National Green Growth Strategy issued

“The National Green Growth Strategy 2021 to 2030 is the key solution for Vietnam to ensure sustainable development and thrive during the post-pandemic period”, said Minister of Planning and Investment (MPI) Nguyen Chi Dung at the launching conference for the strategy held on October 29, four weeks after it was signed by Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh.

Dung said the strategy would lay the foundation for Vietnam to eventually reaching the goal of a carbon-neutrality, thereby contributing to combating global warming. Overall, the strategy sets the national targets of reducing GHG emissions intensity per unit GDP by at least 15% (by 2030)/at least 30% (by 2050) compared to 2014; as well as reducing primary energy consumption per unit of GDP during 2021-2030 by 1.0 – 1.5% per year; and by 1.0% per year the years after until 2050.

Further quantified targets are as follows:

• Share of renewable energy in total primary energy supply will reach 15 – 20% (by 2030)/25 – 30% (by 2050);
• Forest coverage will be stabilized at 42% – 43%;
• At least 30% (by 2030)/ at least 60% (by 2050) of the total irrigated upland crop area will adopt advanced, water-saving irrigation methods.
• Share of collected and treated solid waste: 95% (by 2030)/100% (by 2050);
• Share of treated wastewater: over 50% in grade II or higher cities and 20% for the remaining city types (by 2030)/100% (by 2050);
• Modal shift in special urban areas and grade I cities: at least 20% and 5%, respectively (by 2030) /40% or 15% (by 2050);
• Share of (new) buses using clean energy: at least 15% or 10% in grade I cities (by 2030)/100% or 40% (by 2050);
• Ratio of green public procurement vs total public procurement: at least 35% (by 2030)/50% (by 2050);
• at least 10 urban areas will approve and implement the Master Plan on green urban development in the direction of sustainable smart cities by 2030 (45 by 2050)
• 100% of urban areas will have their water drainage systems completed and synchronized to eliminate urban flooding by 2050.

In order to realize the green transformation, Le Viet Anh, head of the MPI’s Department of Science, Education, Natural Resources and Environment, called for ministries and Government agencies to incorporate green growth solutions into new policies to accelerate economic restructuring for resources optimization, especially in infrastructure development.

“The Government would provide new incentives to mobilize resources for green economic development,” Anh added, noting the private sector could play a key role in this regard via the public-private partnership (PPP) financing mechanism in green projects.