case study about the effect of the global warming in the vietnam

1. WHAT IS GLOBAL WARMING DOING TO THE ENVIROMENT?
There are many effect of global warming especially to the environment. So, what is
global warming doing to the environment? First, the global warming is the primary cause of
current sea level rise. How does this happen? This is because of the temperature are rising due to
the heat trapping gases from human activity. It can cause the global average temperature increase
by 1.4oF since the 1880s. The increase of temperature makes the ice melting. Shrinking glaciers
and ice sheets are adding water to the world’s oceans. Other than that, when the temperatures are
increase, the oceans also being warm. This can cause the sea water expand as its temperature
rises. The water covers many low land islands, the plants and can cause some of them to die. So,
the animals lose a source of food along with their habitats. But, for people they lose two sources
of food which are plant food and animal food. Global warming is harming and killing algae in
the ocean. Fewer algae are a problem because there is less food for us and many animals in the
sea. So, the choices we make today will determine how high sea level rises this century, how fast
it occurs, and how much time we have to protect our communities.
One thing that causes global warming is electrical pollution. Fossil fuels are burned to
create electricity. Fossil fuels are made of dead plants and animals. Many pollutants are sent into
the air when fossil fuels are burned. Some of these chemicals are called greenhouse gasses.
Human activities pollute the air, ground and water. The effects of burning fossil fuels include the
production of acid rain and an increased greenhouse effect. Acid rain gradually destroys almost
everything it touches. Acid rain damages the waxy layer on the leaves of trees. This makes it
more difficult for trees to absorb the minerals they need for healthy growth and they may die.
Acid rain also makes rivers and lakes too acidic for some aquatic life to survive.
Another thing that makes global warming worse is when people cut down trees. Trees
and other plants collect carbon dioxide (CO2), which is a greenhouse gas. Global warming is also
destroying many huge forests, many more fires that wipe out whole forest. This happens because
global warming can make the earth very hot. Carbon dioxide is the air that our body lets out
when we breathe. With fewer trees, it is harder for people to breathe because there is more CO2
in the air. Plants collect the CO2 that we breathe out, and they give back oxygen that we breathe
in. With less of trees and other plants, such as algae, there is less for us and more greenhouse
gases are sent into the air.

2. CASE STUDY OF GLOBAL WARMING
Location: Vietnam
Sea level rise is one of many consequences related to global warming. This case study focuses on
the impacts of sea level rise on Vietnam. The case study begins with a discussion of the three
dominant factors that cause sea level rise.
Factors that cause sea level rise:
1. Ocean thermal expansion
Due to the increasing in the temperature, so the ocean warms are also expands. This is
one of the effects to the environment when the global warming happens. This process has
taken place throughout the Earth's history, and because of the variability in ocean
temperatures, will likely continue even if greenhouse gasses stabilize. Thermal expansion
of the oceans is predicted to be the biggest contributor to future sea level rise over the
next 100 years (IPCC 2007).
2. Glacial melt from Greenland and Antarctica
The increases of temperature also cause the glacial melt. This will make the rise of the
sea level. Melting of mountain glaciers and ice caps is also expected to contribute to

