PV: Could you tell us how the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha in Can Tho City has implemented environmental protection activities and responded to climate change in the city recently?

Mr. Ly Hung:

In recent years, the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha of Can Tho City has always accompanied the development of the city. As a member of the great national unity house, the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha of Can Tho City has been actively mobilizing monks, nuns, and Buddhists to join the government, the Fatherland Front, departments, and branches at all levels to join hands in building an increasingly beautiful living environment, contributing to making Can Tho City more civilized, modern, and worthy of being the central urban area of ​​the Mekong Delta.

It can be said that the environment has a close relationship with the life of each person. Humans are a part of the environment and cannot live separately. A sustainable development environment is an ideal condition for human existence and development. In recent years, the living environment in the Mekong Delta in general, and Can Tho City in particular, has been affected by the development of agriculture, industry, urbanization, and daily life of people. In addition, the increase in extreme factors of climate change is also making landslides and seawater intrusion into freshwater areas in rivers increasingly serious. Not only that, erratic weather is also negatively affecting our living environment.

From 2016 to present, implementing the coordination program between the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Can Tho City, the Department of Natural Resources and Environment and religious organizations, the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha of Can Tho City has carried out many activities to contribute to environmental protection and climate change response in the city. Specifically, the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha of Can Tho City has included environmental protection and climate change response in the annual religious activities program; sent monks, nuns, and Buddhists to participate in training courses, conferences, seminars, and rallies on environmental protection and climate change response; organized many fish release ceremonies to return fish to the natural ecological environment, thereby demonstrating the spirit of compassion and forgiveness of Buddhism.

In addition, in activities, meetings, and lectures at places of worship, propaganda and mobilization of monks, nuns, and Buddhists to be aware of environmental protection through practical and specific actions such as collecting and treating waste, classifying waste in daily life, cleaning the landscape and environment of monasteries and houses; and saving water resources have also been integrated into the activities, meetings, and lectures at places of worship.

Not only that, responding to the "Anti-plastic waste" movement, the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha in Can Tho City also called on places of worship and Buddhists to change their habits by limiting the use of plastic bags, plastic bottles and other single-use plastic items; actively recycling and reusing to reduce the burden of plastic waste pollution, affecting the natural environment and public health; and increasing the use of traditional items such as banana leaves and lotus leaves.

PV: Can you share some outstanding results in environmental protection and climate change response that the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha in Can Tho City has achieved in recent times?

Mr. Ly Hung:

Through the propaganda activities of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha in Can Tho City as well as at places of worship, monks, nuns and Buddhists have raised their understanding of their rights and responsibilities in environmental protection, responding to climate change; the harmful effects of waste on the environment and human health if not properly treated; and actively participated in activities to build a green - clean - beautiful lifestyle at places of worship as well as households.

Along with that, up to now, most of the places of worship in the city have built a cultural and civilized lifestyle at religious establishments. At the places of worship, there are posted registration boards for projects and tasks contributing to environmental protection and climate change response; at the same time, they regularly beautify the landscape, plant many types of flowers and trees, arrange waste storage areas, build regular waste treatment furnaces and have a toilet system to serve visitors to ensure environmental hygiene.

In addition, through the propaganda and mobilization work of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha in Can Tho City, up to now, nearly 50 establishments have implemented environmental protection models and responded to climate change, the most prominent of which are the environmental protection models at Truc Lam Phuong Nam Zen Monastery, Thien Quang Pagoda, Ngoc Minh Monastery, Pitu Khosa Rangsay Pagoda, Giac Nguyen Pagoda, Settodor Pagoda, Tay Lam Pagoda...

PV: In order for environmental protection activities and climate change response to achieve increasingly high results, in the coming time, what tasks and solutions will the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha of Can Tho City focus on implementing?

Mr. Ly Hung:

In the coming time, the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha of Can Tho City will continue to strengthen the dissemination of the Party's guidelines and the State's laws on environmental protection and climate change response, especially the provisions of the Law on Environmental Protection 2020 and documents guiding the implementation of the Law to monks, nuns, and Buddhists; at the same time, actively participate in patriotic emulation movements, campaigns launched by the Vietnam Fatherland Front and organizations, and respond to environmental protection activities and climate change response in the community.

Along with that, the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha in Can Tho City will also coordinate with relevant agencies and units to organize training courses to improve knowledge of environmental protection and climate change response for monks, nuns and Buddhists; support religious establishments to build and replicate models of religious communities and people participating in environmental protection and climate change response; mobilize monks, nuns, Buddhists and people to build a hygienic, green - clean - beautiful lifestyle, not littering the environment, eating scientifically, hygienically and ensuring health; plant trees; limit the use of disposable plastic products, increase the use and exploitation of clean energy sources, renewable energy; actively participate in coordination with sectors and localities to promote environmental protection activities and regeneration of aquatic resources on the Hau River.

To effectively carry out the assigned tasks, the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha in Can Tho City hopes that in the coming time, the authorities at all levels, the front, departments and branches of the city will continue to support the Buddhist Sangha in implementing models of environmental protection and climate change response at places of worship; organize conferences, seminars and training courses to contribute to improving knowledge of environmental protection and climate change response for monks, nuns and Buddhists.
PV: Thank you very much!