by newspapers with an international readership.

Waste energy â&#x20AC;&#x201C; an opportunity wasted MEKONG EYE - EARTH JOURNALISM NETWORK Site traffic: 2000 readers/month Republished on Sep 07, 2018 SAIGON GIAI PHONG ONLINE Originally published at: 18:16, Sep 06, 2018 When one hears of the word pig farm, what image first comes to mind? Most probably filth and rot, the characteristic mind-numbing waft of disintegrating excrement and decaying food.

Photo credit: Mekong Eye And one would not be far from the truth; every year, Vietnamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 27 million pigs generate emissions equivalent to around 4.3 million tons of CO2, with strong smells and negative effects on human health. Not only that, just like carbon dioxide, methane, ammonia and hydrogen sulfide are 10

greenhouse gases that also contribute to air pollution and global waming. Though data on the total impact of emissions from breeding is still unavailable, research conducted at specific municipals has yielded dire results: household-scale breeders generate 18 times more ammonia than permitted, while large commercial breeders generate 21 times more. What many do not know, is that these pernicious emissions could be used to generate electricity. “Up to now, Vietnam has not had a comprehensive mechanism for supporting the development of renewable energy, aside from the subsidies for wind power and waste-generated electricity, approved in 2011 and 2014 respectively,” Tran Van Khai, Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Biogas Association (VBA), wrote in a biogas energy report from 2014. “Biogas energy is an attractive investment, if we have appropriate policies for it. “ Khai declared in an interview, “I am very frustrated about the delay in biomass energy development in Vietnam. Everything is so slow.” Four years after his report was published, and Vietnam still has only five biomass plants, operating in Gia Lai, Phu Yen, An Giang and Tuyen Quang, with a total capacity of 205 MW. None of them utilizes animal excretion. Among these five, the An Khe, Gia Lai biomass power plant, which uses bagasse from An Khe sugar factory, is the most effective, according to GreenID, the coordinating agency for Vietnam Sustainable Energy Alliance. Tran Dinh Sinh, Deputy Director of GreenID, stated that the biomass power plant reserves 25MW of its generated electricity for internal uses and loads 85MW onto the national grid.

Vietnam only uses about 40 percent of its biomass to generate energy, mostly in the form of heat, not electricity, despite the fact that the government-approved Electricity Master Plan VII aimed to produce 500MW of biomass electricity by 2020. “The policies were not coupled with real initiatives, so the pace of development has so far been disappointing, ” Khai said. But before this issue is further examined, some clarifications that need to be made. What is biomass energy, and why is it considered a renewable source of electricity? According to the BIOMASS Develop & Go Green, a handbook created by the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MOIT), Vietnam Energy Association (VEA) and the Vietnam Center for Energy Development (VESC), biomass is “organic matter derived from plants and created through photosynthesis […] that can be considered as energy because of the solar power stored in the chemical bonds of organic matter “. The handbook went on to divide biomass into three categories: wood residues, including roots, bark, sawdust, and leftover construction wood; ag cultural wastes such as straw, bagasse, post-harvest maize, cassava and rice husks; and finally, animal excretion. These products can be converted into energy using one of these four different methods – drying, compressing, heat treatment and anaerobic digestion – with the last two methods most commonly used in electricity production. According to Sinh, thermal treatment happens in plants that consist of “boilers, steam turbines and generators, much like coal-fired power plants.” However, unlike coal, biomass-generated electricity is considered renewable because its ultimate source comes from the sun, and most biomass can be regrown in a relatively short amount of time. If appropriately op12

erated, the whole system is also 100 percent carbon neutral. The sad reality is that organic waste that could have been used to generate electricity is now being burned in the open air, or indiscriminately dumped into canals. Just the 9,000 tons of solid waste per day in HCMC can generate about 1 billion KWH of electricity over the span of a year. Emissions from the ten leading Vietnamese pig breeding corporations are enough to produce 100MWH per year, but instead, they are being discharged into the sky. Not counting energy derivable from single-purpose energy plants, the total amount of energy stored in biomass waste in Vietnam is equivalent to 26.7 million tons of oil, enough to power 3 million households for ten years. “The potential for generating electricity from waste is huge; we should make use of them to increase a land area’s economic efficiency, reduce environmental pollution, and create employment in rural provinces,” Associate Professor Bui Xuan An, VBA’s spokesperson, said. Contrary to popular belief, biomass technology, like many renewables, is not a new technology, having been developed and applied in Vietnam since the 1960s. However, most of it was used in small-scale family stoves to generate heat for cooking. Generating electricity has similarly been restricted in scale, as most projects are the products of ESCO-plant owner joint ventures, meant to supplement grid electricity for individual firms’ consumption only, not contribute to it. “Many livestock enterprises also [invest in biogas production] to meet their own internal needs,” said Bui Xuan An. “But even when they produce more than their own demand, they cannot sell the surplus to 13

anyone or connect it to the national grid because the State has very strict regulations about this.” Electricity of Vietnam (EVN), a state-owned enterprise, is the only company able to buy and distribute electricity. “EVN has not yet decided to purchase electricity from biogas; hence, millions of cubic meters of energy are simply released into the air,” An bemoaned. Under GreenID and WWF’s Optimal Sustainable Energy Development scenario, by 2050 Vietnam will be able to supply 100% of its electricity need using renewable energy, of which 10% will be biomass. “This scenario, however, does not take into account other issues such as lack of funding and legislative support,” Sinh said. “We also did not account for the limitations of the national grid.” MOIT’s Renewable Energy Development Project to 2030, with a vision to 2050, meanwhile, employs a much more modest figure of 43 percent. As of now, around 38 percent of Vietnam’s energy is being generated from renewables, mostly hydroelectricity; the rest of the country’s energy demands are met by coal-fired power plants. Experts concur that in order for Vietnam to meet its renewable energy objectives, major institutional changes need to be made to facilitate the transition. Philip Thiemann, Senior Renewable Energy Advisor at the German Institute of Energy (GIZ) in Vietnam reflected, “I think the 2020 goals can be reached tight, the 2030 goals will heavily depend on an improvement of the frame conditions.” In comparison with traditional fossil fuels, biomass electricity does require larger, more expensive storage, conversion and distribution systems. For an investment on this scale, the price of electricity set by 14

the government is too low; biomass co-generation is currently bought at 5,8 US cents / KWH, while straw and rice husk products bring in 7,4 cents / KWH. “We do not yet have subsidies to promote biomass energy or adequate regulation within the legal framework; there is simply no support mechanisms at all,” Khai said. This is a major factor that drives away foreign investors. Doctor of Science Do Ngoc Quynh, a specialist at VBA, maintained that the reason behind this lull is the government’s lack of enthusiasm about biomass energy. To them, the high production costs renders the renewable source much less lucrative than coal, which is demonstrably cheaper when long-term environmental costs are not considered. “Policymakers do know about the harmful effects of coal-fired power stations, yet still decide to turn a blind eye to pursue their personal interests and those of lobbying groups, most notably the monopoly, EVN, ” Quynh said. Professor An concurred, “Environmental scientists believe that this lack of support […] does not stem from concerns about economic efficiency, much less so the environment and human health. It is firmly rooted in the benefits of groups associated coal technology and the 80-100 million tons of coal imported per year. “ He used the case of solar energy development as an example. “The state decided to buy solar power (Decision 11 and Communique 16), but so far, MOIT has not decided on the tax rate for solar electricity, so investors do not feel secure enough to further develop their projects. Meanwhile, the decision and communique will expire in one year,” explained An.

“While all domestic and international analyses show that renewable energy development is sustainable for the environment, the economy and a society at large, our country focuses on the development of coal power. Why?” Currently, VBA and VSEA continue to seek for opportunities to cooperate with MOIT and influence government policy in these regards. External support and counseling has also been provided by other states, most notably the Netherlands, through the SNV project for small household biogas, and Germany, through the GIZ/MOIT advisory group. “We have been focusing on creating strong coordination and alignment with other donors, energy efficiency, and smart grids,” said Philip Thiemann from GIZ. “Currently, unbankable Power Purchase Agreements lead to high financing costs, lack of know how, lack of transparency, as well as long and complicated administrative process for Renewable Energy permits,” Thiemann commented. “All these issues are of structural nature.” In order for the renewable energy market in Vietnam to become more attractive, it is imperative therefore that the government implements support mechanisms, including recognizing renewable energy project owners as “special investors” who can enjoy beneficial prices for land use, tax and loans, as well as receive high Feed in Tariffs (FiT). They should also be granted priority in terms of connecting to the national grid. More importantly, however, EVN’s monopoly-derived power needs to be weakened; if more companies can purchase electricity, the market will become more competitive, thus attracting investors. But institutionalized lobbying aside, An also emphasized the importance 16

of multimedia channels introducing new technologies to the people, especially those in more rural areas where plant waste is generated. At present, not many are aware of biomass energy, its advantages and disadvantages, as well as its role in reducing the damage of fossil fuels. Hue Thao, a resident of Tan An, Long An, shared, “In my community, some people have heard about about renewable energy but few are interested, maybe because it does not appear often on multimedia channels.” Thao himself, when asked about the concept of biomass energy, said that he had only been exposed to news about biofuels. “It is known that these products are made from cassava and other additives, which should be environmentally friendly, but because there is not much information on them we have not tried using them.” In order for Vietnam to become the regional leader in renewables and turn WWF and GreenID’s vision into reality, there must be more concentrated effort from within the country to change people’s views. Professor Bui Xuan An concluded, “In order to change the situation, public awareness campaigns have to go hand in hand with legislative advocacy.”

Son Doong: A Cave’s Story CLIMATE TRACKER Site traffic: 10,000 readers/month Published on May 25, 2018

“I will never forget the image of a man old enough to be my father, standing there, shedding tears in the middle of Son Doong Cave,” wrote Nguyen Le Thien Huong, in an op-ed on VnExpress. “I feel guilty for Son Doong,” the man cried. “What did I do by finding it? Put it in danger?” Le was referring to the time when she met Howard Limbert, the explorer who led an expedition in 2009 that brought Son Doong to the attention of nature-lovers around the world. Unfortunately, his discovery caught the eye of construction company Sun Group, seeking for profit to be made from bolstering mass tourism in the cave area. Their genius idea? Cable cars that would transport more than 1000 visitors per hour right to the mouth of the cave, according to an early estimate in 2014. The fundamental flaw in this plan, willfully overlooked, was how Son Doong’s fragile ecosystem, with its own unique climate, would completely break down under the strain of increased human presence. “Because of its isolation from the outside world for millions of years, the ecosystem inside the cave is not fit to handle the presence of external disturbances in high amounts,” Le said. “If 1000 people were to enter at the same time bringing light, noise and carbon dioxide, it would seriously threaten the ecosystem.” 18

Le herself trekked to Son Doong in 2014, and subsequently decided to tell the Son Doong story on a blog. Her posts, titled “5 Reasons Why Cable Car Into Son Doong Would Be A Disaster,” “3 ways to save Son Doong” and “What if Son Doong were NOT the largest cave?.” caught the attention of the Vietnamese population at large. “The greatest cave on Earth can’t speak, so we need to give it a voice,” she said. Also in the year 2014, award-winning photographer and National Geographic Explorer Martin Edström heard about the potential construction of the cable car system, and decided to act. Edström, an expert in the use of immersive 360-angle photography and Virtual Reality, wanted to explore how those formats can better connect viewers to a story by letting them “walk around inside the cave.” The photographer went on to describe the two-fold mission of the photographic expedition – “First of all, we get to take the user through this amazing environment, this underground marvel that’s not just the largest cave in the world but actually houses two large forests underground,” he said. “But the story about Son Doong is also about conservation in a global sense, where we have to be smart to preserve sites like this for the future.” Edström’s end-goal for the project is to mobilize people who do not have the opportunity to visit Son Doong in real life. “I want them to wake up to the fact that these places won’t be preserved for our grandkids if we don’t make it happen,” he said.

Photo credit: Climate Tracker In 2018, Save Son Doong and Son Doong 360 partnered up to screen the Virtual Reality (VR) simulation in many cities, including Sai Gon and Da Nang. Four years have passed since Le and Edstrom started their respective projects, and since then, many changes have taken place. For one, the “Son Doong” cable project became the “Phong Nha – Kẻ Bàng” cable project, taking on the name of the national park where the cave is located; according to the latest blueprint, the cable will only reach Én cave, 2 kilometers away from Son Doong, which means its impact on the cave’s geology has been significantly decreased. Sun Group also withdrew after the media storm, leaving the construction to another company, FLC, with considerably less power and experience in commercializing natural sites. But the fight is far from over.

“These large corporations are all the same; they focus on taking the land to squeeze a profit instead of conserving wildlife,” Le said. “For us, #SaveSonDoong is a lifelong endeavor. As long as the cave exists, someone will want to take advantage of it.” Le is focusing on preventing FLC from reenacting Sun Group’s time-tested strategy of distracting national media with the name change, while silently installing cable cars in a short period of time. Many of Vietnam’s most prized natural wonders, including Fansipan peak and Ha Long bay, have fallen prey to this tactic of callous commercialization, and Le is determined to not let this happen again. Save Son Doong has covert devices installed in the vicinity of the cave in case of abnormal human activity, a sign that FLC is trying to build their system without notifying the public. Le also prioritizes the dissemination of accurate information, which alerts Vietnamese citizens as to what is going on. “In the end, a company alone cannot kill Son Doong,” she said. “It’s all about making a profit – if investors do not see the potential money to be made from installing cable cars, they will not invest. And where do the profits come from? Vietnamese people’s purse!” By continuing her online publications about Son Doong and telling the cave’s story via social media, Nguyen hopes to mobilize people to act on a regional, national and international level. “Son Doong can only die when the people forsake it,” she said. Supporters of the movement, a group of 20,000 and growing, expresses solidarity through engaging with online posts, purchasing merchandise to raise funds, and organizing events.

