Israeli Embassy presents over 22,000 plants to farmers in Hoa Binh province. Source: Israeli Embassy

Israeli Embassy in Vietnam is planting trees to combat the ill effects of climate change and global warming while the British Embassy raises awareness of environmental protection through trash collect activity.

According to VNA, the Embassy of Israel on Dec. 13 presented more than 22,000 plants to farmers in Bac Phong commune, Cao Phong district, the northern mountainous province of Hoa Binh, in response to the one-billion-tree growing project launched by the Vietnamese Prime Minister.

Israeli Ambassador to Vietnam Nadav Eshcar said the present is intended to help local residents raise their livelihood and contribute to a greener environment in Vietnam.

Israeli Ambassador to Vietnam Nadav Eshcar joins Hoa Binh officials in planting trees after the tree handover ceremony. Source: Israeli Embassy

Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Bui Van Khanh took the occassion to call on associations, organisations and businesses to continue growing trees in their workplaces, factories and industrial parks.

The embassy's staff joined Hoa Binh officials and local youth union members in planting trees after the tree handover ceremony.

Within the framework of the programme, organisers presented gifts to 14 families who received the plants.

The embassy's staff plant trees after the tree handover ceremony. Source: Israeli Embassy

Presenting blankets to 14 families who received the plants. Source: Israeli Embassy

Climate change is affecting our planet, and it is growing worse at an unprecedented pace. But there is a powerful weapon that can fight against climate change: planting tree.

Under the one-billion-tree growing project for the 2021 – 2025 period, 690 million trees will be grown in urban and rural areas, and 310 million planted in protected, special, and production forests.

The project aims to protect the ecosystem, improve the scenery, respond to climate change, boost socio-economic development, improve the quality of people's life and foster the sustainable growth of the country.

As per the project, the target for 2021 is 182 million trees, with an average of 204.5 million trees to be planted each year in the 2022-2025 period.

The same day, the Israeli delegation and local officials visited a made-by-Israel biogas facility at a household in Cao Phong district.

British Ambassador to Vietnam, Gareth Ward, Chevening alumni and British Embassy staff pick up trash at a “hot” spot of trash in the capital city. Source: British embassy

On Dec. 12, the British Embassy in Hanoi held a dragon boat rowing engagement activity with Chevening alumni in Vietnam.

Within the framework of this activity, British Ambassador to Vietnam, Gareth Ward, together with more than 20 Chevening alumni and British Embassy staff also joined hands to collect trash at the West Lake area.

In just over an hour, the team collected 28 bags of trash which had been sent to the Hanoi Urban Environmental Sanitation Company to be processed.

In recent years, many rivers, lakes, and other water sources of Vietnam have been facing serious pollution, affecting the ecosystem as well as people's health and safety. With the idea that ‘small actions can make a big difference’, the British Embassy in Hanoi and the Chevening alumni network want to raise awareness of environmental protection through this meaningful activity.

British Ambassador to Vietnam, Gareth Ward collects trash at the West Lake area. Source: British embassy

Vietnam is one of Asia’s five worst polluters of ocean plastic waste, according to international organisations. With 13 million tonnes of waste released to the ocean every year, the country ranks 17th in the world for ocean plastic waste pollution.

Although there are no official statistics on the amount and varieties of plastic in the Vietnamese sea and islands, plastic waste is easy to see in Vietnamese waters, with the country’s 112 estuaries the main gateways of plastic to the ocean.

Statistics from Vietnam’s Association of Plastic illustrate the scale of the problem. In 1990, each Vietnamese consumed 3.8kg of plastic per year, but 25 years later, the figure hit 41kg.

As many as 1,000 plastic bags are used each minute but only 27% of them are treated and recycled.

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment estimated that about 80 tonnes of plastic waste and bags are thrown away every day in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City combined.

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