HCM City (VNA) – Ho Chi Minh Citywill push ahead with solutions to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions,joining the nation’s efforts to realise the Paris Agreement on climate change.

An interim report meeting on the project tosupport the planning and implementation of nationally appropriate mitigationactions (SPI-NAMA) in HMC City was held on August 28.

Nguyen Huy Phuong, a representative of the HCMCity climate change office, said the city’s GHG reduction plan currently coversthe fields of planning, energy, transport, industry, water management, waste management,agriculture, healthcare, construction, and tourism.

He noted that in order to boost GHG reductionactivities, HCM City will continue to use clean and environmentally friendlyfuel for buses and launch two bus rapid transit routes. It will also replaceexisting road lights with LED bulbs and solar-powered lighting devices.Additionally, waste-to-energy technologies will be applied at local landfillsites, and biogas will be collected from animal manure.

Stressing the need to reduce GHG emissions inthe energy sector, Huynh Ngoc Phuong Mai, Director of the HCM City Centre forEnvironmental Technology and Management, called for policies to be issued thatpromote the use of solar energy in industrial sectors. It is also necessary toencourage investors to carry out renewable energy projects and sell electricityat reasonable prices, said Mai.

Makoto Kato, a specialist at the JapanInternational Cooperation Agency (JICA), said HCM City and other localities canreduce GHG emissions by cutting down electricity and fuel used in buildings,install solar power systems on high-rise rooftops, and develop the bus rapid transit(BRT) and urban railway systems to replace personal vehicles.

They should also make use of landfill gases toproduce electricity, create organic fertiliser, and recycle solid waste, henoted.

He added that with JICA’s cooperation, HCM Citywill issue policy tools in its climate change action plan for 2021-2025 toimprove energy use efficiency in buildings towards forming a low-carbon citywith sustainable development.

To realise the Paris Agreement on climatechange, Vietnam has committed to reducing 8 percent of its GHG emissions,equivalent to about 62 million tonnes of CO2, in the sectors of energy,transport, agriculture, and waste management between 2021 and 2030. –VNA