Environment

China's smog-hit capital Beijing plans to slash coal consumption by a further 30 percent in 2017 as part of its efforts to combat air pollution, the official Xinhua news agency said late on Sunday, citing the city's mayor.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) launched a regional project to enhance the resilience of wetlands in Lower Mekong countries on the occasion of World Wetlands Day (February 2).

Hanoi only introduced fines for littering from February 1, but few locals are aware of the new regulation.

Vietnam’s seas are home to about 1,100 square kilometres of coral reefs with 240 species, according to the Directorate of Fisheries.

Authorities of the central coastal province of Khanh Hoa are taking measures to protect and restore the maritime ecosystem in lagoons and bays, focusing on forming marine preservation areas.

Vietnam is one of the five countries hardest hit by climate change, with its coastal region being the most vulnerable area. Community-based management and development of mangrove forests is an effective way to strengthen coastal resilience against climate change.

Sea desertification is a problem that is becoming more severe around the globe, including in Vietnam.

Laos is making hectic preparations for the building of one more hydropower dam – Pak Beng – on the Mekong river section which runs through Oudomxay province, despite strong warnings about the influence on the lower course, especially in

Six people -- among them four firefighters and two police -- have now been killed battling vast forest fires in central Chile, officials said.

Reuse Everything Institute Inc of Finland has agreed to fund a biodiversity research project in the Sơn Trà Nature Reserve that will contribute to protecting the endangered red-shanked douc langur (Pygathryx nemaeus).

Officials are deeply concerned about the “serious degradation” of water quality in the Đồng Nai River basin.

HCM City has agreed to the transport department’s proposal to open temporary smart parking lots in downtown areas to meet demand.

Animal rights activists Wednesday demanded the closure of an Indonesian zoo after skeletal sun bears were pictured begging for food from visitors and eating their own dung.

The air quality report in Hanoi and HCM City announced by the Vietnam Sustainable Energy Alliance has showed Hanoi recorded 282 polluted days last year.

Provinces in the Central Highlands region failed to achieve their plans on replanting forest in 2016, according to the Steering Committee for the Central Highlands Region.

Electronic waste is rising sharply across Asia as higher incomes allow hundreds of millions of people to buy smartphones and other gadgets, with serious consequences for human health and the environment, according to a UN study.

Environmental protection and community health must be given priority during the operation of the Nhan Co alumina plant in the Central Highland province of Dak Nong, Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung said.

Urbanisation and a sharp increase in population have presented a number of challenges for Hanoi, one of which is the collection and treatment of household waste in a way that causes minimal impact to the environment.

Only around 100 wild elephants, and an additional 60 in captivity, remain in Vietnam, with most living in Đắk Lắk, Đồng Nai and Nghệ An provinces, a conference on elephant conservation heard on Wednesday.