Institute of Strategy and Policy on Natural Resources and Environment (ISPONRE), Ministry of Natural Resource and Environment (MONRE) in the Government of Vietnam organized the workshop on “Exploring Potential for Low Carbon Society” in Vietnam on May 31, 2012 at the Gland Plaza Hotel, Hanoi. It was implemented with the support of JICA, NIES, Kyoto University and LCS-RNet) Secretariat/IGES.

70 people from the relevant government officials, such as ISPONRE, Department of Meteorology, Hydrology and Climate Change (DMHCC), Institute of Meteorology, Hydrology and Environment (IMHEN) of MONRE; Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI), Department of Science, Education, Natural Resources and Environment (DSENRD), Central Institute for Economic Management (CIEM), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), academics, NGOs, and donor agencies participated in the Workshop.

The objective of the Workshop was to identify the methodologies for sustainable Low Carbon Society (LCS) in Vietnam and exchange opinions to explore their usefulness and challenges. The Workshop introduced the National Climate Change Strategies and the draft of Green Growth Strategies in Vietnam. It also delivered the study outcome, “A Low Carbon Society Development Towards 2030 in Vietnam,” which was conducted collaboratively by ISPONRE, IMHEN, Water Resources University in Vietnam and Kyoto University, NIES, and JICA. It estimates GHG emissions and mitigations in the sectors of Energy and Agriculture, Forestry and Other Land use sectors (AFOLU), showing Vietnam’s socio-economic scenario in 2030. The participants expected that the Asia-Pacific Integrated Model (AIM), which was applied for the LCS study, will be the key methodology to develop Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Action (NAMA), monitoring the National Climate Change Strategies and the draft of Green Growth Strategies.

In the panel discussion, participants discussed the necessity of research at both macro and micro levels which would assist in consensus building among different stakeholders. The importance of such research was discussed in terms of the necessity of introducing sustainable economic structure and suitable technology options which would bring about the socio-economic benefits while reducing the GHG emissions in Vietnam. The panel also discussed the financial support and capacity development for Vietnam’s society in line with its needs. The participants emphasised the necessity of collaborative work among different stakeholders towards building a sustainable LCS, making use of the lessons learned from past experiences.