3. rising sea levels because these colder regions are more sensitive to a warming climate.
Greenland and the Antarctic have enough water to raise the sea level by 70 m, therefore
even small changes would result in significant impacts (World Bank 2007).
3. Change in terrestrial storage
The actual amount of water stored terrestrially changes depending on ground water
extraction, reservoir construction, and other variations in the hydrologic system. While
these activities have a small impact on global sea level changes, in certain cases, they
may even offset some accelerated, local sea level rise (IPCC 2007).
Sea level rise is quite difficult to measure at specific coastal locations because of regional
variability. Similar to global climate change, global sea level rise is expected to impact some
regions more than others. Relative sea level rise in Vietnam is measured from tidal gauge data
collected at four stations by the Marine Hydrometeorological Center (Hanh and Furukawa 2007).
With more than 3200 km of shoreline, Vietnam's coastal zone provides a diverse range of natural
resources and favorable conditions for social and economic development (fisheries, aquaculture,
agriculture, tourism, transportation, urbanization, etc.). However, these ecosystems are also
highly vulnerable, due to several coastal hazards such as typhoons, storm surges, erosion,
earthquakes, environmental pollution, sea level rise related to global climate change, and human
activities such as mangrove extraction to meet shrimp farming and fuel wood demands.
Effects of the sea rise:
Consequently, Vietnam has been identified as one of the countries most threatened by rapid sea
level rise. As a result of Vietnam's long coastline, 74% of the population lives in low-lying areas
such as coastal plains or river deltas that are threatened by sea level rise. Most of the projected 1
meter sea level rise is expected to impact areas of the Mekong and Red River Deltas, where
roughly half of Vietnam's population lives. At the high end of SLR predictions, a rise of 5 meters
would impact 35% of the country's population (Figure 1) (World Bank 2007). The coastal cities
in Vietnam will likely face issues of submersion, flooding, erosion, and salinization of ground
and surface water in the coming century. Sea level rise in rural areas will likely force more
people to urban areas and create greater demographic pressures in cities (Liem 2009). Vietnam's

4. long coastline also exposes the country to environmental hazards such as floods, tropical
cyclones and storm surges, which could also be potentially exacerbated by the impact of climate
change. Even a small increase in sea level can result in increased risk of storm surges or
prolonged flooding of low lying areas.
Figure 1. Estimates of the areas of inundation caused by a 1-5 meter sea level rise in Vietnam.
The red areas indicate portions of Vietnam's land regions which would be severely affected by a
1-5 meter rise in sea level.
(Source: World Bank 2007)

5. Vietnam has already begun experiencing the effects of sea level rise. In the past 40 years,
sea level has increased almost 9 centimeters. According to Vietnam's Initial National
Communication to the UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change),
coastal sea level is expected to be up 33 centimeters by 2050, 45 centimeters by 2070 and 1
meter by 2100. Vietnam's geographic features and coastal orientation makes it highly vulnerable
to the impacts of climate change, specifically sea level rise. The coastline, which is 3,260
kilometers in length, contains the Mekong and Red River deltas, two of the world's largest river
deltas. As a result of the location of the deltas and their proximity to high population areas, a
one-meter rise in the sea level along the coast of Southeast Asia would potentially result in a 5%
land loss and an 11% population displacement in Vietnam (World Bank 2007).
The Xuan Thuy National Park, Vietnam is more than 15 hectares in total area, with 7.1
hectares comprising the core zone and 8.0 hectares comprising the buffer zone (Nhuan et al.
2009). In 2003, the Vietnamese government officially designated Xuan Thuy as a national park
in recognition of its high biodiversity and productivity resulting from the density of flora and
fauna species located in this region. All of the land in Xuan Thuy National Park is very low
lying, ranging in altitude between 0.5 and 0.9 meters above sea level. The park's low elevation
means that the park is particularly at risk to sea level rise. Moreover, this coastal wetland
ecosystem is already facing destruction from hazards which include erosion, channel siltation,
storm and flooding, salt contamination, and environmental pollution. Along with over-fishing
and mangrove deforestation, pollution is destroying the mangrove forests and reducing marine
stocks. Moreover, sea level rise poses significant inundation risks, and as predicted over the next
100 years in the case of Xuan Thuy, could completely inundate the park which lies between 0 - 1
meter above sea level.

6. REFERENCES
1. Dasgupta, S., B. Laplante, C. Meisner, D. Wheeler, and J. Yan. (2007). The Impact of
Sea Level Rise in Developing Counties: A Comparative Analysis. World Bank Policy
Research Working Paper 4136.
2. Liem, S.P. (2009). Vietnam Coastal Cities and Potential Impacts of Sea Level Rise.
Vietnam National Committee on Large Dams and Water Resource Development.
Available from http://www.vncold.vn/En/Web/Content.aspx?distid=466. Accessed
August 29, 2010.