Nordic Development Fund supports Vietnam in emissions reduction

In order to reduce emissions caused by cement production, the Nordic Development Fund has been supporting Vietnam.

According to the Ministry of Construction, 55.6 million tonnes and 65 million tonnes of carbon dioxide were estimated to be released in 2014 and 2015, respectively. Carbon dioxide is the primary greenhouse gas, causing global warming and contributing to the climate change.

In order to deal with the problem, the Nordic Development Fund has been supporting Vietnam to construct and develop a Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Action Plan or NAMA for the cement sector. After over a year of implementing the plan, experts estimated that emissions can be reduced by 138 to 166 million tonnes by 2030.

NDF has been helping Vietnam with emission reduction since 2009. The NAMA plan for the cement sector is among 6 projects NDF is currently involved in Vietnam at the moment.

"I think there are great opportunities here to work on emission reductions. I hope that this NAMA works in supporting Vietnam. We’ve also helped to attract financing for emission reductions", Martina Jagerhorn, Country Programme Manager, Nordic Development Fund (NDF).

Besides NDF, international and domestic experts have been carrying out a readiness plan. The plan began in March 2014 and includes a database of the cement sector. In addition, consultants also constructed different scenarios to assess NAMA’s results and gave suggestions to stakeholders. 

"From now until March 2016, we’ll complete research and give more suggestions. We also ask for opinions from stakeholders such as Vietnam National Cement Association, Vietnam Association for Building Materials and cement manufacturers about those suggestions to launch short-term plan to 2020 and long-term plan to 2030", said Ha Dang Son, Deputy Team Leader, Supporting Up-scaled Climate change Mitigation Action Project.

The NAMA plan needs the involvement of different parties. Among those, cement manufacturers are the main subject to adopt emission reduction solutions. According to businesses, besides finances and mechanisms, enterprises also need support in terms of technology. 

Vietnam aims to reduce emissions by 8% by 2020 and possibly 25% prior to 2030 if it can master enough support from international organisations. A successful NAMA in the cement sector will partly contribute to reducing harmful emissions in Vietnam and support efforts to curb global warming and climate change.