This was confirmed by the World Wide Fund for Nature in Vietnam (WWF Vietnam) and the Department of Hydrometeorology and Climate Change of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment in a press briefing on Feb. 4.
According to the agencies, the Earth Hour programme this year is being expanded in Vietnam, with 20 cities joining the campaign in comparison with six last year.
The state-owned Electricity of Vietnam corporation (EVN) will officially take part in the programme as one of the major sponsors and ambassadors of the programme.
As one of the five countries to be hardest hit by climate change, Vietnam needs to take action and make strong commitment so as to have a stronger voice in the international arena on emission reduction issues, said WWF Vietnam Director Tran Minh Hien.
First launched in Sydney, Australia in 2007, Earth Hour – an initiative on climate change spearheaded by the WWF--has received a worldwide response. Last year, the campaign involved nearly one billion citizens in over 4,000 cities in 88 countries.
According to EVN Deputy General Director Nguyen Manh Hung, the state electricity group will take the occasion to promote the government’s energy saving programme.
It will prepare technical information on how to use energy most safely and efficiently for awareness-raising handouts to be disseminated among schools and enterprises
(VietnamPlus, 4/2/2010)