Crackdown on Environmentalists Threatens Vietnam’s Clean Energy Transition
In a concerning turn of events, Vietnam’s recent crackdown on environmentalists and activists threatens to undermine progress in achieving a clean energy transition. A cleaner, more sustainable energy future was targeted in these attacks. Less than a year ago, G7 countries pledged substantial funding to help Vietnam transition away from coal, marking a significant step in the fight against climate change (Source: The Guardian).
This move was lauded as a “gamechanger” for climate action, designed to ensure a “just and equitable” shift towards cleaner energy with active involvement from civil society.
However, recent developments have cast a shadow on these commitments. Over the past months, Vietnam has intensified its crackdown on environmentalists, resulting in the detention and imprisonment of NGO leaders and experts in clean energy. Among the detained individuals is Ngo Thi To Nhien, a prominent director of an independent energy policy think tank with a track record of collaborating with international organizations like the World Bank, EU, and UN. She was set to attend COP28 in November.
Nhien’s detention is not an isolated incident. In the last two years, six experts working on clean energy issues have been arrested. Two of her colleagues, Duong Duc Viet and Le Quoc Anh, also faced arrests. Meanwhile, Hoang Thi Minh Hong, a noted environmentalist and scholar affiliated with the Obama Foundation, was sentenced to three years in prison on alleged tax evasion charges, which rights groups believe to be politically motivated.
This troubling trend suggests a shift in Vietnam’s approach. While the country previously allowed environmentalists operating within the state-sanctioned NGO space with certain leeway, recent actions indicate a crackdown on these individuals.
It’s speculated that the government, which successfully secured funding partnerships like the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP), may now be asserting control over environmental activities. The JETP deal seems to be framed as a state achievement, prompting a message for other groups to keep their distance for now.
Vietnam’s actions are occurring during a time when it’s enjoying favorable geopolitical relations with the West. As the US, EU, and Australia warm their ties with Vietnam to counterbalance China’s influence in the region, the state appears to be capitalizing on this attention.
Western nations are grappling with other pressing international issues, such as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas conflict, which may inadvertently overshadow Vietnam’s crackdown on environmental activists.
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