Hoàng Trường Long, a resident of Ho Chi Minh city, recalls being invited to a Son Doong VR screening event by a friend. “I was absolutely thrilled by the cave’s majesty […] Now, I actively engage with Save Son Doong, and try to bring it up in conversations with colleagues whenever appropriate,” he said. While acknowledging that tourism is an integral part of Vietnam’s economy, Long thinks constructions like these should be limited in terms of number. “We cannot waste such a gift by Mother nature,” he said. In a similar vein, Huỳnh Quyết Thắng spoke about how traditional trekking tours for Son Doong already bring in a substantial amount of revenue, and continuing a model of sustainable development for the cave specifically and Quảng Bình beach in general is the way to move forward. “Quang Binh is not a wealthy place, it survives on tourism,” Huỳnh said. “This doesn’t mean, however, that we can justify the building of a cable car system.” Trần Ngọc Minh Trí, another supporter from Ho Chi Minh, would agree. Trần learned about the cave’s existence through social media, and is deeply indebted to Save Son Doong for exposing her to the issue. “The government says that the most important thing is economic growth, regardless of environmental or cultural impacts,” he said, in a frustrated tone. “If it wasn’t for Save Son Doong, the cave would probably be crumbling by now.” Edström, meanwhile, expressed optimism regarding Son Doong story’s ability to make an impact when told the right way; he is determined to continue collaborating with advocacy groups like Save Son Doong to ensure the cave’s plight is not brushed aside. 22

Vietnam ranks 6th on global climate vulnerability list ASIA NEWS NETWORK/ VIET NAM NEWS Site traffic: 17,000 readers/month Published at 00:17, Dec 6. 2018.

According to Germanwatchâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s report on climate vulnerability, Vietnam ranks 6th globally, the highest of any ASEAN country, followed by Thailand at number 10. This is the result of storms, typhoons and droughts in 2017, which killed 298 people. At the 24th UN Conference on Climate Change (COP24), Germanwatch released the most up-to-date Climate Risk Index ranking, which analyses the extent to which each country has been affected by weather-related loss events. Germanwatch is an NGO based in Bonn, Germany, also the home of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). For 27 years, it has been engaged in environment and development issues, seeking to influence national policy and North-South relations. According to Germanwatchâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s report, Vietnam ranks 6th globally, the highest of any ASEAN country, followed by Thailand at number 10. This is the result of storms, typhoons and droughts in 2017, which killed 298 people. The deadliest one, Typhoon Damrey, hit Vietnam in November and killed at least 106. 23

2017 was an exceptionally intense year for tropical cyclones, according to Germanwatch Policy Adviser for Climate Risk Management Lena Hutfils. “Many countries are hit very frequently, so they don’t have an opportunity to recover in time,” Hutfils said. She also drew attention to how eight out of the top ten countries are from low- or middle-income groups. David Eckstein, the organisation’s Policy Adviser for Climate Finance and Investment, explained that the index consists of two components: one which looks at data from the previous year, and one which incorporates a 20-year development. Data includes direct short-term and long-term linkages between climate change and meteorological events. “[The index] should be understood as a warning signal,” Eckstein said. Furthermore, it provides crucial evidence to support the story that climate change and annual increases in storms, typhoons, floods, are linked. Eckstein hopes that this would translate into action from national governments, not only to deal with the impact once it happens but also do more planning in advance. Responding to these recent developments at COP24, Pham Van Tan, Deputy Head of the Climate Change Department, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MoNRE), declared that climate change adaptation would be “the number one priority.” Tan noted how Vietnam’s Government was one of the first to pass an implementation framework for the Paris Agreement on climate change, nearly a month before the agreement itself went into effect in 2016. A key part of this plan is the constant review, submission and implementation of Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), each country’s objectives for mitigation measures. 24

At COP24’s Session on ASEAN NDC Partnership, Tan stated that 47 of Vietnam’s 63 provinces had already submitted concrete implementation plans for the Paris Agreement. Vietnam is “among the most advanced in ASEAN” in terms of NDC implementation, according to the Vietnamese official. His claim is supported by many in the international community, who raised questions during the session to learn from Vietnam’s policies.

Phạm Văn Tấn speaks about Vietnam’s NDCs at ASEAN panel, COP24. | Photo Credit: Mai Hoàng The NDC Partnership’s Country Engagement Director Jahan Chowdhury commended Vietnam on its effective coordination between the government’s supreme leadership, Ministries and civil-society actors for better climate change adaptation. According to Tan, MoNRE meets with NGOs once every three months to discuss the implementation of policies at the grassroots level. Tan has high expectations for the outcome of COP24, the most important 25

gathering of international negotiators on the issue of climate change. He wants to see how much support Vietnam will be able to obtain from the international community following MoNREâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s proposal for Greenhouse Gases Reduction plan. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Supportâ&#x20AC;? is hereby defined as a combination of three things: finance, technology transfer and capacity building. So far, Vietnam has not received any pledges from developed countries with regards to financial support, a major concern.

Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re not suggesting developing countries stop using coal immediately, says IPCC co-chair ECO-BUSINESS Site traffic: 70,000 readers/month Published on Dec 8, 2018

Developing countries such as Vietnam canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be expected to stop using coal right away, despite the urgent warnings to decarbonise in the recent IPCC report, its co-chair has said in an interview with Eco-Business at COP24.

Mounds of coal stockpiled at a river wharf in Vietnam. The country is clearing new ground for more coal-fired power plants | Photo credit: garycycles8, CC BY 2.0

In 2015, leaders of the world convened to sign the Paris Agreement on climate change amid widespread jubilation, committing to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees. Three years, Donald Trump and Jair Bolsonaro later, the difference in negotiators’ tone at the 24th United Nations climate change conference (COP24) in Poland could not be more stark. Though the rhetoric from global leaders remains unchanged, it’s hard to imagine coal giants sponsoring a climate change conference in 2015, or pro-climate world leaders such as French premier Emmanuel Macron and Germany’s Angela Merkel not attending despite being a train ride away. So far, the mood at COP24 can best be described as lukewarm. Negotiations stalled from the first minute, as countries fought over petty issues such as how much time should be spent on each topic, which caused a two-hour delay to the start of the opening plenary. But there remains a flicker of hope amid the squabbling—the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report.

IPCC Working Group I co-chair Panmao Zhai | Photo credit: Mai Hoang The IPCC released its special report on global warming of 1.5 degrees on October 8, two months ahead of COP24. With bold ambitions such as achieving net zero emissions by 2050, the report is expected to spur more action from countries heavily impacted by climate change. Vietnam is one such country. It ranks 6th on the Climate Risk Index, and is part of the 48-country Climate Vulnerable Forum. However, nearly 50 per cent of the country’s energy production still relies on coal, and there are plans to ramp up the country’s coal power arsenal over the coming decades to meet electricity demand that is growing by eight per cent a year. So what, then, was Vietnam’s response to the IPCC report? And how quickly should the country be looking to wean itself off coal? Eco-Business spoke to Panmao Zhai, co-chair of IPCC Working Group 1, at COP24 to find out. You presented the IPCC report to Vietnamese leaders right after the report was released. How did they respond to the findings? Yes, it was a high-level meeting organised by the Vietnam Panel on Climate Change (VPCC), both IPCC chairs, myself and some other colleagues were there to discuss the 1.5 degrees report. It went smoothly and we shared details about the signs, the warnings and the relationship between the eradication of poverty and sustainable development. Did you touch on the topic of coal and carbon emissions? We didn’t talk specifically about coal or fuel. But we did talk a lot about the transition to a low-carbon future. Globally, we have to reduce carbon emissions by 45 per cent by 2030 and reach net zero by 2050, which is very challenging for many developing countries. What are your hopes, then, for Vietnam, in terms of policy changes in 29

response to the IPCC report? This report is not about any one country. Emissions reduction is very ambitious, and we all have to work together in the world and say that no one country can hide. For Vietnam, as a developing country it’s important to see their part in the issue. We need a well-managed way for developing countries like Vietnam to actualise the development they need for the future. In other words, we’re not saying let’s stop using coal immediately. But we are saying the energy transition has to happen using clean energy to replace high greenhouse-gas-emitting fuels such as coal. As the co-chair of IPCC Working Group 1 on Physical Science, have you received much scepticism about the science behind the report from Vietnam or other countries? Some countries and some media outlets have raised questions and doubts, mainly due to a lack of communication than people questioning the science. Even some scientists are sceptical. But I think they don’t know much about the work that IPCC is doing. Some of them are not scientists in this particular field [climate science]. IPCC has done research on this topic for many years. We know this topic very well. But we need to find better ways to communicate the subject to the general public. IPCC assesses all of the responses to the report. If a scientist has doubts they should publish a paper and go through a peer review process. Only in this way can IPCC check their theories and see if they have merit. The critical principles for IPCC are transparency and objectivity, so points of contention can be openly discussed. What are the most common misunderstandings of the report? We’ve received more than 42,000 comments that we have to address. Many people look at a specific period and are confused about the scale of the report. The IPCC report is of a global scale and stretches from pre-industrial times until now—not just a few years like some people think. To look at climate change, we need to study a long period of time. We cannot afford to reject coal in some countries like Vietnam in this day and age. But we can take steps to ensure that greenhouse gas emissions 30

from coal-fired power plants are reduced. What form do responses to the IPCC report take? We have a website and a time-period when we review the comments. If people have questions or don’t agree with our findings, we have to give them answers and sometimes publish those conversations on our website. Going back to Vietnam’s response to the report, do you think there’s been adequate interest in the issue of climate mitigation? I met your prime minister [Nguyen Xuan Phuc] last year and the year before, and he recognises that climate change is a very serious problem— Vietnam is the only country that accepted the report immediately, only one day after the IPCC chairs and scientists released it. When we were there, Vietnam organised a large event around the report. This shows that the country take it very seriously. Does our decision to build 16 more coal-fired power plants by 2030 contradict this? We cannot afford to reject coal in some countries like Vietnam in this day and age. But we can take steps to ensure that greenhouse gas emissions from coal-fired power plants are reduced. Of course, in the future, we have to transition to renewable energy, but different countries have their own circumstances and unique set of challenges.

Defining a â&#x20AC;&#x153;just transitionâ&#x20AC;? for Vietnam CLIMATE TRACKER Curated on Jan 4 as top 11 best articles from COP24. SAIGONEER Published at 10:54, Dec 19, 2018

After the closing of the United Nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 24th Climate Change Conference (COP24), recently held in Katowice, Poland, negotiators remained ambivalent about whether or not the conference delivered on what it promised. From December 3, I observed delegates representing 195 countries assembled in southwest Poland for what was considered the most important global climate gathering since the Paris Agreement was signed in late 2016. Hopes ran high as the deadline for the finalized Paris implementation rulebook drew close. Only two months before COP24 began, the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released a special report forecasting extreme worldwide weather impacts due to temperature increases unless countries act to reduce emissions before 2050. After one and a half weeks of negotiations, on December 16, countries finally settled on the Paris Agreement Working Program (PAWP), to be implemented by 2020. However, many participants walked away disappointed over major clauses in the document regarding climate financing, loss and damage mitigation, and reporting frameworks for nationally developed contributions (NDCs).

Delegates work on an agreement at the COP24 summit in Katowice, Poland | Photo credit: Kiara Worth. Egypt, representing the G77+China block of developing countries, voiced disappointment at “the level of balance” in the text between adaptation and emissions mitigation. Adaptation has always been a big issue for developing countries, who are some of the worst hit by climate change. Phạm Van Tan, Deputy Director General of the Climate Change Department at Vietnam’s Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MoNRE) said, “I can only say that these are the best possible results we can expect from this conference. We cannot make all parties happy. Everyone will always have something to complain about.” One silver lining, however, was the Polish government’s push for Just Transition during COP24, previously a mere item in the Paris Agreement’s preamble. The proposed Just Transition framework emphasizes the importance of fulfilling workers’ needs as the world moves on to a greener economy.

Secretary General António Guterres speaks in Katowice | Photo credit: Kiara Worth. António Guterresin his remarks to Heads of States. This is easier said than done, as governments continue to ponder how best to weigh immediate economic losses versus long-term benefits—a question with concrete implications for individuals’ lives. Poland released the Silesia Declaration on Solidarity and Just Transition at COP24 in an attempt to answer this question. The declaration’s clauses specifically emphasize “decent work and quality jobs,” as well as “social dialogue...to promote high employment rates, adequate social protection, labor standards and well-being of workers and their communities.”

of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), whose representative, Bert de Wel, spoke about the importance of high ambition at the document’s signing. “[Poland] is one of the most developed countries out of the coal producers,” he said. “If they can’t do it, what about countries like Vietnam, Indonesia and China? It’s very important for them to do it to raise the aspiration from developing countries.” So far, the document has been signed by 54 countries, ranging from European Union members to small island nations. Absent from the list of signatories, however, is Vietnam. Nguyen Hoang Ngan, Project Coordinator of the Climate and Energy Project for the Berlin-based Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Vietnam foundation, was not surprised. FES was the first organization to bring the concept of Just Transition to Vietnam in October 2016, in a partnership with Hanoi-based NGO GreenID. According to Ngan, the work is still in its nascent stages. “It’s still quite an alien concept for Vietnam,” Ngan told Saigoneer. “We believe that Just Transition is a very sound framework, but there’s no blueprint.” The declaration as it is right now is more applicable to developed than developing countries, especially those outside of the EU. Its scope is primarily restricted to workers in fossil fuel industries, rather than the full spectrum of employees affected by a transition to greener economies. “It’s unsurprising that the just transition declaration in the form that it 35

is in now is not being supported by many countries,” Ngan said. “Justice means something different for each group of people.” On the other hand, she did appreciate how the declaration moved the issue to the forefront of climate negotiations and policy-making. Its support from the ITUC also sent a clear message to labor organizations worldwide. In Vietnam, FES and GreenID have engaged with researchers and workers nationwide to develop their own interpretation of a just transition. In September, they collaborated with the Vietnam Union of Science and Technology Associations (VUSTA) to organize a capacity-building workshop on just transition, attended by international experts from the Sierra Club and University of California, Berkeley. Many difficulties remain. For example, Vietnam’s General Confederation of Labor is still wary of the concept, and Ngan expects local civic organizations such as GreenID to take the lead in implementing it for the time being. Nonetheless, concrete progress has been made: FES and GreenID finished the first draft of their research on a just transition ahead of the September workshop, and are working on translating it into policy recommendations. These organizations will engage policy-makers after a concrete basis of evidence and local support from national experts has been built. “We’re taking quite a careful approach because we don’t want to call for something without evidence,” Ngan said. “There is no one definition of just transition, and this needs to be made clear,” she stressed. However, in adapting the framework to serve developing countries, policy-makers cannot compromise on high ambitions in emission reductions. 36

Global Strikes #1: Climate Justice & Intersectionality CLIMATE TRACKER Published June 17, 2019

