Vietnam Ranks 5th Country Hardest Hit by Climate Change: Official

Vietnam has been ranked the 5th country affected by the worst consequences caused by climate change globally, state media reported, citing the minister of Science and Technologies. Vietnam is among countries to suffer from sea level rise, which has been estimated to be on average between +2.6 millimeters (0.10 in) and 2.9 millimeters (0.11 in) per year ± 0.4 millimeters (0.016 in) since 1993, Minister Chu Ngoc Anh said at an award ceremony on June 14. But challenges have forced Vietnam to adapt to the global changes, namely upgrading facilities and technologies to improve its competitiveness, the minister said. Vietnam has issued policies supporting businesses in green growth, especially startups, for the past five years, Mr. Anh said. However, green growth requires long-term and costly investment from both the government and businesses, he added. For such a reason, Vietnam has launched contests encouraging companies with initiatives in green growth and climate change resilience as part of its efforts to mitigate climate change-driven consequences. (Ttvn.vn June 14)