Hanoi (VNA)ꦐ – Created 50 years ago and held annually ever since, Earth Day (April 22) aims to inspire the community to join hands for the sake of the planet.

This year’s Earth Day is themed “Climate Action” as climate change issues become more unpredictable, with phenomena like hailstorms, storms, floods, extreme heatwaves, drought, and saltwater intrusion happening at more regular intervals. Many countries will have to take action in order to meet their commitments agreed in the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change. One of the commitments aims to keep a global temperature rise well below 2 degrees Celsius within this century, while pursuing efforts to limit the increase to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. Vietnam has confirmed a strong commitment to joining the international community’s efforts to cope with climate change and enhance cooperation with other countries and international organisations, and seeking international support for its climate change response.

[Hanoi adopts plan to cut emissions]

Kathleen Rogers, President of the Earth Day Network, said: “Progress has slowed, climate change impacts grow, and our adversaries have become better financed. We find ourselves today in a world facing global threats that demand a unified global response.” “For Earth Day 2020, we will build a new generation of environmentalist activists, engaging millions of people worldwide,” she added. This year, the theme for Earth Hour (March 28) was also based on climate action and sustainable development. There are multiple ways for individuals to protect the environment, from planting trees and collecting waste to taking part in climate action campaigns. In response to Earth Day 2020, the Centre for Marinelife Conservation and Community Development (MCD) has coordinated with the People’s Committee of Ha Long city and some local relevant agencies to organise a competition aimed at spreading green action and reducing plastic waste. The competition from April 10 to May 15 is open to individuals or groups of people living, studying, or working in Ha Long and Hanoi, who are interested in environmental protection, especially plastic waste-related issues. Entries should be short videos or photo slideshows with information associated describing initiatives to reduce solid waste, particularly plastic waste in daily life and at public places. They need to clarify the goal of the initiatives, locations and time of initiative implementation, along with activities and results. Initiatives applicable to coastal zones of Ha Long Bay will be prioritised. Entries should be sent to //cutt.ly/BtZed99. The organising board will post entries onto its fanpage within 24 hours of receiving them, and reply to entrants with links to their work via emails. Entrants can then invite their friends, relatives and whoever they want to vote on the fan page. The contest looks to find out solutions to improve the efficiency of waste collection, sorting and treatment in the bay’s coastal zones, thereby helping to minimise marine plastic pollution in the UNESCO World Heritage Site Ha Long Bay. According to earthday.org, 8.3 billion metric tonnes of plastic has been produced since plastic was introduced in the 1950s. The amount of plastic produced in a year is roughly the same as the entire weight of humanity. Up to 91 percent of plastic waste isn’t recycled. And since most plastics don’t biodegrade in any meaningful sense, all that plastic waste could exist for hundreds or even thousands of years. Of note, 8 million metric tonnes of plastic winds up in the oceans each year. That’s enough trash to cover every foot of coastline around the world with five full trash bags of plastic compounding every year. An international survey revealed that Vietnam is one of the five countries in the world discharging the most plastic waste, with about 1.8 million tonnes dumped each year./.