Three months after the global mobilization on March 15th initiated by 16-year-old Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, “Fridays for Future” youth strikes are still going strong. Indeed, if there is one thing this movement has proven not to be, it is not to be just a trendy hashtag. Leading up to the worldwide protests—on March 15th, May 24th and the upcoming September 20th—students in thousands of cities have been relentlessly working behind the scenes to organize smaller strikes. As the movement grew, it also gained in diversity: youth organizers everywhere are becoming more and more cognizant of intersectionality in climate action. This stems from a shared realization that climate change affects different groups to varying degrees. We asked student activists from two different countries to ponder the question: “What does climate justice mean to you?”, and received some interesting answers. Youth Strike Canada: Race, Migration & Climate in The Great White North From the very first days of their movement, youths in Canada have been aware that those who pollute most are not those most affected by climate damage. Their seven demands include one for indigenous rights and one for the protection of vulnerable groups. 37

Youth Strike Canada: Race, Migration & Climate in The Great White North

Students strike every Friday at 65+ locations across Canada | Photo Credit: Sophie Price, Climate Strike Canada

This last calls on authorities to recognize “Canada’s disproportionate role in the climate crisis and subsequent responsibility for the protection of the most vulnerable,” as well as “climate displacement as a basis for refugee status.” Student activist Emma Lim from Sir Frederick Banting Secondary School, Climate Strike Canada’s key organizer for Ontario, elaborates on the group’s view. “Climate justice is migrant justice,” she said. On June 16th, the youth group collaborated with the Migrant Justice Network to organize a series of “Unite Against Racism” rallies and marches. Lim explained: “Migrant justice is a core value we stand for as youth strikers in Canada, and also the Green New Deal Canada, which we support.” 38

Lim has been striking since November 2018, when she was the only one in her town to do so. Every Friday, the seventeen-year-old would sit outside her town hall, even in the brutal Toronto rain and snow. “When I started, there was no local community group,” Lim recalled. Soon enough though, others started joining her, and by March 15th Climate Strike Canada boasted 160,000 youths in 65 locations taking to the streets. Nowadays, Lim still walks out of school every Friday afternoon, but she is accompanied by at least twenty other students from her area. And numbers are only growing. Preparations have begun for the September 20-27th Global Strike, and Climate Strike Canada is anticipating hundreds of thousands for the week of action. They are also talking to labor unions and trying to convince store owners to close down their business operations. Not everyone has been so supportive of the movement, however; 17-yearold Sophie Price from East Northumberland Secondary School, Brighton, spoke about being verbally attacked on social media. “My town is small and quite conservative, it took a lot to convince people to believe climate change is real,” Price said. “I got a lot of hate comments [on Facebook posts]; I wasn’t expecting any of it so it was a bit of a shock.” But what doesn’t kill them makes them stronger, as the saying goes. Throughout the ordeal, Price has learnt that the best way to counter doubt is with concrete facts. “Instead of just saying ‘You’re wrong,” I would say “Hey, I get where you’re coming from, but maybe you should check out this video,” she said. Climate Strike Canada is involved in the Leap tour, a series of events organized by a coalition of the same name, to raise awareness and rally support 39

for the Green New Deal. Their very first event, which took place Tuesday, June 11th, at the Bloor Street United Church, sold out to a sympathetic and passionate audience. “The next step is getting more government officials involved so they know what we’re doing. We’ll mostly send out emails, go to places where they’re speaking, get the public more involved,” Price said. “Climate justice is getting justice for the environment—we’ve burnt so much fossil fuel and littered and done a lot of harm, so we obviously need to fix that.” The twelfth-grader, like many other Canadian students in the movement, somehow manages to carry on with her activism while preparing for her finals next week. Trees, Trains, Tribes, & Fridays for Future Mumbai

Strike at the Marine Drive | Photo Credit: Fridays for Future Mumbai Meanwhile, Fridays for Future (FFF) Mumbai has been calling for a different type of climate justice. Some of the group’s most pressing concerns 40

revolve around the Indian government’s disregard for natural ecosystems and the creatures dependent on them. Students take to Marine Drive, the 3.6-kilometer boulevard outlining the coast of Backbay, to educate passerby on how climate change is impacting marine animals. “I’ve seen so much news about animals dying—that’s the reason why I’m involved in this,” said Chahat Yadav, a third-year student in Zoology at D.G. Ruparel College, member of FFF Mumbai. “I want to be able to live with animals in the future, and I know that wouldn’t be possible with climate change.” India ranks 14th on the latest Climate Risk Index evaluation announced at COP24. Recently the country has been hit by irregular tropical cyclones and floods. Yadav elaborated on the injustice he is seeing. “Animals are not contributing at all to climate change,” he said. “Because of us, these creatures that cannot speak are being affected; climate justice is making sure animals have a future.” Aside from striking, the youth of Mumbai have also promoted petitions for animals rights, including one that protests the cutting down of 3500 trees in Aarey Forest. Lying at the heart of Mumbai, Aarey was originally a 3000-acre forest that was reduced to only 1300 acres due to the conversion to agricultural land. In addition, the area is also home to one of the Maharashtra’s oldest tribes, the Warlis. Now, Aarey is under further threat from development projects, including a Metro train car-shed and ironically, a zoo. Tarun Mediratta, a FFF Mumbai organizer from St. Andrews’ College who had participated in the Aarey strikes, expressed his outrage. “People

living around [Arrey] have always opposed these projects,” he said. “[The government] said they’d only cut down 700 trees. What happens is they send people to cut over 3500 trees at night when no one is around to witness.” Mediratta has been involved in the climate movement since eighth grade. Since joining FFFMumbai in March, the eighteen-year-old has been involved in organizing strikes at the most crowded locations in the city with concise messages and concrete demands. “India is facing an acute water crisis, there are people who walk 10km per day just to fetch a bucket of water. The word development is being misused,” Mediratta said. “Climate justice is when policymakers frame and implement policies that promote sustainable living for everyone,” he concluded.

Global Strikes #2: To the Youth Leaders — Don’t Let Your Movement be Co-opted! NJUS International Site traffic: 25,000 readers/month Curated on July 19,2019 CLIMATE TRACKER Published on July 19, 2019 Let’s face it: no adult wants to be mean to kids. It is bad press. It makes them look like real-life Ebenezer Scrooges. Especially adults who run multinational corporations that rely on public opinion and customer approval for their livelihoods. Or large governments that want to appease their electorates before their next campaign. So when youths demand for environmentally conscious practices, it is only natural that these institutions would accordingly race to incorporate articles, panels, and conferences that showcase their “achievements” in the sustainability field. Events like these offer them an easy way of symbolising their “ethical” sides. And what makes for a better story than national leaders and big corporations taking time to assure the climate kids that, “yes, we are concerned for your future, too”? A Pat on the Back from “Big Brother” As a student trying to enact change in the environmental realm via writing, I have received patronizing reactions from adults who, with a friendly 43

smile and an assurance that they will do something right “in the future,” effortlessly dismiss what I have to say. When I pitched original articles and op-eds about ongoing climate negotiations from COP24 to national media, many editors sent them back saying their papers were more interested in hearing about how I, as a young person, “was representing Vietnamese youths” at an international event. Who cares about climate negotiation technicalities, right? After hearing from other student activists around the world as part of my #GlobalStrikes series, I’ve realized that my experience is not at all unique. South Africa’s thirteen-year-old national organizer, Lily Shaw, said that one major lesson she’s learnt throughout her eight months striking is that her government “loves” the climate kids.“ [The African National Congress] and other parties in power love taking pictures of me and asking me questions.” Shaw said. It is good for their campaigns. She politely responds to her questioners, but is frustrated at their hypocrisy. “They’re not doing enough... I think a big part of it has to do with greed. – Parties are focused on making money, and a lot of people are comfortable with that.” Thai activist Ralyn Satidtanasarn, meanwhile, recalled writing to the Prime Minister’s office and receiving a response that assumed the girl was writing as part of a homework assignment. In different ways, climate activists from all walks of life have had to cope with patronization. Sometimes, it may be hard to distinguish between genuine attention to your message and exploitation of your personhood to attract public sympathy. Most of the time though, the differences can be keenly felt, to those participating as well as watching the interaction.

March 15 student climate protests in Paris, France | Photo credit: Andrea Garcia, Climate Tracker Who has the last laugh? In April this year, for instance, The Big Issue, ironically the UK’s leading street newspaper, ran an article headlined “Our young climate activists asked M&S how clothing can care for the planet.” The problem was, well, the young activists didn’t quite have space to ask, confined to truncated, one-line questions that seemed like they existed as probes for the adults to make their point. After acknowledging that yes, fast fashion is “simply unsustainable,” the article gave heavy airspace to “the experts”—Mark & Spencer product development heads, as they elaborated on how the brand is on their way towards “100 percent” sustainability.

Nowhere in the article did the climate activists have a chance to elaborate on their activism. The closest one of them was able to go was saying “When we went to the march, me and Ella made banners. Mine said, ‘The World Can’t Fix Itself, Only We Can’.” Youth interest in sustainability was outright presented as a “trend,” to be caught onto by fashion brands in designing their new fast-fashion product lines. Ultimately, the big corporation had the last word; “We have done a lot of good things and we’re telling our customers a lot more,” said Head of Sustainability Carmel McQuaid. To this, we are all supposed to collectively cheer on a fast-fashion brand that so far has tried to implement a clothes-swapping program, recycle hangers, produce synthetic leather footwear and put a washing temperature label on its products. Wup-dee-doo. As a result of their initiatives throughout the years, M&S has been awarded a “European Business Award for the Environment” from the European Commission (2012), among others. Meanwhile, M&S is still using viscose, exposing factory workers across Asia to potentially lethal amounts of carbon disulphide—according to a string of exposing articles published over the past three years. Look Around the Panel Before Speaking The 2019 Voices Conference—Business of Fashion’s exclusive cross-industry gathering for the leaders of the “fashion and luxury business” as well as “big thinkers” of other fields—is featuring climate activist Kelsey Juliana, who filed a lawsuit against the federal government for environmental damage. BoF advertises itself as the leading authority on the global fashion indus 46

M&S head of sustainability Carmel McQuaid talks with young climate activists Billy and Eviva try, which M&S and countless unsustainable brands are a part of. More examples abound. At the UN climate talks this year, a Financial Times international conference on “FT Global Food Systems” was advertised, which will feature both student climate activist Izzy Warren and Sainsbury’s Director of Brand. The conference, slated for this November, is sponsored by Bayer and Syngenta, among other big-agriculture brands. Sainsbury, one of the UK’s largest department stores, has been criticized by environmental activists for its negative impact via excess production and packaging. In fact, it has been taken to court by Trading Standards over the later charge, in a landmark 2010 case. Bayer, one of the world’s most formidable pharmaceutical giants, has attracted so much criticism for its unethical and unsustainable practices, it 47

has a network of activists dedicated to highlighting its malpractices (Coalition Against Bayer Dangers). The corporation regularly imports coal for its energy uses. Syngenta, meanwhile, is well-known for being the inventor and primary manufacturer of atrazine, a known hormone disruptor linked to reproductive harm and cancer. Public appearances of corporate leads and prominent environmentalists are by no means a new phenomenon. In 2017, New-York-based sustainability influencer Renee Elizabeth Peters, with close to 18,000 Instagram followers, was quoted in the Huffington Post saying that she turnt down “probably 10-20 approaches from brands every week.” The real shift here is adults are specifically targeting the climate kids. More recently, seventeen-year-old Jamie Margolin, founder of the global youth activism organization This Zero Hour, boasted of declining proposals from multiple, large corporations, including those in the fast fashion industry. This is a reality that us young environmental activists need to be aware of, so that our independent voices are not co-opted or dismissed by those who claim they know best. But where to draw the line? There is, of course, value in open dialogue across different strata of society regarding an impending threat that may doom us all. Many student activists, while speaking on panels with big corporations, genuinely wish to make a difference. And as a young person myself, I understand how hard it is to get your voice heard, how tempting the offer of a public platform can be. But make no mistake: the authenticity and independence of your voice matters. By attending these much-publicized meetings, us students can be inadvertently helping companies advertise their scarce sustainable 48

projects — some laudable, no doubt, but most paling in comparison to the damage that they have been and are continuing to inflict upon the environment. The divide between intent and impact here is bigger than the divide between baby boomers and millennials. It is always inspirational to see other students standing up to patronizing offers from those in power. Margolin has written extensively to This Zero Hour and student strikers in the U.S. about not letting promises of money and fame distract them from their cause. “There are systems of oppression out there that need to be fought, a #climatecrisis to solve, and we cannot afford to get distracted!” the seventeen=year-old wrote on her instagram. Greta Thunberg, meanwhile, as well as multiple Climate Strike national leads, are committed to preventing their movements from being co-opted, recently accepting the honorary label of the oil industry’s “biggest threat.” It may be a long and arduous journey, the inchoate stages of starting a movement in your area to change systems with deep roots. But it’s better to not take the easy way out.

NATIONAL MEDIA (English)

Articles published by English-language newpapers with a national readership in Vietnam.

The Perilous Life in the North VIETNAM ECONOMIC TIMES Site traffic: 33,000 readers/month Published at: 11:08, Dec 12, 2017 Lunar New Year is not a happy time in Kep A village, a rural community with 60 households in northern Ha Giang province. While most Vietnamese relish the festivities of the year’s biggest holiday, the ethnic Dao and Hmong in Kep A huddle together to fight against the cold. It has gotten worse in the last ten years; due to the changing climate, temperatures have dropped so low that cattle and domestic fowl die of cold. Robbed of their usual supply of meat, many go for days without food. Decreasing rainfall has hindered rice cultivation, further adding to their woes. All of Kep A’s 375 inhabitants live below the poverty line. None has received a high school education, and as members of various ethnic minorities, many are not fluent in the Vietnamese language. Isolated by high mountains and sloping narrow streams, the villagers struggle to scrape a living even when the climate is conducive. With low education, limited mobility, and no access to markets, they are at the mercy of nature. And nature is not merciful. The region’s steep topography and low forest coverage enable floodwater to sweep down the mountains unobstructed. The downward rush sends rocks and soil into populated areas while causing cracks in the land where they once lay. With six major cracks, Kep A harbors an immense riskfor landslides - avalanches of earth and rock catalyzed by uneven mountain slopes, easily lethal. The villagers live in fear; their traditional methods of predicting 52

1984

2019

Forest coverage in Northern Ha Giang, 1984 vs. now | Photo credit: Google Earth natural disasters are no longer effective due to erratic rainfall and high occurrences of flash floods. Kep Aâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s experience, however, is hardly unique. Vietnam is one of the five countries most affected by climate change, due to inadequate mitigation systems and unfavorable geographical features that make it more prone to disasters. Highlands with remarkable degrees of steepness, similar to those in Ha Giang, make up three-quarters of the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s total area. According to a report from the Center for Research Resources and the Environment (CRES), extreme flooding and other natural disasters in mountainous regions cost Vietnam 1-1.5 percent of its GDP every year. 53

Due to historic patterns of migration, the northern highlands are now home to 50 of the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 53 ethnic minorities, excluding the Hoa, Kho Me, and Cham, who crowd into urban areas with more opportunities for economic growth. The mountainous ethnic groups still struggle with high poverty rates, averaging at 70 per cent per population, compared to 15 per cent in all of Vietnam, according to the World Bank. Their livelihoods still largely revolve around slash and burn agriculture - the local norm for thousands of years. However, these villagers are living in a changing world.

