Ho Chi Minh City expects to reduce emissions by 2020 by 10.5 percent and by 19.1 per cent if it receives external support in its quest to become a low-carbon city.

The results will contribute to the country's strategy of green development by cutting down emissions by 10-20 percent, according to the city's Steering Committee for Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation.

A corner of Ho Chi Minh City (Photo for illustration: sggp.org.vn)

The committee held a meeting last week at the International Symposium for Developing Low-Carbon Cities conference held in HCM City.

Under the climate-change adaptation programme for HCM City, energy, transportation and industry sectors will receive priority, with the reduction targets of 18.5 percent, 9.3 percent and 7.9 percent, respectively.

According to the programme, the city is expected to consume about 11 million tonnes of oil compared to 12 million tonnes of oil without the programme.

The amount of energy consumed has increased sharply in recent years due to development demand. In 2013, the city consumed about 7 million tonnes of oil.

The city by 2020 plans to have no more than 42.5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions, instead of 52.5 million tonnes.

Beside several climate-change adaptation plans, including environmentally friendly urban zoning, public lighting and solar-energy application, an upgrade of the transportation sector is expected to cut 433,500 tonnes of CO2.

The metro system now under construction is expected to contribute significantly to reduced emissions by 2020.

There will be 110 billion turns of passengers by 2020, and two percent of people now using motorbikes are expected to use the subway.

It is expected that the metro will help cut 53,000 tonnes of emissions. The bus rapid transit system, which will be built, is scheduled to cut about 114,000 tonnes of emissions when it is put into use.

Between 2009 and 2015, with support from the Japanese government, several projects were deployed as part of the city's climate change adaptation programme, including waste management at Binh Dien wholesale market.

The project produces biological gas from organic waste with the capacity of 40 -60 tonnes per day in the market. Another project that treats urban waste has a capacity of 600 tonnes per day.

The symposium was attended by Tat Thanh Cang, Vice Chairman of the HCM City People's Committee, Seigo Tanaka, Vice Mayor of Osaka, and officials of the two cities.

In 2013, during the international conference for Developing Low Carbon City organised in Osaka, leaders of HCM City asked Osaka and Japanese enterprises to help outline plans for climate change adaptation, energy use, transportation, waste treatment and others.

In response to the request, Osaka said it would help HCM City improve management capacity of urban development, energy, transportation and water source management.

Source: VNA