Reporting on Vietnam’s Pathways to Net Zero
Climate science clearly shows that to keep global warming to no more than 1.5°C (beyond which humans and ecosystems will struggle to adapt), carbon emissions must be reduced by 45% by 2030 and reach net zero by 2050.
In accordance with the Paris Agreement, the government of Vietnam approved a National Climate Change Strategy on 26 July 2022 to meet its pledge to become a net-zero carbon emissions country by 2050. The strategy commits Vietnam to cut total emissions from forestry and land use by 70%, and to increase carbon sequestration from forest and land use by 20% by 2030. Vietnam has also set targets to ensure 6.9% of its electricity produced or imported comes from renewable sources by 2025, and 10.7% by 2030.
To raise public awareness of Vietnam’s ambitious goals and its energy transition, the media in Vietnam has covered energy issues widely, especially on the heels of Vietnam’s Net Zero pledge.
However, Climate Tracker’s recent study of Coal and Renewable Energy Reporting in Vietnam found that more than 70% of energy stories appear in the economy or business sections, mostly in the form of news updates, and few quoted community voices.
Journalists in Vietnam also face challenges in terms of knowledge, capacity and resources. Climate change and energy transition is a complex issue, cutting across environmental science, finance, technology, public infrastructure development and health. To report accurately and effectively on energy issues, journalists require a good grasp of the technical knowledge of the various energy sources. They must keep up with evolving climate change science and technology, and stay up to date with the latest pricing and policies incentivizing renewable energy sources.
To meet this need, Internews’ Earth Journalism Network (EJN) launched Reporting on Vietnam’s Pathways to Net Zero in 2024.
The goals of this project are to:
- Identify the challenges and needs of journalists in Vietnam when reporting on energy transition and renewable energy
- Strengthen the knowledge and skills of journalists covering these topics in Vietnam
- Improve the quality and quantity of energy reporting in Vietnam
During the first phase of the project, we:
- Assessed the reporting needs of local journalists and strengthen their capacity to report on renewable energy sources
- Organized a media training workshop on renewable energy reporting for journalists in Vietnam
- Offered story grants and mentorship support to journalists to produce good quality and engaging human-interest media stories on renewable energies and the energy landscape. Journalists will be encouraged to delve deeper into data sources and analysis, and to amplify community voices in their stories
To build on the progress and momentum of the project, EJN has now implemented a follow-up phase of the project from August 2024 to June 2025, to continue strengthening the Renewable Energy (RE) knowledge and reporting capacity of journalists in Vietnam.
For this second phase, we will target local journalists, prioritizing participants of Phase 1 of the project.
We aim to:
- increase the knowledge and reporting skills of climate and environmental journalists in Vietnam
- build and foster a network of journalists in Vietnam for media reporting on renewable energy and the energy transition
- increase media coverage and public awareness, deepening support for the country’s transition to net zero
As part of this follow-up phase, EJN will:
- Lead a three-day intermediate-level training on renewable energy
- Provide story grants and mentorship to selected journalists
- Produce a tipsheet on RE reporting
- Organize a virtual “Meet the Experts” session
- Facilitate information exchange and collaboration between Vietnamese journalists and their peers in neighboring Lower Mekong countries
Banner image: Rooftop solar powering a Vietnamese school / Credit: Le Dinh Phuoc.