Photo credit: Vietnam Economic Times Using the IPCCâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Medium Emissions Scenario as a reference, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment forewarns a 1.7C increase in average temperature for Vietnamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Northwest by 2050 - a devastating rise. This is coupled with prolonged droughts and extreme temperatures in both highs and lows. 54

Unfortunately, while enormous attention has been drawn in recent years to climate change’s effects on the Mekong Delta – a region susceptible to sea level rise – not much research has been done on the loss and damage suffered by ethnic minorities scraping a bare subsistence in the northern mountains. Hang Dang Amuikeo, a Dao woman living in Bac Son, northern Lang Son province, spoke about the difference between climate change’s impact on the Dao and Kinh communities. “The Dao depend more on nature for cultivating crops on rocky terrain,” she said. “Our access to resources is already limited; over-exploitation of land, forest, mines, and the resulting climate change makes everything so much worse.” Lang Son’s status as a hub of aquaculture has been marred lately, and Amuikeo believes that fish and shrimp are dying from extreme changes in pH levels and salinity – the result of temperature increases. Echoing these sentiments, Cao Phan Viet, a former member of the Center for Sustainable Development in Mountainous Areas (CSDM), stresses the disadvantages borne by ethnic groups during natural catastrophes. “Ethnic minorities in Vietnam always face many difficulties,” he said. “After disaster hits, it is hard for them to obtain food, They have little electricity available, low mobility, and the roads are blocked, so Kinh people in the center cannot help those higher up in the mountains even if they want to.” CSDM has worked with ethnic communities in Lang Son, Hoa Binh, Son La, Phu Tho, Ha Tinh, and Hanoi’s rural areas to “preserve and pass down their cultures” in the face of natural calamities. Viet believes that among the groups he has worked with, the Hmong are the ones most affected by climate change, because they live “on the top of the mountains,” within close proximity of rivers and streams. Even if the local government warns them of impending danger, they don’t want to move. “If they do, that means no water, no livelihood,” Viet explained. Perennially faced with inclement conditions, the Hmong experience an 80.95 55

percent poverty rate, according to the 2010 Northern Mountain Baseline Survey. Vu Pat Ly, an ethnic Hmong living in Song Ma, Son La province, tells of his story growing up with floods. “My family and I have been in Song Ma for 29 years,” he said. “Multiple times, our houses were swept away by the water, along with the animals and the crops. By now people are so used to it, it is regarded as normal.” Ly has also seen many cows and buffalos die due to the unbearable cold. His father, who depended on buffalos to pull the plough, suffered great losses in productivity, and had to struggle to make ends meet. Meanwhile, 326 km to the north, in the frontier town of Sapa in Lao Cai, educator Ta Van Thuong lives with his wife and three children. He still trembles when speaking about the flood this past August, which killed three people in the town of 9,000. But the flash flood in 2013 was the worst in recent history. “[The flood] came sweeping down on a school in town. There were no students there but teachers were carried away. At least 15 people died,” he said. “Only by living here can you see the impact of climate change on the ones around you, the people you love.” Aside from the floods, unpredictable precipitation in Sapa has also caused extreme droughts in the dry season, resulting in conflicts between villagers over access to water for personal use and irrigation. As Thuong recalls with a hint of pride, Sapa used to be famous for its ideal resort-worthy weather, a popular hideout for tourists seeking refuge from the tropical climate of Vietnam’s plains. In 2011, it had its first ever drought. The five ethnic communities in Sapa - the Hmong, Dao, Giay, 56

Pho Lu, and Tay - had always been able to plant their crop precisely after the first rainstorm of March. Since then, however, families have been starting earlier and earlier to beat their neighbors at claiming the available water. “People would pull out weapons,” Thuong said. “Rice is the quintessential crop in Sapa. Everyone has it for breakfast, lunch and dinner. What are we to do without it?” The other visible effect of climate change is on human health. “Breakouts of tropical diseases like malaria and viral hemorrhagic fever usually coincide with swift changes in rainfall or temperature,” Thuong described. “I see children and old people go down. Healthcare here is not good, and people usually resort to ‘traditional’ methods of treatment.” The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment attributes these breakouts to the increased growth of viruses and disease-transmitting insects. When the weather is uncommonly hot children will often get sick after playing in dirty water. If their parents want to get proper medical treatment, they will have to bring the children down from the mountains to the provincial hospital. The cost of travel, hospitalization, and treatment are usually prohibitive. The Vietnamese Government is aware of these issues and of the relationship between human activities, climate change, and natural disasters. In September 2002, Vietnam approved the Kyoto Protocol. Since then, the State has put effort into generating laws and regulations, including the National Strategy on Natural Disaster Prevention, Response and Mitigation to 2020, widely regarded as the most comprehensive document issued on disaster management. In line with the strategy, the government has implemented programs related to disaster mitigation such as planting protective forests upstream 57

of the flood flow, creating reservoirs for flood drainage and drought resistance, and reinforcing dykes.

Photo credit: Vietnam Economic Times In collaboration with CSDM and climate specialists, the local government in Ha Giang ran a three-year program from 2008 to 2010, funded by the Embassy of Finland in Vietnam, to install early forecast techniques in weather forecast stations, upgrade existing equipment, and provide households in two danger zones with jackets, mobile phones, food, and clothes, among other things. Mr. Viet, the Senior Project Officer, shared his joy in seeing their efforts pay off. “The people in the most remote places remember us,” he said. “I was very moved.” The project also included education programs on rocky mountain resource management and sustainable agricultural practices, specifically designed for ethnic minorities. Viet and Lam Thai Duong, then head of the Ha Giang Provincial People’s Committee, presented the results of their projects at multiple conferences, including the Global Summit on Climate Change and Indigenous Peo58

ples, the Asia Indigenous Peoples’ Regional Summit on Climate Change, and the 8th Session of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. However, despite its many mitigation efforts, the Vietnamese government is unwilling to hold certain organizations accountable for actions that could have directly or indirectly caused climate change. “Vietnam is among the top producers of petroleum and coal; the government has recently even increased its investment in building new thermal power stations all over the country,” said Ms. Nhi Thoi, the Program Manager at Change.vn, a local non-government organization involved in climate advocacy. Though it is a ready source of cheap energy, coal has been decried by the UN’s Environmental Program and Greenpeace, among other organizations, as the gases emitted from burning it are some of the leading causes of global warming. Thoi questions the effectiveness of pooling money into “cleaning up the mess” after disaster strikes while the root of the problem is still not solved. “I see the future in alternative sources of energy,” she said, while acknowledging that the technology as well as the financial resources needed to make this transition are not yet available in Vietnam. Meanwhile, Change. vn works hard to ameliorate the situation by having stakeholders, both domestic and international, divest from activities that would cause even more deleterious emissions. The issue of environmental change and its impact on northern Vietnam’s mountainous regions is a multi-faceted one; any solution to prevent further damage and help ethnic minorities recover from past grievances should come from within the country, spearheaded by organizations like Change.vn, with intimate ties to the people living here. However, the international community does have a very crucial role to play. Policymakers at the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment 59

ples, the Asia Indigenous Peoples’ Regional Summit on Climate Change, and the 8th Session of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. However, despite its many mitigation efforts, the Vietnamese government is unwilling to hold certain organizations accountable for actions that could have directly or indirectly caused climate change. “Vietnam is among the top producers of petroleum and coal; the government has recently even increased its investment in building new thermal power stations all over the country,” said Ms. Nhi Thoi, the Program Manager at Change.vn, a local non-government organization involved in climate advocacy. Though it is a ready source of cheap energy, coal has been decried by the UN’s Environmental Program and Greenpeace, among other organizations, as the gases emitted from burning it are some of the leading causes of global warming. Thoi questions the effectiveness of pooling moces and Environment would benefit from training on best practices when it comes to balancing economic growth and environmental preservation. And as the collaboration between CSDM, an NGO, the Ha Giang Provincial People’s Committee, and the Finnish Embassy shows, foreign organizations, including governments, the UN, and environmental NGOs, can bring about the most positive outcomes through creating grant programs alongside workshops on project management, while leaving the actual design and implementation to local actors.

Higlighting the downside of thermal power VIETNAMNET Site traffic: 14 million readers/month Published at: 11:29, Feb 16, 2018 Thirty-year-old Thao Ta lives in Tan An, the capital of the Mekong Delta’s Long An province, 37 km from the proposed construction site of Long An-I, a 1,320 MW coal-fired power plant to be completed around 2020 and put into use in 2024. Though he has never lived near thermal power plants, he reads online articles about their environmental impact and is familiar with recent headline-making environmental disasters, including pollution from the Vinh Tan power plant in south-central Binh Thuan province. Like 15,166 others, Thao signed up with Stop Long An, an electronic petition started by a group of climate activists intent upon preventing the execution of the project and its 1,600 MW follow-up, Long An-II. Stop Long An was the first anti-coal campaign to garner such strong support in Vietnam. In an inspirational display of civic engagement, signatories from Long An, neighboring Ho Chi Minh City, and elsewhere around the country rallied to express their opposition. “I don’t understand,” Thao declared. His voice sounded muffled through the phone, but the frustration was unmistakable. “The world is talking about phasing out coal. Vietnam is talking about buying more.”

Hai Cao was similarly upset. “When it goes into operation, given the poor regulation, Long An-I will emit such a level of pollution that health issues like skin disorders and lung diseases will be inevitable. We have seen this happen before,” he said.

Vinh Tan power plant, infamous for polluting residential areas in Binh Thuan with cinder and ash | Photo credit: zing.vn He also worried about the effects of the plant’s toxic discharges on the surrounding land and water system, citing heavy metal poisoning and its impact on the food chain as his main concern. “It will destroy the rivers that serve as our source of water and food,” he cried. “Let me and my children have a chance to live.” For signatory Suong Thi Vo, who lives in the vicinity of Vinh Tan, it was about preventing another environmental disaster from happening to her compatriots in other provinces. “Half of the people in this area have to cope with lung disease and rhinitis,” he declared. “This cannot happen 62

again and I am not going to be silent.” Stop Long An began in May last year and achieved 101 per cent of its 15,000-signature goal within two months. With the hashtags #StopLongAn and #kyvisongcon (sign for life), the petition was posted alongside a host of videos and articles from local NGOs Change.vn, GreenID, and 350.org, as well as coverage of past environmental disasters caused by power stations in Binh Thuan and Hon Cau. Tree Hugger*, a local activist who requested that her name not be in print for security concerns, led a group of climate lovers to create the online petition and plan supporting media campaigns. “It was hard to get signatories during the first two weeks, because the State-owned media wasn’t reporting much on the planned power station. Not many people were informed,” Tree Hugger said. “It was not until we made public service announcements, posted footage from other coal-fired plants, and organized seminars and conferences that people started signing.” Tree Hugger and other campaign leaders also had to overcome criticism from individuals who questioned the validity of online petitions and saw it as another manifestation of “slacktivism”. “Signing electronically has as much validity as signing on paper; you have to go through a host of security checks to make sure you’re an actual person,” Tree Hugger said. “The petition is on its way to Daewoo E&C, Korea Electric Power Organization (KEPCO), and Korea Exim Bank (KEXIM), the main investors in Long An-I.” Tree Hugger also mentioned that online petitions spread more easily than paper ones because the people who want to sign them feel less vulnerable. These sentiments were echoed by signatory Hai Cao, who commented 63

that most Vietnamese “are either negligent or too afraid.” Cao admitted that he himself would not dare to risk imprisonment and march on the streets, though he is willing to do all he can to express his concerns and spread the news online. Aware of the people’s fears, Nhi Thoi, Program Manager at Change.vn, voiced her appreciation of social media platforms. However, as the movement gained more momentum on social media some mainstream journalists also contributed, aiming to connect with local scientists and verify the claims made by NGOs. The problem also attracted media attention. As a reporter, Son Lam writes for the State-owned Tuoi Tre newspaper and felt it his duty to inform people about the power plant right from its early stages of construction. “Usually, people don’t express concern until a power plant is already in operation and actively polluting their environment and I want to change that,” he insisted. Journalists, he added, play an important role in relaying the people’s sentiments to government officials. “I have contacts in the Long An provincial government who are actually very sympathetic to the people’s concerns,” he said. “Unfortunately, it is not they who make the final decisions. The project is still in its first stage of development, with discussions between the government and the potential investors, though the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) has given its approval.” 64

Indefinite Halt The official consulting body at Electricity of Vietnam (EVN), the Stateowned power company, has put the project on hold, according to Phuong Truong Luu from the Power Engineering Consulting Company 3 (EVNPECC3). “We are coming up with better solutions,” Luu said, while declining to go into more detail. Coverage on Long An-I in the national media ceased in July last year. Tree Hugger suspected that this was done to “draw people’s attention away from the power station.” Less transparency regarding ongoing projects would mean more freedom for EVN to go forward with their plans without fear of opposition from the people. But, Tree Hugger acknowledged, the indefinite halt to the project could be a positive sign. “Government officials do have a media presence, they must have seen the online petition and are now wary of inciting social unrest,” the activist said. Meanwhile, Thoi attributed this new development to pressure groups in South Korea pushing for KEXIM, Daewoo, and KEPCO to divest from environmentally-damaging projects in other countries. As EVN only has enough capital to fund one-quarter of its projects, foreign investors are truly the forces driving the coal sector’s development forward. “The industrialized Asian countries - Japan, South Korea and now China - wanted to go sustainable but didn’t have any moral qualms when it came to funding coal-powered plants in developing countries and reaping the benefits,” Thoi explained. “Vietnam was only too eager to buy cheap energy.” Since KEPCO and the Japanese conglomerate Marubeni won the first in65

ternational tender project in Vietnam for a large-scale coal-fired station in 2008, EVN has increasingly relied on build-transfer-operate (BOT) projects and other independent power producers to finance Vietnam’s skyrocketing power demand, assuming the country has reached its hydroelectric limits, while diesel, nuclear and, of course, renewable energy were considered too expensive. According to the Power Master Plan VII revised for 2016-2020 with a vision to 2030, 22,000 MW of Vietnam’s 90,000 MW of electricity will come from 16 new BOT power projects. Leading the list of foreign investors is South Korea, with registered investments of $55.6 billion, while Japan comes in second at $45.9 billion. Their motives are simple: 51 per cent of all such foreign investments flow to Vietnam not from export-import banks with a vested interest in enriching themselves but instead providing low-interest, long-term loans to entities in other, usually less developed countries, to be used for purchasing power. As outlined in “Carbon Trap: How International Coal Finance Undermines the Paris Agreement”, a recent report by the Natural Resources Defense Council, Vietnam is among the top three recipients of coal project financing by G20 members Japan, China, and South Korea. Market Forces vs. Central Planning Globally, the divestment movement has gained momentum, as commercial banks including Bank of America, Citigroup, Natixis, and Wells Fargo strive to eliminate coal from their financial profiles due to a fear of stranded assets, which cost more to build than they would later generate in revenues. 66

