NEW NATIONAL CLIMATE CHANGE STRATEGY TO 2050 TO MEET NET-ZERO PLEDGE

On July 26, the Government of Vietnam has issued the country’s National Climate Change Strategy (NCCS) to 2050.

Under the NCCS, Vietnam aims to lower its greenhouse gas emissions by 43.5% by 2030 compared to its business-as-usual scenario, and to peak carbon emissions in 2035 and achieve net zero by 2050.

The strategy provides a first national outlook regarding the pledge made by Vietnam´s Prime Minister during COP26, of reaching climate neutrality by 2050 by means of international support. The development of the NCCS was supported by both GIZ and UNDP. In particular, the IKI-funded project Support to Vietnam for the Implementation of the Paris Agreement provided support for the development of the mitigation component and awareness raising for cross-sectoral interdependencies, while UNDP as in previous processes focused on adaptation and provided some background on new technologies such as Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS).

The following sectoral contributions by 2030 are proposed:

energy sector emissions will be reduced by 32.6% by 2030 (max. 457 million mtCO₂e)
agriculture sector emissions will be reduced by 43% (max. 64 million mtCO₂e)
forestry sector and land use emissions will be reduced by 70%, carbon sequestration will be increased by 20%, with total emissions and removals reaching at least negative 95 million mtCO₂e
waste sector emissions will be reduced by 60.7% (max. 18 million mtCO₂e)
industrial process emissions will be reduced by 38.3% (max. 86 million mtCO₂e)

Under the 2030 target, entities with annual greenhouse gas emissions of 2,000 mtCO₂e or more are required to cut emissions.

The following sectoral contributions by 2050 are proposed:

energy sector emissions will be reduced by 91.6% (max. 101 million mtCO₂e)
agriculture sector emissions will be reduced by 63.1% (max 56 million mtCO₂e)
forestry sector and land use emissions will be reduced by 90%, carbon sequestration to be increased by 30%, with total emissions and removals reaching at least negative 185 million mtCO₂e
waste sector emissions will be reduced by 90.7% (max. 8 million mtCO₂e)
industrial process emissions will be reduced by 84.8% (max. 20 million mtCO₂e)

By 2050, entities with annual greenhouse gas emissions of 200 mtCO₂e or more will be required to cut emissions.

Also, the government indicates in the strategy it will not develop new coal-fired power plants after 2030 and will gradually reduce its coal fleet after 2035.

While the Power Development Plan 8 still awaits approval, Vietnam considers reducing coal power capacity and raising renewable and LNG-based generation capacity.