Vietnam Needs to Break Its Addiction to Chinese Coal
When it comes to the effects of global climate change, Vietnam is one of the world’s most at-risk nations. Rising sea levels threaten to inundate both the Mekong and Red River Deltas, potentially impacting tens of millions of people. Vietnam is also one of the fastest growing economies in the world, growing by 7.1 percent in 2018. While it has benefited from investors’ anxieties over growing U.S.-China trade war, Vietnam has been on the up and up for the past several decades, led by its export-driven manufacturing sector. As an emerging market, the country is now seen to have great promise; however, Vietnam must take steps to balance this growth with a potential future prosperity that is inextricably linked to its environmental security. The country’s energy sector will play a key role in this, as it is necessary to facilitate Vietnam’s appetite for growth as well as a key determinant of the nation’s willingness to tackle climate change.
Brian Malczyk and Tim Robinson