Coal power plants have a great risk of becoming stranded assets in the event of inaccurate forecasts by the government, which can lead to excess capacity, or simply when externalities such as environmental damage and health impacts are taken into consideration. This concept is not too difficult for wary private investors to grasp; the real challenge is to change the policies of public-financed banks like KEXIM and JCIB, who are too content to claim the profit margin from contracts for construction, equipment and technology, while recipient governments take care of the environmental and social ramifications when such arise. As power demand is forecast to triple during the Power Master Plan VII period, a parallel concern Thoi also highlighted was energy insecurity. Despite the fact that, by 2020, 42.7 per cent of national energy supply will be provided by coal-fired power plants, Vietnam is steadily exhausting its own supply of coal to run these stations. Costs are also rising due to the transition from open pit to underground mining. In 2016, Vietnam officially became a coal importer, and within three years roughly two-thirds of the 75 tons of coal required for its power plants will be imported from countries such as Indonesia, Australia, and Russia. “We should not rely so much on other countries for our energy supply,” Thoi said. “The government needs to take a firmer stance and look beyond low prices.” Yet the argument that coal is economically beneficial is becoming moot, as prices in Asia rise due to China cutting down on mining and exporting while its own demand increases.

According to the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA), Vietnam is losing roughly $1.27 billion per year because of rising coal import prices. The market price of thermal coal surged to $100 per ton in the last quarter of 2017; double the figure at the beginning of 2016. During the drafting of the Power Master Plan VII, coal was cheap because the government also subsidized domestic coal, lowering it by 40-50 per cent of the market price. It abolished this policy in July 2015. Meanwhile, prices for one energy source are plummeting worldwide - solar energy. A recent report by GTM Research predicts a 27 per cent fall in project prices by 2022, and this is happening in all regions across the globe. In fact, India has been able to harvest solar energy at a price as low as 65 US cents per watt. Unlike fossil fuel, renewable energy sources are not concentrated in certain countries, and its usage would guarantee, for Vietnam, not only a greener environment but energy security for the years to come. Call for Solar The greater Mekong Delta region in general and Long An province in particular, ironically, have remarkably high levels of sunlight, totaling around 2,700 hours per year. The same local people who called for a stop to the coal-fired Long An-I’s construction are adamantly advocating for a switch to solar energy. “I think having small-scale solar projects in each district is the best solution,” Thao said. “Not only will this be beneficial for the environment, but because the energy generators are local, the cost for building them and 68

transporting power will be significantly reduced.” Van Thang Tran, a petition signatory from Ho Chi Minh City, agreed, saying that the government should assist scientists in their quest to improve solar panel technology and apply its applications. “Solar is the way of the future,” he remarked. By virtue of their small scale, which average at around 50 to 100 MW, solar energy plants give local people much more control over managing their own supply and demand than coal-fired plants do. The State only mandates that projects over 1,000 MW be regulated by the central government. Solar energy projects, therefore, could be managed by city or provincial governing bodies or even individual citizens. Many prefer this over obtaining energy from EVN’s large-scale plants, whose sources, locations, and operating schedules are firmly under the purview of centralized planning. “Mini grids and home systems can be managed easily. The smaller the systems, the simpler it is,” said Nguyen Long Hai, the Renewable Energy Research Officer at Green Innovation and Development (GreenID), Vietnam’s leading NGO in sustainable energy development. GreenID has recently released a manual for Local Energy Planning and organized conferences in the central highlands province of Dak Lak and the Mekong Delta’s An Giang province, two pioneers in solar energy development. The switch to solar energy could also solve another problem in Vietnam - powerline coverage. Currently, at least 5,000 people in the most remote villages in Vietnam have never set eyes on a shining light bulb, as despite the government’s efforts, transmission lines do not yet reach many mountainous areas in the country. 69

Thanks to a program piloted by Change.vn, in collaboration with private donors HSBC, Walmart, and Vu Phong Solar, Vietnam’s pioneering solar panel supplier, villagers in hamlet 4 of Vinh Cuu village in southern Dong Nai province finally obtained a stable energy supply for lights, fans, and other household appliances. The program sponsored solar panels for all households as well as solar column lights on the roads and in public spaces. Thoi recalled her experience in the hamlet. “For the first time, you see children being able to go out at night and visit each other’s homes,” she said. “It was very touching.” Households with solar panels do not have to pay monthly electricity bills as they are disconnected from the national power grid, and will gain economically in less than five years. However, without sponsorship from organizations like Change.vn, the VND20 million (about $1000) initial investment is a barrier not only for poor villagers but also the average Vietnamese worker. “EVN needs to subsidize these projects, rather than spend money on wasteful, polluting coal-fired plants,” Thoi said. “Solar energy should be accessible to everyone.” She brought up feed-in tariffs as another solution - having policies that guarantee long-term contracts to producers would encourage investments in the solar energy sector, while ensuring that the power generated would be sold at a low per-KW price. There are still few indications that the government is willing to go down this path. Renewable energy only accounts for around 0.5 per cent of Vietnam’s current power supply, and the Power Master Plan VII aims to raise the figure to a mere 6 per cent by 2030. 70

Remaining Challenges GreenID’s Coal Research Officer Nguyen Thi Hang continues to advocate for an overhaul of the central plan. “BOT contracts are valid for 20 years, while we predict that prices for renewables will be more competitive than coal in three to five years,” she said, and stressed that under the status quo, Vietnamese citizens will soon have to pay for dirtier, more expensive energy. For GreenID, Change.vn, Tree Hugger and other climate lovers in Vietnam, there are still many hurdles to overcome. Even Stop Long An’s relative success represents an isolated incident made possible by the plant’s proximity to Ho Chi Minh City - an urban center with 9 million citizens who possess more political capital than villagers in rural areas, rather than a harbinger of meaningful policy change. Reading the comment session on wakeitup.net, it is clear that a few signatories signed the petition not out of support for a coal phase-out, but rather a desire to see the proposed power plant relocated somewhere else far from their home. Tree Hugger seemed hesitant when asked about the success of Stop Long An. “It was the best we could do given the circumstances,” the activist said. “Does it really show that 15,166 people care? I don’t think so. A lot of those who are affected the most don’t have access to the internet, let alone social media.” Hang hopes the policy reform she is advocating with GreenID convinces lawmakers to change their minds. But nothing is certain yet. “We will have to wait for the Power Master Plan VIII and see,” she said. This will not come out until 2021.

Meanwhile, Thao is anxious to see actual changes being made after participating in Stop Long An. “It is not enough to pay lip service to environmental preservation. If not now, when?” he declared. Thao wants to disconnect his house from the national power grid and go green, but on his salary the cost for solar panels is prohibitive. “I can’t protest the proliferation of coal-fired power plants while running household appliances on thermal energy,” he said. “But there’s no way I can spend about $1,000 on solar panels. What am I to do?”

Earth Hour Vietnam: The Story of a Youth-Empowered Movement VIETNAM ECONOMIC TIMES Published at 14:40, June 08, 2018

During Earth Hour 2018, more than 100,000 people in Vietnam turned off unnecessary appliances, saving 485,000 kWh of energy.

Earth Hour Poster created by Nguyen Tat Thanh high school | Photo credit: Nguyen Tat Thanh high school In the crisp chill of a spring morning, 3,000 people gathered at Ly Thai Tho Park in Hanoi. Among them, 100 youngsters donned bright blue t-shirts with a large earth splattered across the chest. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s March 3, 21 days before 2018â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Earth Hour. The group of volunteers, mostly school students, eagerly wait to kick-start their campaign throughout the country. From Hanoi all the way down to Ho Chi Minh City and elsewhere, they will organize events and mobilize their networks of peers 73

so that as many households as possible will turn off their lights for the 10th anniversary of the movement in Vietnam. Their hard work paid off. Earth Hour 2018 was a great success, garnering the support of more than 100,000 people who turned off unnecessary appliances to save 485,000 kWh of energy, according to Electricity of Vietnam (EVN).

Ho Chi Minh City students mobilize for Earth Hour | Photo credit: Earth Hour Vietnam Throughout its ten years in the country, the movement has grown from a handful of independently organized events in 2009 to a fully-fledged State-sponsored campaign. â&#x20AC;&#x153;In recent years, millions of volunteers in Vietnamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 63 cities and provinces have directly or indirectly joined hands to protect the environment,â&#x20AC;? said Van Phung, head of the organizing team. Phung stressed that Earth Hour is not just about one hour of less electric74

ity use. “Dozens of projects have been successfully completed, including campaigns for the transition to LED lights, green renovations for schools, and calls for people to turn off their motorbike engines while waiting at traffic lights.” Leaders, Promoters, Volunteers: The Role of Youth in Vietnam Though Earth Hour Vietnam is now officially organized by the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT), Phung estimated that the largest part of the efforts surrounding the event still come from the ground up, with the majority of volunteers being aged from 16 to 24. In the most recent campaign, they held leadership roles in brainstorming projects and called for support from the media. “We gathered all of their ideas, examined the feasibility of each one and supported them financially and logistically so that the execution phase would be as smooth and impactful as possible,” she said. “After ten years, I have seen a clear shift in the level of awareness among Vietnamese students. Thanks to their creativity and resourcefulness, they’re the ones who come up with the best ideas for activism campaigns.” Twenty-six-year-old Ngan Nguyen first joined Earth Hour during her sophomore year in university as Head of Media, after being recruited by a friend who knew of her writing skills. After seven years with the organization, she is now in charge of managing volunteers and overseeing all major projects. “Each project has its own leader,” she explained. “I come up with the ideas and then they are in charge of executing them.” Through years working with volunteers, she is similarly optimistic about Vietnam’s younger generations. “Young people are the life force of Earth Hour; they contribute a reservoir of creativity and have since become the face of the movement in this country,” she said. 75

As a manager, Ngan greatly admires the resourcefulness of her team members. “Take the Green Destination project this year, for example,” she said. “First, they based it on an established model of recruiting local youth to pick up trash along the Nhieu Loc - Thi Nghe Canal in Ho Chi Minh City, but then expanded the project by calling upon exchange students and tourists to join hands.” “Those born in the 1990s or after really don’t have any excuse for not knowing about environmental issues,” Ngan went on. “In this globalized age, it’s very easy for them to gain access to information. I hope that more will actively participate in Earth Hour and other movements to protect our planet.” For senior Minh Nguyen, meanwhile, 2018 was his first year actively participating in Earth Hour, contributing his artistic talents to the campaign by filming a promotional video that won an online contest as Most Creative. “I wanted to indulge in my passion for filmmaking while promoting a good cause,” he laughed. Using mundane shots from everyday life in Hanoi, he emphasized that campaigns like Earth Hour rely on the participation of “normal people” willing to make small sacrifices for the greater good.

“Turn off the lights when not in use” - Minh Nguyen’s awareness-raising video shared on Facebook | Photo credit: Minh Nguyen 76

Environmental Activism in the Interconnected Age To talk about youth activism is to talk about social media. Since Facebook became popular in Vietnam, Phung and her team have been utilizing it, alongside more traditional media, to run promotional campaigns. Gio Trai Dat (Earth Hour) Vietnam, the official Facebook page, has gained more than 60,000 likes and each one of its posts is shared by hundreds of enthusiastic student-age netizens. Upon surveying 421 young people from around the country, the writer found that 34.9 per cent first learned about Earth Hour through social media, compared to 22.9 per cent from TV and a mere 11.2 per cent from conventional newspapers. Among high schoolers from 15 to 18 years of age, the figure rises to 51.7 per cent. Facebook, the most widely-used platform, connects as many as 33 million users, or one-third of the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s population.

Student response to survey question: â&#x20AC;&#x153;How did you first hear about Earth Hour?â&#x20AC;? | Figure created by Mai Hoang, data from survey of 421 high school and college students.

Many young people, however, are somewhat skeptical about the actual benefits of Facebook, drawing a line between activism and slacktivism. “I see posers going around sharing videos of dead fish and air pollution all the time, but they still buy milk tea in a plastic cup with a plastic straw stuck in it,” said Quang Vo, a high school junior from Ho Chi Minh City. “A number of my friends actually do make an effort to cut their waste output, but they’re in the minority.” An anonymous respondent also commented: “Young people nowadays have all the information: they need about how pollution happens and know the consequences of their actions, but not many actively try to change their habits.” Meanwhile, others worry that activism is only seen within the month leading up to Earth Hour, after which students, like many others, return to their habitual way of life. “Though I’m a volunteer for Earth Hour Vietnam, I don’t think the movement’s impact is as large as some people seem to think,” said Linh Nguyen, a student in Ho Chi Minh City. “It is good to see so many other students as passionate as I am about this event, but their involvement usually ends there.” Students responding to the survey also accused others of joining environmental events and organizations to add to their résumé. Recently, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City have seen a mushrooming of student-founded, student-led organizations that claim to work “for the environment” with varying degrees of success. Lan* is a former member of Green Hanoi-Amsterdam (GHA), one of the oldest organizations of its kind and run by students from the most selective school in the capital. Though she valued her time with GHA, she admitted that most of its projects were “environmental in name only”, 78

while focusing more on social service. “In the year I worked for GHA, only one project, collecting scrap paper for recycling, was strictly related to improving the environment,” she said. “The other two were wrapping ‘chung’ cake for the Tet holiday and organizing a summer camp for orphaned kids.” She also expressed skepticism about the student-led model, especially regarding the lack of training for staff members. “When I first joined the organization, I thought I would receive proper training as to how I should go about doing activist work,” she recalled. “There was none of that. I was assigned a number of tasks I had no idea how to handle.” She concluded by describing the organization as “very unprofessional”. Similarly, Anh Bui, a junior at Dong Da High School in Hanoi, confessed that her main reason for joining the student-led environmental organization Water Wise was to “obtain a certificate.” But unlike Lan’s experience with GHA, Anh felt she had achieved a lot of personal growth throughout her time with Water Wise, learning to care more about the environment and other people through the training the organization provided. Water Wise was founded by former members of the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) and received support from the US Embassy in Hanoi from day one. Unlike many youth initiatives, the organization has an adult mentor, Trang Pham, who serves as president.

