Rural community encouraged to combat climate change
(VOV) -A multiplicity of measures addressing climate change challenges was discussed at an international seminar in Hanoi on April 8, focusing on engaging the rural community in the effort.
The seminar, organized by the Adventist Development & Relief Agency (ADRA), was the result of a South East Asia: Regional Environmental Adaptation to Climate Change Training and Implementation Project (SEA:REACTI).
At the event, Nguyen Anh Thinh, ADRA Vietnam Director, said climate change poses a monumental threat to many countries, including Vietnam and Laos. The Government, local authorities and the community are facing an inordinate number of obstacles in surmounting its negative impact.
Phoutthavy Vorachit, SEA:REACTI Project Manager, in turn suggested engineering changes to the varieties of animals and plants that are grown in the region, improving gardening methods and building more intelligent agricultural models to adapt to climate change are possible solutions.
He highlighted positive results from an ADRA-funded project in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho that has helped increase public awareness of the danger of climate change, particularly among women and poor people in rural areas.
Participants stressed the need to build stronger links between localities and the national programme on natural disaster mitigation and climate change adaptation.
In addition, they said, foreign organizations and the private sector should assume greater social responsibility for community development to advance the cause of climate change adaptation in a sustainable manner.