Week 3: Exercise

1) Are similar climate vulnerability and risk assessments being developed or undertaken in the cities that you live and work in? If so, how might the results being utilised to improve climate resilience in cities?

2) If climate vulnerability and risk mapping is a new concept for you, how might your city go about carrying out such an exercise? What might be the assist or hinder the undertaking of such an exercise?

Yes, in preparation for the Climate Change Action Plan, the study on climate change impact and vulnerability in Ho Chi Minh city was included (more details can be seen in the attachment, which was the 4th draft of the study on Ho Chi Minh city adaptation to climate change). Climate threats have been studied through modelling climate change and its consequences on the climate and hydrology of HCMC in 2050. Then, climate impacts and vulnerability have been assessed by linking estimates of threat to potential socioeconomic and environmental impacts of climate change on areas, sectors and communities in the city, identifying those which are vulnerable and undertaking an economic analysis. Areas, sectors and communities were identified as being affected by flooding and/or increased salinity.

The results of these impacts and vulnerability assessments were used for identifying adaptation options and priorities, defining what needs to be done, where, by whom and when to reduce the risks of climate change.

Attachment:  Ho Chi Minh city adaptation to climate change

Comments

Charlotte Heffer, Brazil

Posted February 17 at 17:55 (GMT-6)

Thank you very much Thuy. It is great to see an example of a city that did a climate vulnerability and risk mapping exercise in preparation for a city climate plan! Do you feel that Ho Chi Minh city suffers from the same issues that many of the participants (and indeed our 2 Latin American experts) referred to, the problem that risk areas are identified but that the communities are not necessarily involved in this mapping or aware of the risks and thus continue to settle in high risk areas? 

Thuy Duong Pham, Viet Nam (Vietnam)

Posted February 18 at 17:25 (GMT-6)

Dear Charlotte, yes, that's true! I do feel the same. The study has not reached most of the people but more still in academic circle. Communities have not been well informed. And in reality even development projects are approved to be located there. Somehow i feel that it is a persistent conflict between economic development and climate resilience/environmental protection...