Hanoi (VNS/VNA) - Vietnam has completed an updated NationallyDetermined Contribution (NDC) with plans to reduce total greenhouse gasemissions 9 percent by 2030 in an attempt to respond to climate change.

Tang The Cuong, Director of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment’sDepartment of Climate Change, said Vietnam had completed the updated NDCdespite complications caused by the COVID-19 pandemic after five years ofefforts to implement its international commitments in response to climatechange.

Under the updated version, the country has decided to reduce its totalgreenhouse gas emissions by 9 percent by 2030, and continue to reduce them upto 27 percent if it receives international support through bilateral andmultilateral co-operation, and the Paris Agreement mechanisms on climatechange.

The new version has been submitted to the Secretariat of the United NationsFramework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

Cuong said the Paris Agreement on climate change was adopted at the 21stConference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on ClimateChange (COP21).

This is the first global legal framework binding the responsibilities of allParties in climate change mitigation and adaptation in the context ofsustainable development.

All participating Parties, therefore, were required to contribute tomitigation, adaptation, finance, technology transfer and capacity building toimplement the NDC as a way of responding to global climate change, he said.

Vietnam's first NDC was submitted in September 2015. At that time, Vietnam’sNDC, like those of other countries, was categorised as an Intended NationallyDetermined Contribution (INDC).

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has since co-ordinated withrelevant ministries, sectors and agencies to review and update the NDC in thecontext of national development.

Cuong said compared to the original NDC, the contribution to mitigation in theupdated NDC had significantly increased in terms of both emissions reductionvolume and reduction percentage with Vietnam’s domestic resources.

Emissions reductions have increased by 21.2 million tCO2eq (from 62.7 milliontCO2eq to 83.9 million tCO2eq), equal to an increase of emission reduction of 1percent (from 8 percent to 9 percent).

The contributions of greenhouse gas emissions reduction with additionalinternational assistance will increase from 25 percent to 27 percent andgreenhouse gas emissions reductions will increase by 52.6 million tCO2eq (from198.2 million tCO2eq to 250.8 million tCO2eq).

Given the socio-economic situation of a developing country significantlyaffected by climate change, the updated NDC shows the country's highest effortsto contribute to global climate change response.

The country's efforts are also reflected by the fact the Government considersresponding to climate change vital. It is the responsibility of the entirecountry to simultaneously conduct climate change adaptation and mitigationactions, and use natural resources efficiently and sustainably.

In reply to Vietnam’s efforts and completion of the updated NDC, the UNFCCCSecretariat and the NDC Partner Organisation recently sent letters to theMinister of Natural Resources and Environment, appreciating Vietnam's effortsto respond to climate change.

Minister Tran Hong Ha affirmed the goal of sustainable development, includingdeveloping a low-carbon economy and moving towards a circular economy, hadbecome a key national policy.

Low-carbon development to be resilient to climate change has been institutionalizedin the revised Law on Environmental Protection, which will be submitted to theNational Assembly for approval this year.

“In the coming time, Vietnam will make more efforts to implement specificstrategies and action plans such as reducing the use of fossil fuels andpromoting the development of renewable energy, green financial development andcarbon markets in the future.”

“These efforts will contribute to the implementation of the updated NDC from2021,” he said./.