The country of Vietnam is one of the most biodiverse countries in the world,
this also means it has one of the most fragile environments. Increasing
industrialization, urbanization, population, need for natural resources,
agriculture and tourism are all threatening the balance of this delicate
country. Some of the consequences of these increase in demands include: Deforestation,
loss of coral reefs, loss of wetlands and mangroves, Pollution of the air and water,
excess solid waste, land degradation, etc. All of these problems add up to
an unsustainable environment in Vietnam that could lead to devastating consequences
for the people of Vietnam and their beloved country. This paper will focus on
three of these problems, their consequences and possible solutions.
As everyone knows, water is necessary for life, but access to clean water proves very difficult in Vietnam. Industrialization has led to a rapid increase in factories throughout Vietnam, but has left little room for the technology to keep up. The factories still have unhealthy water treatment systems and dispose of solid wastes carelessly and illegally. This disposal process, or rather, the lack of one, has caused multiple rivers to become stagnant and "dead". This leads to contaminated water for villages surrounding the factory and also pollutes the environment and it's various species. Water-borne diseases are rampant in Vietnam, from 1999-2003 alone there were six-million water-borne diseases reported(). Another water based problem is the increasing loss of mangroves, wetlands and coral reefs. The aquaculture is growing rapidly in Vietnam and as a result many mangroves and wetlands are cleared and destroyed for ventures such as fishing or catching shrimp. There have been multiple oil spills on the coast of Vietnam because of faulty equipment and a lack of easily applied
policies, leading to polluted coastlines.
Agriculture is another necessary part of Vietnamese life, but it is having
devastating effects on the land. Farmers need land and have been obtaining it
by the environmentally hazardous "slash and burn" method. This method lets off harmful gases
that cause ozone depletion. The resulting deforestation causes land degradation, which includes
excessive erosion, runoff, and throws surrounding water systems that were once static,
into disequilibrium. The loss of rain forest also has negative affects on the rare
species of plants and animals that have evolved specifically to their niche in the
rain forest. Many species that are specified to the forests of Vietnam are losing
their homes and eventually their lives.
Urbanization has led to many solid waste problems. The water systems in larger cities
are not modern enough to sustain the booming population and the massive rainfalls that occur
in Vietnam. The rainfall leads to flooding and stagnant waters that are left to drain for days.
This effects the slums more than anywhere else where about thirty to forty percent of people in the city live(). The lack of proper sewage disposal contaminates the flood waters and leads to a very unsanitary living situation. Most cities need their water systems completely redone
to fit their new, and growing, populations.
Although the problems seem daunting and unsolvable, there are practical solutions that are being applied today through environmental organizations and a concerned state government. The answer to all of the problems listed above seems to lie in the people of Vietnam. Environmental organizations are
working with people on the coastlines to find a sustainable way for their industries to continue in an environmentally friendly fashion. Farmers can easily be taught to choose sustainable practices
instead of immediate solutions that cause lasting problems for the environment.
If factories renovate their technology and listen to the people's demands the water will become more pure. Another answer is in the people's education and awareness of their environment and exactly what affects they are having on it and what will happen if nothing is done. A huge problem is that people's everyday lives involve something detrimental to the environment, but they are completely unaware. Once community members know that they must sustain their environment for their livelihoods to continue, there is little resistance to new, sustainable ideas.
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2 comments:
As a whole I really liked your paper. Actually I was pretty interested in this topic also so I am glad that your chose it. There were a few things in the paper that I wanted to know more about. For instance, I was curious about the oil spills. My gut reaction was that the oil spills came from another countries boat, like America, but it very well could have been a boat from Vietnam. I thought maybe you could add some numbers to your paper. I wanted to know how many people caught diseases from the water supply. I was curious about the animal life also. What animals were affected and have any become extinct from the environmental disasters that have been occurring in Vietnam.
I thought that it would be a good idea for you to discuss chemicals that were used in the war that are still affecting the environment today. We discussed in class things like Agent Orange that basically destroyed plants and I am sure that it killed many animals also. I remember reading somewhere that plants in Vietnam are still affected by some of these chemicals today which just shows how strong they must have been. I am also assuming that people in Vietnam were affected by these chemicals also. It cannot be good for these people to breathe those things in on a daily basis. You discussed the “slash and burn” method in your paper. I wasn’t sure if they were just cutting and burning or they were using chemicals for this also.
These are just some suggestions that I thought of as I was reading your paper. I thought that your paper was well written and organized well also. There were not really any grammar errors either so I think that this is a great rough draft.
Before reading this introduction, or context on the subject, i'd have to say I wouldn't have been interested in the subject matter in the least. After reading your context however, I feel like I want to know more about it. The way you split up the context into three seperate topic points was a great idea. I also thought that, within each of these sections, you did a really good job of explaining the problems accociated with each. Not only that, but as I read, I found myself asking if there were any solutions along with these problems until only moments later when I read the last paragraph where you explained that there were. At least in my mind, thats a sign of good writing.
The only things I can say I think should be added are some more specific example of solutions to these problems. You talk about education of the people being a key factor in changing these processes and I think it would be a good idea to list an example or two of specific educational programs aimed at fixing these problems. I was also wondering to what extent the government actually cared about these issues or if they were simply doing the bare minimum to curb unrest about these issues. If it were possible, it might be a good idea to try and find some figures about what the government spends on these issues and areas as compared to others. However, like I said, it was very well written and I don't think too many changes need to be made.
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