A recent conference on high resolution weather forecast in Hanoi has
warned Vietnam is facing higher temperatures, lower summer rainfall
totals, stronger storms, and rising sea levels from now until 2050.
The conference was jointly organised by the Vietnam Institute of
Meteorology, Hydrology and Environment, the University of Natural
Sciences , and the Australian Scientific and Industrial Research
Organisation.
Experts predict that temperatures in
northern Vietnam will rise by around 0.8–3.4 degrees Celsius by
2050 and continue upwards during the late 21 st century. The surging
frequency of hotter days is bound to affect agricultural production.
Summer rainfall will decline in most areas. However, the
central region could buck this trend with summer rainfalls increasing
instead.
East Sea storms may become rarer but more
intense, threatening flash flooding and landslides in vulnerable
northern mountainous, central and central highland provinces.
The
high resolution forecasts suggest sea level rises of 100mm–400mm along
the entire Vietnamese coast until the end of the 21st century,
negatively impacting marine biology and coastal communities.
Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Tran Hong Ha
reiterated the unpredictability of climate change and its potential to
create a variety of dangerous extreme weather events.
To improve
Vietnam ’s understanding of climate change’s possible outcomes, Ha
urged relevant agencies to work together on devising worst-case scenario
models and responses by 2015. He expressed his hope that international
experts will help Vietnam cope with climate change’s challenges.-VNA