Water Wise youth activism training | Photo credit: Water Wise Yet despite their inevitable flaws, it is hard to dismiss the fact that student-led organizations, even the less-organized ones, have contributed to raising awareness among young people about climate change. As have some government-backed efforts, mostly launched through the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think young people where I live care a lot about the environment, as they spend time collecting trash and reminding tourists to do so as part of the Green Sunday initiative by the Youth Union,â&#x20AC;? said Khoi Nguyen, a college freshman in Ho Chi Minh City. On a scale of 10, the largest number of youths surveyed (28 per cent) ranked their environmental awareness at 8, and 75.6 per cent at 7 or above. While this number might not be ideal, it is nonetheless encouraging. Nine out of ten respondents had heard about Earth Hour before, and for nearly all of them, 2018 was not their first year of turning off their lights. Watching the growth of this movement in a country of 15 million young people is indeed nothing short of fascinating. 80

Development banks key to climate change fight VIET NAM NEWS Print circulation 10,000 Published on Dec 25, 2018

This year, concerns over funding slowed down UN climate negotiations yet again. Development banks stepped in, prompting reassessment of their traditional role. The UN’s 24th Climate Change Conference (COP24) was scheduled to take place from December 2 to 14 in Katowice, Poland. As of midnight Dec. 14, it was still unclear whether the conference would deliver on what it promised––approved guidelines for the implementation of the Paris Agreement. Delegates representing more than 200 countries had assembled for what was widely dubbed “the most important climate talk since Paris,” hoping to finalize the implementation rulebook as the end-of-year deadline drew close. Only two months before, the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) had released the special report on 1.5 degrees, forecasting the world’s demise due to temperature increase unless countries act to reduce emissions before 2050. However, throughout the two weeks of high-level talks, negotiations seemed to be locked in a standstill. Meena Raman, legal adviser of the international research organization Third World Network, said: “It’s hard to make anything understandable in this process because nobody really knows where we are heading in the talks.” 81

The rulebook, officially titled the Paris Agreement Work Programme (PAWP), was eventually finalized the morning of Dec. 15 after a nightlong negotiation session––an overtime deal. This delay was yet another symptom of governments’ inefficacy when it came to international climate change negotiations. The biggest elephant in the room, as always, was funding, which deepened the divide between different blocks. As developing countries demanded more support from the historical polluters, Switzerland led the European Union in an effort to undermine the need for “new and additional” funds in the PAWP. Without the phrase “new and additional” in the rulebook, developed countries could easily relabel existent development funds as “climate adaptation” funds. Building a bridge, for example, could be development, or it could also be “increasing local resilience to climate-change loss and damage.” Thus, developed countries would be able to effectively comply with UN Climate Change requirements without expending one more dollar for the cause––a major loophole. The finalized reporting rules for climate financing in the official PAWP leave it up to countries to define their interpretation of “new and additional” funds. Still a loophole, just better masked. This shuffling of responsibility only heightened distrust from developing countries’ representatives, who are not easily fooled. Interest in The Green Climate Fund (GCF) and the Adaptation Fund––big selling points of the Paris Agreement––has plummeted. Though the Adaptation Fund received an additional $129 million and the GCF a €750 million pledge from Germany, many remain cynical about their sustainability—and rightly so

Deepa Liyanage, Sri Lanka’s Director of Environment Planning & Economics, candidly shared her reason for not requesting assistance from the Adaptation Fund. “How much will the Adaptation Fund give a country?,” she said. “Let’s be honest - how much can they give?” Liyanage is also wary of the GCF, after her country submitted a proposal last year for their water management projects. There has been “a few issues,” including the sudden resignation of Howard Bamsey at the start of 2018, reportedly after a “difficult” meeting in which no new projects were approved. “They don’t have a clear process [for project approval] right now,” Liyanage shared. These incidents prompted Liyanage and the Sri Lankan leadership to seek out alternative sources for financial support. Sri Lanka is divided into two regions, the Dry Zones and the Wet Zones, with 75 percent of its population residing in the former. Dependent on agriculture for their livelihood, the people suffer as severe droughts caused by a changing, unpredictable climate wipe away their crops. Large water reservoirs are in dire need. The situation must be addressed immediately. Liyanage decided to turn to the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and World Bank (WB) for support, packaging the water management project as part of a multipurpose development initiative. As effective water management is closely linked to community health and economic development, Liyanage chose to take “a holistic view.” Once again, adaptation blends in with development, but for the benefit of developing countries. “Almost all of our [climate adaptation] projects are carried out with loan funding now,” she said. “When we finished our feasibility studies, relevant departments in our government discussed with ADB and WB to get max benefits for our country.” Sri Lanka is not unique in this regard. More and more countries are turn83

ing to development banks for assistance with meeting their climate goals, formally known as Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) to the PAWP. Development banks as a whole have historically played an ambivalent role in the fight against climate change. In the name of development, some, like the Development Bank of Japan and the China Development Bank, have been the largest financiers of coal projects in countries all around Southeast Asia, including Vietnam. While the need for energy in these developing countries is real, coal has done more harm than it has yielded benefits, as communities surrounding mines and coal-fired power plants suffer from lung-related diseases. Emissions from these plants are major contributors to global warming, pushing countries beyond their greenhouse-gas emissions limits. However, the tables are turning as major multilateral development banks (MDBs)––WB, ADB, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), among others––not only vow to stop financing dirty coal but are stepping up their game in terms of climate finance. During COP24, The World Bank promised $200 billion in climate action loans for the period 2021-2025, $50 billion of which will go to adaptation projects. These are all additional loans on top of the bank’s regular budget. “We cannot fight poverty without also fighting climate change,” said Mehreen Sheikh, Climate Change Communications Officer at the WB in an interview with VNS. “And vice versa: acting on climate can also help us meet development objectives and build a safer, more prosperous, and inclusive future.” The WB’s NDC Support Facility currently supports four climate projects in Vietnam. The ADB, meanwhile, has responded to ten of Vietnam’s highlighted tasks in the Plan for Implementation of the Paris Agreement 84

and more lukewarm to calls for direct climate finance, the UN needs to further engage MDBs as part of the solution. By providing stable, low-interest loans for climate resilience, MDBs have already garnered the trust of many developing countries exasperated with empty promises from different UN funds. The one remaining issue is consistency––all MDBs need to follow the WB’s lead, step up their game and channel loans into economically-viable climate resilience projects instead of dirty coal. As Nguyen Hoang Ngan, Vietnam leader for Friedrich Ebert Stiftun (FES) foundation’s Climate and Energy project succinctly phrased it, “ We need to rethink if the development we’re striving for is worth it or not. What is the point in building thirty more power plants if this place is under water in 30 years?”

NATIONAL MEDIA

(translated from Vietnamese) Articles published by Vietnamese newspapers, translated for the readersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; convenience.

Mekong Delta’s Salt Intrusion: Will Solutions to be Accepted? HEALTH & LIFESTYLE (SUC KHOE & DOI SONG) Published on Mar 30, 2018

Dubbed “the rice bowl of Vietnam,” the Mekong Delta, with 2.6 million hectares of fertile alluvial soil, contributes 57 percent of the country’s total rice production. The region thus plays a quintessential role in ensuring food security as well as promoting export economy. However, saline intrusion has been a major problem in the Mekong Delta over the past decade, as sea levels continue to rise at an average rate of 3mm per year under the influence of climate change. This phenomenon causes great loss in productivity, since rice, out of all crops, is the most sensitive to salinity. Its submersion in saltwater will lead to the accumulation of salt in the roots and leaves, eventually causing programmed cell death. Early symptoms include white spots at the tip of the leaf - buildup of salt compounds - followed by charred flakes as the salt burns up under the sun. Saline intrusion is a direct result of human activities, such as the construction of dams in the upper Mekong River, which lessen the water flow to rice paddies downstream. In 2016, the effects of such over-construction were first witnessed in full when El Nino hit Southern Vietnam, causing a dramatic decrease in rainfall. The subsequent decline in river water enabled sea water to rush in, reducing rice productivity by 50%. 88

In such situations, farmers are left with two options - to irrigate fields with toxic salt water, or not to irrigate at all. Across the plain, rice crops die from drought and salinity. Yet the cruel reality is, all of this has been happening in spite of national and international efforts to solve the problem by creating salt-tolerant rice. In 2011, the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), in partnership with Australiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Center for International Agricultural Research and local research institutes, launched a four-year project to introduce hybrid rice varieties with high salinity tolerance into Vietnam. The gene responsible for high salinity tolerance had been identified and dubbed Saltol (salt tolerance) - a strip of DNA on chromosome 1. When combined with the correct version of Sub1 (Submerge-1), a gene that controls water tolerance, Saltol can enable crops to survive for two weeks under high salt water.

Saltol gene (red) on chromosome I | Photo credit: Austin Publishing Group In 2011, IRRI expert Dr. Reiner Wassmann believed that crossing the Saltol and Sub1 genes into high yield Vietnamese varieties would take 89

three years, and in the fourth, IRRI could focus on disseminating the new seeds. Seven years have passed, and Dr. Dang Trong Luong, Deputy Director of Vietnam’s Agricultural Research Institute (AGI) spoke of the successful backcrossing of the Saltol gene into one native rice variety — Khang Dan 18. The product, SHPT2, can withstand 14 days of saltwater submersion. Dr. Luong’s lab is trying to replicate SHPT2’s success with other local rice varieties. Most of these projects, however, have been stalled or cancelled due to difficulties related to gene expression in hybrids. In his overall evaluation of the initiative, Dr. Luong remarked that developing rice with new traits via traditional breeding techniques take “considerable time,” while millions of farmers continue to lose their crops due to saltwater intrusion. There is another way of doing things. Under strictly-controlled conditions, the Cuu Long Rice Research Institute (CLRRI) has been researching applications of genetic modification in increasing rice salinity tolerance. Instead of being backcrossed into plants — a lengthy process with high failure rates — the Saltol and Sub1 genes, or salt-tolerant genes from other species, could be directly introduced into high yield rice via a biological vector. Research from the CLRRI in 2016 determined that this is the best way to effectively create salt tolerant rice varieties in the Mekong Delta. GM techniques have been implemented in other rice-growing countries to harness valuable traits. After the Indian government abolished a national GMO ban, the Swaminathan Research Foundation created a rice variety containing genes from the famously salt-tolerant mangroves. 90

Unfortunately, it is unlikely that GM rice would be available in Vietnam any time soon, as the Ministry of Agriculture still maintains a strict ban on such products. Only twenty-four GM plants are allowed to circulate on the Vietnamese market — enhanced varieties of peanuts and corn. Local farmers are still wary of GM products. Vo Tieng, a farmer from Hong Ngu, Dong Thap vowed that he would never use them. “I will never trust any biological devices. I want to stay close to nature,” Vo said. What farmers like Vo do not consider however, is the fact that they are already working with genetically manipulated rice varieties. “There is no ‘natural’ rice, unless you’re working with wild rice,” Dr. Luong remarked. “Breeding is ultimately just crude, slow, unlabelled genetic modification.” Ngo Chi Cong, an agricultural entrepreneur in Cao Lanh, Dong Thap, said, “There is a general lack of understanding when it comes to GM. People hear ‘GM,’ and all they can think of is [GM-developing corporations] Syngenta and Monsanto — the culprits behind agent orange in the Vietnam war.” Dr. Luong believes it’s the media’s responsibility to spread correct, fair information about GM rice, its benefits and risks. “People don’t trust GMOs simply because all they know about it comes from word-of-mouth,” he remarked. The Vietnamese government has yet to issue clear definitions on what is or isn’t GMO, alongside appropriate regulations that would set the stage for GM rice’s appearance on the market. SHPT2, though created using breeding techniques instead of direct gene transfer, is still awaiting approval for production on the national scale. 91

As of now, potential solutions to salt intrusion still lay dormant in the labs of research institutes, while climate change is wreaking havoc in the paddy fields. Of course, it is important to be careful in our approach to science. There is no denying the existence of monetary profit to be gained that may cloud the judgement of those who invest in new technologies. However, when a product’s safety has been adequately proven after a rigorous, scientifically sound trial phase — and independent scientists must be involved in this process alongside government agencies — let us not shy away from adapting to more appropriate crops out of baseless fears that we’re exposing consumers to the “unnatural.” Nature has changed, and so must we.

Sao Vang - Dai Nguyet: Another Oily Deal Signed Should Vietnam Continue to Develop its Petroleum Industry? VOICE OF THE PEOPLE (TIENG DAN) Site traffic: 185,000 readers/month Published on Aug 09, 2018. A popular Vietnamese proverb goes, “We have golden forests, silver seas, fertile land.” Growing up, we are taught that our country has been blessed with favorable geography, rich in natural resources — animals, waters, trees — and yes, also the extractable kind. Vietnam’s government has been budding heads with China over the issue of the Paracel and Spratly islands since 1974, not only out of national pride — no, more importantly, claiming the sea means claiming the sedimentary basins deep down beneath it, rich in oil and gas. In the early years of the 21st century, crude oil products accounted for more than 20% of Vietnam’s exports. The petroleum sector’s influence peaked in 2004, when our country exported an average of 395.7 barrels per day. Counting oil sands, the total value of exported oil amounted to US $5.6 million that year. However, with the development of our light industries and electronics sector, the share of petroleum in total exports began to decline sharply at the turn of the decade. By the end of 2017, crude oil accounted for only 93

5% of total exports; the present number of oil barrels exported, averaging at 129.5 barrels a day, amounts to 30% of the 2004 figure. Old basins, such as the Bach Ho oil field in Cuu Long, currently still the largest source for crude oil in Vietnam, are rapidly draining up. Bach Ho is predicted to be extractable for another 5 years at most.

