Environmental news

Overview of Current Environmental Issues

Signs of Environmental Pollution

Currently, environmental pollution is becoming a pressing issue in Vietnam in particular and worldwide in general. According to the Environmental Protection Law 2020, environmental pollution is the physical, chemical, and biological changes in environmental components that do not conform to environmental technical standards, negatively affecting human health, organisms, and nature.

Environmental pollution can occur in soil, water, air, and other components. This not only causes serious harm to human life, health, and well-being but also leads to irreversible consequences that affect future generations. Environmental pollution can be easily observed through current urgent issues such as:

• Climate change and global warming causing ice to melt at the poles;
• Ozone layer depletion;
• Rising sea levels reducing land area, threatening human life;
• Saltwater intrusion reducing agricultural land;
• Air pollution, fine dust causing various health problems in humans;
• The extinction of many species of plants and animals due to shrinking and polluted habitats;
• The increasing scarcity of clean water, especially in African countries;
• Land degradation, landslides, and increasingly difficult cultivation conditions;
• The emergence of many new diseases that are hard to treat;
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Causes of Environmental Pollution

There are many causes of environmental pollution, but most of them stem from human actions. Some typical examples include:

• Population growth causing pressure on the environment: lack of clean water, natural resources, etc., to meet human needs;
• Illegal discharge of waste from factories, businesses, etc., severely impacting water and air environments;
• Overexploitation of natural resources without recovery measures;
• Deforestation leading to severe landslides and reduced air quality;
• Dumping of household waste into water bodies: lakes, rivers, seas, etc.
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Positive Human Actions in Environmental Protection

Besides the negative impacts, realizing the importance of environmental protection, we humans are taking more positive actions to mitigate pollution and protect the living environment:

• Enacting legal documents on environmental issues to guide individuals to comply and take more responsibility for environmental protection;
• Establishing non-governmental organizations (NGOs) for the environment, calling for widespread participation;
• Inventing energy-saving products using recycled, eco-friendly materials;
• Launching volunteer campaigns to plant trees and clean up the environment, especially the oceans;
• Switching to clean energy sources;
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Environmental Penalty Regulations in Vietnam

Some Environmental Laws in Vietnam

Currently, Vietnam has issued many legal documents regulating environmental issues. These help raise awareness and responsibility of each individual and organization toward the common issues of humanity. Some notable legal documents include:

• Environmental Protection Law No. 72/2020/QH14, dated November 17, 2020, of the National Assembly, regulating environmental protection activities, the rights, duties, and responsibilities of agencies, organizations, residential communities, households, and individuals in environmental protection activities;
• Law on Natural Resources, Environment, and Islands No. 82/2015/QH13, dated June 25, 2015, of the National Assembly, regulating the integrated management of natural resources and the protection of marine and island environments, the rights, duties, and responsibilities of agencies, organizations, and individuals in the integrated management of natural resources, protection of marine and island environments in Vietnam;
• Law on Water Resources No. 17/2012/QH13, dated June 21, 2012, of the National Assembly, regulating the management, protection, exploitation, and use of water resources, and the prevention, control, and mitigation of water-related harms;
• Law on Biodiversity No. 20/2008/QH12, dated November 13, 2008, regulating the conservation and sustainable development of biodiversity, the rights and duties of organizations, households, and individuals in the conservation and sustainable development of biodiversity;
• Environmental Protection Tax Law No. 57/2010/QH12, dated November 15, 2010, of the National Assembly, regulating taxable objects, non-taxable objects, taxpayers, tax bases, tax declaration, tax calculation, tax payment, and environmental tax refunds;
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Specific Penalty Regulations for Environmental Violations

For each act of environmental violation and its severity, different penalty levels are applied. These penalties can include warnings, fines, criminal penalties, or requirements to remedy the pollution caused. These are specifically regulated in legal documents such as:

• Chapter XIX of the Penal Code No. 100/2015/QH13, dated November 27, 2015, regulating environmental crimes;
• Decree 45/2022/ND-CP of the Government regulating administrative penalties in the field of environmental protection;
• Decree 36/2020/ND-CP regulating administrative penalties in the field of water resources and minerals;
• Decree 55/2021/ND-CP amending and supplementing some provisions of Decree 155/2016/ND-CP of the Government regulating administrative penalties in the field of environmental protection;
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