Synergy of adaptation and mitigation strategies in the context of sustainable development: the case of Vietnam

An emerging topic in current climate negotiations is the political momentum for recognising adaptation to climate change as a crucial part of a comprehensive climate policy. However, there are a number of arguments and doubts raised by politicians, negotiators and environmentalists alike with regard to the necessity of implementing adaptation in parallel with mitigation. The first aim of this article is to analyse possible contradictions and synergies between these two strategies and analyse the implications for developing countries and sustainable development targets. We then use Vietnam as a case study to demonstrate how to integrate mitigation and adaptation strategies that can provide additional benefits to the social welfare. This empirical analysis provides a basic understanding of how to address thorny questions in a nascent process of designing public climate policy in Vietnam. Lessons drawn from this research should be replicable in other developing countries having similar circumstances. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.