Source: The American Center - Hanoi

“Environments are not just containers, but are processes that change the content totally”.That thought-provoking quotation from the Canadian scholar Marshall McLuhan can still be valued as a universal truth.Humankind,spurred by an innate desire to move forward in their eternal quest of development, has so far been causing the “content” of the environment to steadily change for the worse.This,of course,has given birth to numerous environmental problems confronting many countries in the world.Vietnam,my home country,is no exception and has several challenges to meet.

Pollution,the biggest challenge,is often compared with a fatal disease that has so far been undermining the health of my country’s environment.Not surprisingly, air pollution is widely considered as the deadliest part.In urban areas,especially in major cities such as Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City, the atmosphere is heavily contaminated with exhaust fumes and industrial emissions,directly putting human lives in jeopardy.Water contamination ranks second in severity after air pollution. According to the latest figures by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment,thousands of ponds,rivers and lakes nationwide are being or have already been deprived of their cleanliness due to pesticides and raw sewage,hence putting human lives in serious danger.The contamination of land and groundwater,stemming from the burying of chemical waste and household garbage,is also a source of worry.

Besides pollution,climate change is another matter of growing concern to my country.Climate change,occurring in the aftermath of global warming,has been making adverse impacts on Vietnam’s natural conditions.Extreme natural phenomena such as typhoons,droughts and floods tend to be more frequent and devastating than ever before.This not only claims more lives and causes more billions worth of damage but also impedes the country’s overall development.Furthermore,a gloomy future is foreseen because according to the United Nations,Vietnam will be one of the five countries having to bear the brunt of the rise in sea levels with one tenth of her surface on land likely to be submerged in fifty years’ time.

The third environmental challenge facing Vietnam is worsening ecological degradation and imminent resource depletion.Deforestation is happening at an alarming rate with vasts areas of forests being wiped out to clear new spaces for farming and residence.Some species are on the verge of extinction,many others are driven away from their natural habitats and the whole ecosystem is upset as a consequence.Arable land for cultivation is being rapidly narrowed because of the population explosion and the outdated mode of farming called “slash and burn” in many mountainous regions of the country.Vietnam’s marine biodiversity is on the decrease since coral reefs in some coastal areas are being destroyed bit by bit.Natural resources such as coal,oil,water and so on are on a fast track to depletion due to ill-planned exploitation and overuse.

So,what can be done to address these problems?Obviously,concerted attempts to raise public awareness of protecting the environment,focusing primarily on educating young children,should always come first.This is because “trying to save ecosystems has more to do with changing egosystems” according to Don Rittner,an environmental activist.Hence,the government should organize intensive nationwide campaigns on a regular basis to draw people’s attention to the damage from which the natural world is suffering,how their lives will be influenced and what they can do to repair that damage.Secondly,harsher penalties should be imposed to prevent the dumping of raw sewage,excessive discharge of toxic waste and illegal exploitation of natural resources.Vietnam’s government and local authorities should administer heavier punishment,including imprisonment, on those turning a blind eye to the conservation of the natural world.Another measure which I myself find effective in the long term is investing heavily in the research and development of alternative sources of energy like solar or wind power to gradually bring the exploitation of non-renewable resources like coal or oil to an end.I believe that using these environmentally friendly sources of energy will not only reduce pollution,prevent resource depletion but also minimize the impacts of climate change.

“One swallow doesn’t make a summer”,therefore,neither any single individual nor organization in Vietnam can assume the full responsibility for restoring the environment to its original glory and splendor.The responsibility rests with all Vietnamese people,poor and rich,young and old. While the government is at the forefront of the lasting fight against environmental problems,we as individuals have to play our own parts.A person’s effort is just like a drop in the ocean but 80 million drops like that will make a rushing torrent which can sweep away any challenge.

“Humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one thread within it”.Treat that web with love and respect and try to protect it while we can because once it is destroyed,we human beings will also perish.More importantly,damaging the natural world today is synonymous with dealing a mortal blow to future generations.The environment is in agony.Our children are calling for our help.It is high time we took action."

By Nguyen Thanh Son