Resuscitating the Giant Despite the decline, the oil and gas industry was still described as “central to national efforts of socioeconomic development and our country’s energy strategy” in the Politburo’s Resolution No. 41 Resolution about the industry’s future, approved mid-2015. In particular, the Vietnam Oil and Gas Group (PVN) was encouraged to coordinate with foreign partners to acquire new tanks and conduct deepsea explorations offshore. On the afternoon of July 31st, then, major newspapers in Vietnam simultaneously reported the signing of Sao Vang - Dai Nguyet oil project (Plots 05-1b and 05-1c), an important milestone in Nam Con Son basin’s second development phase. The petroleum contract was signed between the operators Idemitsu Kosan Co., Ltd, Teikoku Oil and PVN. The mine itself is located in the Nam Con Son Basin area, between Cuu Long, Truong Son and Vung May basins, about 300 km southeast of the popular vacation destination Vung Tau.

Conceptual design for Sao Vang - Dai Nguyet project | Photo credit: Synergen OG, Malaysia Nam Son Con is a basin with much petroleum potential, as it has only been extracted since 2003 via the Dai Hung rigs. All parties agree that Sao Vang - Dai Nguyet, when completed, will greatly contribute towards ensuring energy security for the country, especially for those living in the Southeast region. According to plan, Sao Vang-Dai Nguyet will be commercialized in the third quarter of 2020; for 20 years afterwards, annual gas extracts are expected to average at 1.5 billion m3 / year. The second phase of Nam Con Sonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s development will also encompass the extraction of 2.8 million barrels of crude oil and condensate (light petrol) per year, to be exported via the Dai Hung 2 rig. 95

At What Cost? Sao Vang-Dai Nguyet project will only have “negligible” effects on the surrounding area, according to the environmental impact assessment (EIA) conducted by the operator Idemitsu Kosan. “Negligible” effects hereby defined as 88,596 tons of CO2 emissions for the two drilling periods, in addition to 90,631 tons per year of extraction. Other forms of liquid waste (oil-containing wastewater) and solid wastes (oil-contaminated mud and sludge) can “affect marine species even 3-5 years after drilling stops — the time needed for such waste to decompose,” to quote the EIA itself. That is, if the project is free of accidents — chemical spills due to impact during transportation, chemical leakages and condensate spills, among other things. Another important factor to consider is the EIA reporting process in Vietnam, conducted according to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment’s (MoNRE) guidelines. By international standards, Vietnam’s guidelines still contain many shortcomings, the most prominent of which allowed for Idemitsu, the project’s operator, to conduct the EIA without indicating in the report who its consultants were — or if it even had consultants. Vietnam’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry itself has declared that the EIA’s application and approval process nationwide lacks transparency, supervision, and mechanisms for engaging with frontline communities – locals most affected by nearby polluting sites. We also need to take into account the law enforcement stage. The reality is that Vietnam’s environmental police force has always been stretched 96

thin, unable to adequately monitor the many projects assigned to their care. EIA violations in the form of incorrect waste disposal can go undetected for months – even years. Inhabitants of Central Vietnam provinces cannot yet forget the pain of the Formasa chemical spill disaster, in which a careless steel mill polluted local waters and caused the loss of 100 tons of fish. Crude Oil - An Outdated Market Is it not too bold to state that the crude oil market is “outdated,” when world experts agree that global demands for petroleum will still be on the rise until 2030? Immediately after the signing of the Sao Vang - Dai Nguyet contract, the stock values of all partners received a major boost, with key partners BSR and PVB gaining 3.2%, while GAS gained 1%. According to General Director Nguyen Vu Truong Son, the project’s operationalization means much to PVN after two years of uphill negotiations during which PVN had to buy back shares from its Malaysian investor, Mitra Energy. It is expected that the oil and gas project will bring about much profit for its investors and operators. But how about the Vietnamese people? What will they receive from the development of Sao Vang – Dai Nguyet and similar petroleum projects? Not much, it seems. Despite PVN’s claims, it is unlikely that Sao Vang – Dai Nguyet will directly contribute towards meeting local energy demands. 97

Vietnam is the world’s 31st largest crude oil producer; however, most petroleum consumed domestically has been imported from abroad. The explanation is simple – we do not have the knowledge, technology or capital needed to build effective refineries for the conversion of crude oil into industrial oils. Our attempts to do this – the Vung Ro and Nghi Son refineries – have resulted in nothing but difficulties and loss for investors. Continuing to invest in crude oil which we cannot convert into industrial petroleum for export purposes only is not a sound strategy. The price of refined petroleum products is always higher than the revenue earned from exporting crude oil, especially in a period when global crude oil prices are at a low due to shelling in the US. In the long run, then, investing in oil rigs that bring in questionable economic gains for the public, at the expense of the environment and public health, makes little sense. Vietnam’s fossil fuel reserves are on a steep decline, while our renewable energy potential has yet to be realized. In a country with 2,700 hours of annual sunlight – an enviable figure for countries worldwide – it is a shame that only 6 percent of our energy demand is being met by renewables. Vietnam’s energy sector emits more than 380 million tons of CO2 per year – the most out of any industry. According to Vu Minh Hai of MoNRE’s Climate Change Department, our country’s emissions will certainly become triple the figures of 2010 over the next twelve years – unless we modify our energy development plan. The first item that needs to go is Sao Vang-Dai Nguyet and similar offshore rigs, each emitting more than two million tons of CO2 during its working life. True, the world’s demand for petroleum may be on the rise until 2030 – 98

a mere ten years more â&#x20AC;&#x201C; but why does Vietnam need to follow what the rest of the world is doing? Why not be among the pioneers in developing green energy â&#x20AC;&#x201C; where the future of the Earth inevitably lies?

COP24: Climate Discussions Stall Over Financial Concerns – What is in it for Developing Countries? THE LABORER (LAO DONG) Site traffic: 3.7 million readers/month Published at 11:09, Dec 04, 2019 “We are living in uncertain times,” Nathan Thanki, Demand Climate Justice representative to the UNFCCC said by way of opening the 24th UN Climate Change Conference’s first press conference. “The Green Climate Fund is running out of money to support developing countries’ climate goals.” From its kick-off on December 4, the 24th meeting of the United Nations (UN) on Climate Change (COP24) has been focused on one task: actualizing the Paris Agreement. The historic treaty, drawn in 2015, denotes countries’ recognition of anthropogenic climate change and commitment to action through nationally-determined contributions (NDCs), some with support from outside players like the Green Climate Fund (GCF). The main objective of negotiators from 200 countries at COP24 is to agree on a Paris Agreement Working Program, with specific guidelines and goals for each country. Topics discussed will include green technology, coal power, and financial support, or climate finance. The last of these issues has proven itself to be the most contentious. In UNFCCC-speak, countries are divided into Annex-I and non-Annex-I, the two main negotiating camps. Annex-I countries are developed 100

countries and economies in transition, while non-Annex-I refers to the rest of the world. In 2015, 18 Annex-I countries pledged to raise US $100 billion a year by 2020 to help others implement their NDCs. At the same time, these countries promised to contribute to the GCF. The GCF was created 5 years earlier at COP16 as a mechanism to support developing countries in reducing their greenhouse gas emissions.

The 24th UN Climate Change Conference kicks off in Katowice, Poland | Photo credit: Mai Hoang Douglas Leys, General Counsel to the GCF, provided clarifications regarding the state of the fund. “I don’t think it’s a question of having enough funding,” Leys said. “There’s just a lot of demand coming from developing countries — to be specific, we currently have 17 billion dollars of demand. In our most recent 101

mobilization three years ago, we had pledges to the amount of 10 billion dollars from developed countries.” “That [10-billion-dollar] donation is now coming to the point of exhaustion,” Leys admitted. However, he still expressed optimism regarding the future of the GCF. The fund has recently launched a replenishing campaign, and Leys believed enough donations can be raised to meet the demands. “Germany’s government has officially pledged to contribute to the second fundraiser,” he said. “And we have gotten positive responses from many other governments, too.” He declined to disclose further details. The GCF General Counsel further believes the UN can still reach its goal of $100 billion a year in the next two years. “I hope the IPCC 1.5 report on global warming will motivate countries to take action,” he said. According to this report, released just two months before COP24, global warming will cause irreparable damage in twelve years if countries do not mobilize now.. Not everyone shares Leys’ optimism in the future of the GCF and the UN climate talks. Saadullah Ayaz, Pakistan’s National Program Coordinator on Climate Change, answers Lao Dong’s questions on behalf of the Like-Minded Developing Countries block. “COP24 needs to end with concrete financing mechanisms,” he emphasized.“Otherwise, all [developing countries’] plans for climate action will do not mean anything.” 102

sized.“Otherwise, all [developing countries’] plans for climate action will do not mean anything.” Donia Rahamtalla, representative of Sudan’s Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, was more direct. “I greatly doubt the UNFCCC’s 100-billion-dollar goal. It’s the same thing every year from developed countries – empty promises after empty promises.” Vietnam, alongside Sudan and Pakistan, is also part of the LMDC. The Vietnamese delegation at COP24 is led by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MONRE), and includes members of the Ministries of Planning and Investment, Science and Technology, Industry and Trade, Agriculture and Rural Development, and Health. The focus is on clarifying the content of Vietnam’s NDCs and international support for their actualization. The delegation is not available for quotes at the present moment.

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The Silesian Promise: A True Just Transition, or Just a Declaration? PEOPLE AND NATURE Site traffic:50,000 readers/month Published on Dec 05, 2018. Poland just made history at the 24th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP24) by leading nations in declaring a commitment to “just transition” – the shift from fossil fuels to renewables that takes into account stakeholders’ rights. The document, dubbed “the Just Transition Silesia Declaration,” emphasizes the importance of ensuring employment for those currently working in the fossil industry. It is no surprise that a conference held in Katowice makes “just transition” its top concern. Located in the heart of Southern Poland’s Upper Silesian plains, Katowice is the coal and steel mining center of Eastern Europe. When the decision was made last year to let this small coal-stained, smog-covered city act as host of COP24, where emission reduction and sustainable development would be key discussion points, several environmental activists questioned the UNFCCC’s commitment to its values. Aware of such sentiments, leading up to the conference Polish authorities worked hard to promote the idea of an ongoing “Green Transformation” sweeping through Europe’s coal capital. But is COP24’s host truly committed to change? Or are solar panels and green train models, strategically located in prominent locations at the Convention Center, merely tools to divert the international community’s criticisms? 104

This is a question that 30,000 heads of state, negotiators, activists and journalists attending the conference are eager to find out. Speaking at the Heads of State’s high-level meeting on December 3rd, Polish President Andrzej Duda remarked: “There is a reason why ‘Changing Together’ is the theme of this year’s climate summit. History shows us that by acting together, in the spirit of solidarity, we can achieve impossible things.” Other Polish delegates at the Convention, however, have made controversial remarks. Kazimierz Szynol, Chairman of the Tauron Executive Board, was invited to speak on a panel about The Just Transition Silesian Declaration. Tauron is Poland’s second largest energy producer, heavily invested in coal-mining assets. Together with PGE, the country’s largest energy producer, it is responsible for emitting 63 percent of greenhouse gas emissions in Poland from 1988 to 2015. It is also a sponsor for COP24. Szynol believes that a coal phase-out in Silesia would take at least three decades. Commenting on the needs of coal miners in the region, he said, “The majority of them are very simple. They want to earn money. They spend most of their time underground … They do not see climate change.” These remarks greatly angered members of the audience, including Bert De Wel, UN Climate Change focal point for the International Trade Unions’ Confederation (ITUC). 105

“Mr. Szynol’s words made me feel hot,” De Wel said. “He blames workers for not seeing the environmental impact of coal, but the fact is, they do. Because of decisions made by Tauron and others, they have no choice.” Poland is now one of the few European Union countries that have not made an official decision on when to completely phase out coal. The majority of Western and Northern European countries are committed to eliminating coal within the next 10 years. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), after a lengthy examination of research conducted by scientists from all over the world, concluded that the world must phase out coal by the middle of this century to prevent global warming from wreaking irreparable damage. No matter how many new technologies are perfected to minimize emissions from coal plants, this fact cannot be changed. If Poland does not soon declare a detailed plan to phase out coal, its Just Transition is just that — a declaration. For his part, De Wel’s is worried that if Poland, a relatively developed European country, cannot be more ambitious in phasing out coal, developing countries will further balk at the idea. “It’s only been half a year since Poland recognized that they need an energy transition, and they’re one of the most developed countries out of the coal producers,” De Wel said. “If they can’t do it, what about Indonesia, China, Vietnam?” “it’s very important for them to [quickly realize a just transition] to raise the aspiration from developing countries,” De Wel concluded. 106

Poland’s display at COP24, showing the logo of PGE, a major coal producer. | Photo credit: Mai Hoang

Remarks from the Vietnamese negotiators at COP24 confirm De Wel’s concerns. Pham Van Tan, Deputy Director of the Climate Change Department, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, said: “At present, the price of coal in Vietnam is still cheaper than solar energy. If we invest in renewables too quickly, there may be negative repercussions to our economy, so we must tread carefully.” 107

However, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has submitted to the Prime Ministerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Office a proposal regarding the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions through scaling down Vietnamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s coal development. Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc is currently awaiting the results of negotiations in Poland before making a decision on the proposal.

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80 Percent of Those Displaced by Climate Change are Women A Conversation with Verona Collantes, UN Women Climate Change Focal Point DAN TRI Site traffic: 10.7 million readers/month Published at 15:00, Dec 12, 2019.

