Viet nam – Australia: Cooperate and develop together on climate change and greenhouse gases
Post date: Thursday, Jun 20, 2024 | 16:10 - View count: 336
On the afternoon of June 19, 2024, at the headquarters of Commission for the Standards, Metrology and Quality of Viet Nam (STAMEQ), STAMEQ’s Greenhouse Gas Task Force led by Dr. Ha Minh Hiep – Acting Director General of STAMEQ had a fruitful meeting with the Australian Embassy.
On the side of the Australian Embassy were Mr. Kim Wimbush, CSIRO Counselor and Ms. Pham Thi Ha, Climate Policy and Program Specialist, DFAT.
At the meeting, Dr. Ha Minh Hiep shared STAMEQ’s orientation on standardization and conformity assessment in the field of greenhouse gas inventory and carbon neutrality, carbon credits. Implementing the commitment of Viet Nam to achieve net zero by 2050 announced at COP-26, Vietnam has issued legal documents (Decree 06/2022/ND-CP), action plans to move towards the mentioned goal. To have accurate information to develop policies, orient programs and plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, become carbon neutrality, and move towards Net Zero, inventorying and reporting greenhouse gas emissions, emission reduction reports, neutralization reports, and carbon credit calculations need to be carried out scientifically according to internationally recognized standards and must be independently appraised and verified.
The international standardization organization (ISO) has collaborated with United Nations agencies such as the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change UNFCCC, World Business Council for Sustainable Development WBCSD, research institutes, associations, organizations and individuals related to climate change around the world to develop ISO international standards in the field of measurement, reporting and verification of greenhouse gas inventory activities (MRV). This is an important basis for ISO country members to cooperate with each other, including the exchange of carbon credits. To strengthen international integration, STAMEQ will develop national standards (TCVN) in harmony with ISO standards. Specifically, in 2024, the Committee has been reviewing and publishing 10 standards in this field.
In addition to standardization and conformity assessment related to greenhouse gases, STAMEQ deploys a series of activities to raise awareness of society, the business community and people about climate change, the impact of greenhouse gases as well as mitigation measures, moving towards carbon neutrality and Net Zero, the role of standardization and conformity assessment in the process towards Net Zero. Affiliated agencies under STAMEQ such as QUACERT, Training Center (QTC), Viet Nam Productivity Institute (VNPI) are actively implementing training activities, preparing inventory reports, and verifying reports for domestic and foreign businesses in accordance with national and international standards. QUACERT has been accredited for its greenhouse gas inventory report verification program. At the same time, building national database for some industries such as steel and cement…is an urgent task to increase the reliability of reports.
In parallel with those activities, STAMEQ also develops an internal Carbon Neutral Project for itself and its affiliated agencies. This project demonstrates STAMEQ’s commitment and determination to contribute to the common efforts of Viet Nam and the world in the battle against climate change.
Recently, STAMEQ has also worked with several Australian universities and research agencies such as CSIRO, Griffit… and has involved joint research programs. Collaboration on climate change and greenhouse gases is considered one of STAMEQ’s priorities to 2030.
The representative of the Australian Embassy highly appreciated STAMEQ’s activities and initiatives, stating that STAMEQ is taking the right approach, in line with international trend. Mr. Kim Wimbush shared Australia’s plans in the field of climate change in general and reducing greenhouse gas emissions in particular. Australia currently has programs focusing on the agricultural sector and some areas considered Australia’s strengths. Australia is also implementing programs to support Vietnam in innovation, greenhouse gases, and digital transformation. The Australian Embassy is ready to accompany STAMEQ in projects to ensure transparency and fairness in greenhouse gas inventory and report appraisal activities.
