Cooperation in dealing with climate change, especially developing greentransport, is a big part of the strategic partnership between Vietnamand the UK, UK Ambassador to Vietnam Antony Stokes said.

Speaking on the sidelines of a workshop entitled, “Climate changeresponse and green vehicles promotion” in Hanoi on Feb. 17, AmbassadorStokes said that this is a potential field for future cooperationbetween the Vietnamese Ministry of Transport and the UK Department ofTransport’s Office for Low Emission Vehicles.

Theevent, with support from the UK, marks the first step in cooperationbetween the two ministries, especially in green and sustainabletransport in the future, Stokes said.

He saidclimate change is one of the biggest challenges of humanity and Vietnamis one of countries most vulnerable to rising sea levels.

Green transport not only brings opportunities to reduce the impacts ofclimate change and move towards using energy efficiently – it alsostimulates the economy, he said.

Vice Minister ofTransport, Le Manh Hung said that rising sea levels caused by climatechange may significantly impact transport systems and buildings underconstruction, especially in coastal areas.

To copewith this issue, the transport ministry has built coastal roads equippedwith dykes to prevent seawater and strengthened coastal roads andbuildings, especially in the Mekong Delta.

Hung saidthat the ministry has made public its action plan to respond to climatechange for the 2011-2015 period, which aims to enhance capacity to copewith climate change for the sustainable development of transport./.