Verona Collantes at UN Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s booth, UN Climate Changeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 24th Conference | Photo credit: Mai Hoang 109

According to a United Nations study, 80 percent of those displaced by climate disasters are women. “There are certain roles usually assigned to men and certain roles assigned to women,” said Verona Collantes, UN Women’s Climate Change Focal Point. “Especially in developing countries, women are primarily the caretakers in the family. “ As such, women’s work in society often involves food preparation, crop cultivation, and water collection––activities easily disrupted by floods and landslides. This is the reason why they are particularly vulnerable to climate change. Ironically, given their stake in the matter, women still do not hold many leadership roles in climate action at the local, national and international level, their decision-making abilities curved by systemic discrimination. Recognizing this shortcoming, member states adopted the Gender Action Plan at the UN’s 23rd Climate Change Conference (COP23), seeking to increase women’s participation in negotiations as well as develop more climate action programs with a gender-conscious approach. UN Secretary General Patricia Espinosa elaborated on her personal goals for the Gender Action Plan. “I plan to strengthen the gender action plan within the secretariat, and encourage delegations to look at our action plan and the implementation of that,” she said. One year later, at COP24, not much has changed. Eight delegations including Pakistan and Barbados do not have any female negotiators; overall, women account for only 37 percent of all delegates — a 1 percent decrease, compared to COP23. 110

Major forums and side events in the fields of science, technology and finance feature one or even zero female panelists––the “manels,” as Climate Action Network NGOs dubbed them. Collantes pinpointed the main challenge to gender inclusivity in climate change conferences. “Right from the time students are in school, girls are not encouraged to pursue interests such as environmental sciences and climate change,” she said. “Hence, the pool is already biased against women; when organizations seek out experts for panels, it is much more difficult to find many who are qualified.” Collantes believes, however, that the UNFCCC has identified and is trying to address this issue. UN Women’s national branches, meanwhile, have been working to promote women’s participation in climate responsiveness trainings, with a view to changing the situation of women on the ground affected most severely by climate change. With 298 killed due to irregular typhoons and droughts, Vietnam ranks 6th worldwide in terms of climate vulnerability, according to the latest report by Germanwatch released at COP24. In Viet Nam, UN Women has been working with people in Le Thuy Commune, Quang Binh Province––an area nestled by the Kien Giang River. From 2013, the organization has engaged the local Women’s Union in educating more than 5,000 people about climate disaster response. The program in Le Thuy is now one of UN Women’s models for other countries, frequently cited in studies and guidelines.

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Looking back at the process of project development and implementation, Collantes reflected on the factors that contributed to its success. “Based on observation and research we found out that women were not receiving information when disasters happened,” she said. “Information was being disseminated via radio and a lot of them did not have time to listen to the news because they had to take care of children.” “You have to be conscious about who has access to information,” Collantes emphasized. Using the built-in network of Women’s unions to disseminate information enabled UN Women to reach many more women and save their families’ lives. Additionally, women were empowered and rose to higher positions of decision-making on issues related to climate adaptation in local government. “It’s a simple story that can easily be overlooked,” Collantes concluded. From experience with the program in Vietnam as well as some other countries, UN Women has synthesized a guidebook on how to develop climate change adaptation projects that meet the needs of different genders. “[The guidelines] cover everything from project conception to monitoring,” Collantes said. She further explained that in order to achieve gender equality in climate change adaptation programs, a 50-50 male-female ratio is not the end goal. “It’s more important for men to be aware of these differences,” Collantes said. “We don’t want the 50% to be fighting for their rights all the time.”

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Where are Indigenous Peoples at the UN’s Largest Climate Talk? A Conversation with Tom B.K. Goldtooth, Executive Director, Indigenous Environmental Network PEOPLE AND NATURE Published on Jan 15, 2019.

Diné activist Tom B.K. Goldtooth, in double braids and a colorful neck scarf, trod down the stairs of the United Nations’meeting place after presenting at a panel on Just Transition and local economies – disappointed, yet again. It was the end of the first week of negotiations, and the situation was not looking positive. “When I come into [the UN’s] hallways, I come with caution, because these organizations have no interest in protecting indigenous people’s rights,” Goldtooth said. The 24th Conference of the United Nations (UN) on climate change (COP24) would end one week later, on the evening of December 15, with the finalization of a Paris Agreement Working Program. After more than three years of back and forth, leaders from 200 countries have seemingly found a common voice. This does not mean, however, that everyone’s voice was heard. Among those who returned from the talk disillusioned were indigenous peoples and ethnic minorities — ironically those most affected by climate 113

change. With their nature-loving lifestyle, indigenous people seldom wander far from their birthplace, and thus bear witness to its change over time. Many, like Goldtooth, worry that national policies are not ambitious enough to prevent climate disasters and global warming. For a long time, ethnic minorities have felt that their concerns about climate change were being brushed aside. Despite their recognition as sovereign tribes, Native Americans are not officially recognized by the UN as negotiating partners, but rather, mere observers like non-governmental organizations. Most countries’ delegation, including Vietnam’s, did not include indigenous representatives at all. Since the signing of the Paris Agreement, indigenous peoples have protested the fact that their concerns were given only a brief mention in the perambulatory clauses. “The Paris Agreement is nothing but a trade agreement,” Goldtooth said. “It has nothing to do with real climate mitigation.” Goldtooth was particularly critical of market mechanisms incorporated into the agreement. “[The Indigenous Environmental Network] has conducted research on the effects of carbon trade on frontline communities in hotspots like Richmond, California. Here, Chevron is claiming to offset their emissions by buying up parts of the Amazon forest. So you can see that [those living in Richmond] are still affected by toxic emissions,” he said.

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Tom B.K. Goldtooth, Indigenous Environmental Network Executive Director, walks away disappointed from 9th day of UN climate talks. | Photo credit: Mai Hoang The root of the problem, Goldtooth asserted, is the influence big corporations wield over politicians and negotiators. “Most governments are mired in an extractive economy; they want to continue burning fossil fuels until the last drop is down,” he said. “It’s climate capitalism. It’s a real concern that global climate negotiations have been co-opted by corporations, by money.” To organize COP24, the host country Poland accepted sponsorship from PKEE and Lotos, two orgnizations involved with coal and oil extraction.

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“We’re in a battle to protect the future of our peoples and our land and our territory,” Goldtooth continued. “Native people see the changes in the earth; in Alaska, the Eskimos can see their ecosystem changing everyday. Hunters die out there in the ice now because they can no longer understand their environment — it’s changing so fast. In North Minnesota, precipitation has been low, so people cannot grow their crops.” “My traditional knowledge tells me what we’re doing is wrong,” he said. . The “traditional knowledge” Goldtooth referred to is the body of knowledge passed on from generation to generation of Native Americans about how to live in harmony with the environment around them. “In some of the dialogue that has been happening, [countries] say they want to regard traditional knowledge only as [mechanisms for climate change] adaptation,” Goldtooth said. “But it goes beyond that. My traditional knowledge says that we’re burning too much fossil fuels. My traditional knowledge says that we need to change our ways.” Goldtooth maintains hope, however, that moving forward, traditional knowledge will be featured more in climate negotiations, with the operationalization of the Local Communities and Indigenous Peoples Platform (LCIP). This process has been slow. Though created during the Paris negotiations in 2015, it was only just now, at COP24, that a decision was adopted regarding the LCIP’s composition. The facilitating group will be equally composed of seven government representatives and seven indigenous peoples’ representatives, meeting twice a year starting from next year. “[The platform] is an effort to show the world that [traditional knowledge] is the knowledge that will contribute to the solutions and that gov 116

ernments should support the holders and practitioners of this knowledge,” he said. “I just can’t see that the LCIP in particular, and the Paris Agreement in general, will get us where we need to go, but it’s a tool. The battle is at the nation-state level, it’s at the implementation level,” he concluded.

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Greta Thunberg and Our Generation’s Scandalous Climate Demands

Perhaps one of the most unfortunate mistakes made by adults today is to think that our generation only screams for climate action on the streets ZING.VN Site traffic: 17.4 million readers/month Published on Sept 26, 2019. At the age of 16, Greta Thunberg has been repeatedly called a “mentally ill” girl, manipulated for others’ political gains while she takes to the street demaning international leaders to care about climate change. Only a year older than Greta, I have also often found myself hiding my age as I pitch articles about climate change to national and international publications. When “exposed”, I would get two different reactions: either explicit distrust and dismissal from adults; or some variety of tokenizing behavior that only frames my opinion in the context of “youth voices.” Perhaps one of the most unfortunate mistakes made by adults today is to think that we young people can only shout out our slogans about climate action from the streets, brandshing our opinions without undertaking concrete actions ourselves. Greta has for the past year been charged by adults with such opinions, and after her recent headline-making speech at the UN, criticisms have only increased. Why Go to Class? I first heard of the name Greta Thunberg and the Fridays for Future movement while attending the 24th United Nations Conference on Climate Change (COP24) held in December last year in Katowice (Poland). 118

That was also the first time the young climate activist spoke before an audience of country leaders. ministers and negotiators on the topic of climate change. At that time, I had two different feelings: admiration for a person the same age as myself who commanded such respect on climate change; doubt about whether or not world leaders would take her speech seriously. Nine months later, and there we were again at the United Nations Climate Action Summit, Greta giving her speech and me reporting on the youth movement’s impact on negotiations. Speaking at the opening session on September 23, Greta affirmed that world leaders must be responsible for climate change before the situation became irreversible. Every single word she uttered became the focus of international media: “You have stolen my dreams and my childhood with your empty words. And yet I’m one of the lucky ones. People are suffering. People are dying. Entire ecosystems are collapsing. We are in the beginning of a mass extinction,” she said. Outside the conference room three days earlier, on September 20, slogans calling for action for climate change echoed throughout New York streets: “Climate change must stop.” “Fossil fuels are destroying our earth.” “Say no to plastic waste”. On Broadway Avenue, people gathered from all corners of New York and the world, each one with a sign, a different banner. By noon, it was estimated that 250,000 were presemt, although the organizers of the march had only estimated 10,000. Traffic completely stopped for 1.5 kilometers. My friend and I climbed onto a parked truck (with the owner’s permission) to hold up our signs and get a better view of people passing by. Others followed, climing onto cars, lampposts, and stairs. When we got off the bus half an hour later, the march showed no sign of abating. The special thing about the march was the organizers and attendees - most 119

of whom were under 25 years old. There were even elementary school students marching as a class; these guys screamed even more loudly than older students at times. New York was not the only site for climate strikes; around the world, including on Nguyen Hue street in Ho Chi Minh, a total of 4 million students decided to march instead of going to class. It can be said that in terms of the sheer number of attendees, the Fridays for Future movement has won. The reason us students decided to march was simple: Why go to class when what you learn in school might become completely irrelevant in another twenty years due to the impacts of climate change? Climate change is one of the biggest worries for Generation Z (Gen Z, born from 1997 onwards). According to the latest Intergovernmental Panel Research on Climate Change, we only have 11 years to reduce greenhouse gas emissions before world average temperatures will rise by more than 1.5 degrees by the end of the century - a situation that is sure to cause widespread disaster. I honestly never doubted whether climate change was real or not - how could I when I lived in Ho Chi Minh City, where every year flooding got worse, and the summer days got hotter and hotter? The amount of information about climate change I have learned from home or in school is not much; teachers at my Vietnamese public schools as well as US boarding school didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t teach us about this often. But I and my peers are always trying to find out more about the world through newspapers, books, and conversations with people in other communities- including those heavily affected. by natural disasters and climate change. Before becoming the center of attention in the Swedish media, Greta was just a lonely school girl in a yellow raincoat, sitting alone in front of the Swedish Parliament Building (Riksdag) with the sign â&#x20AC;&#x153;I quit school to call for action to fight climate change â&#x20AC;?. 120

Greta’s story is just that simple: She read about climate change in the newspaper and in textbooks at the beginning of 3rd grade; and from there, the image of melting ice, the extinct animals that haunts our mind every day. When Greta began to act, many young people around the world were inspired by her image on social media and also began to take action, each in their own way. Many people responded and spread the Fridays for Future movement in their locality. I interviewed more than 40 young people in many cities around the world with the question: “Why are you marching for climate action?”. Their answers are the same: they have been following the news, reading scientific papers and talking to communities seriously affected by climate change, or they themselves are living in such areas. They can coherently explain and cite evidence for climate change from different scientists around the world. Empty Promises But, even now, youths’ demands for climate action have not been taken seriously by adults. At COP24 in Poland, apart from Greta, those who attended as “youthdelegates” were allowed to enter the meeting room, but only to sit in the back and listen, with few opportunities to speak, let alone meaningfully contribute to negotiations. I attended with an “adult” organization so had relatively more freedom that way. Things have principally remaimed the same. Though the UN organized a Climate Action Summit for youths, young delegates have uniformly expressed disappointment after the summit. Instead of serious discussions, there were workshops with topics such as “How to use social media effectively?” - topics that young activists already knew too well. The next day, I was invited to attend UN-Habitat’s event, “Cities Responding to Climate Change,” as one of the youth delegates. Martha Delgado, incumbent UN Habitat Assembly President, delivered a welcome 121

speech specifically referencing “the energy” of youth activists fighting for a greener future. However, at the table (I was lucky to be seated next to her), Ms. Delgado chatted with her secretary or remained on her phone for the two hours of the dinner, not bothering to introduce herself or acknowledge the guests present. including two youth activists. Adults who care about “young people’s voices about climate change” only care about the story of a young character, see what school she went to, what she did, why she “is good.” “ such. We still haven’t felt the interest in the young people’s ideas or appeals. Meanwhile, our young people have successfully built a global movement of four million people who speak for the protection of the environment. And we are not just participating because this is some sort of trend. Among those who marched on September 20 were mature people who could reason thoroughly and knew how to act After the strike, we each took on a different task, contributing in different ways according to our interests to enact change in different aspects of our school and local communities. Of course, we understand the “adult” concerns, the brutal truths of this imperfect world: computers and phones run on electricity; food must be grown; vehicles, clothes, gadgets all come from factories. All these activities increase emissions. We understand this, but we want to do better. Among the 100 Green Ticket recipients invited to attend the UN’s Youth Climate Summit are people who have built houses from recycled bottles; set up organizations to help others build houses from recycled materials; creayed smart weather forecast apps; and pioneered developments in renewable technology. And this is only a very small representative of a much larger population. It is time for us to be able to make decisions on climate mitigation and adpation policies - decisions whose consequences we are the ones who will bear. And adults, trust that we are mature enough for this responsibility. 122

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This climate writing porfolio would not be possible without my mentors at Climate Tracker, who aided and encouraged me every step of the way and allowed me to have the learning experience of my lifetime at COP24. In 2019, after coming back from COP24, I became part of Climate Tracker’s core team, and my focus shifted from freelancing articles about climate change to helping local journalists write about climate change. In this capacity, I have organized a workshop for twenty-five Vietnamese journalists, which resulted in just as many oustanding media products on the environment and climate change published by the nation’s top media outlets (VTC, VTV, Zing.vn, Nhan Dan and others). Among them was Vietnam’s first article about the Amazon fires with original quotes from Brazilian experts. I also produced guides in Vietnamese on climate data analysis and visualization, reshared by the leading environmental e-newspaper. For my full online portfolio with direct links to my work, please visit: https://maihoangportfolio.wordpress.com/

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