The city must carry out a wide variety of measures, including increased use of renewable energy and waste management, to achieve a low-carbon society, experts said at a conference yesterday, August 12, in HCM City.

Addressing the workshop on the development of a low-carbon society, local and international experts said the involvement of every sector was needed to lower the city\'s carbon footprint.

Prof Shiro Hori of Kyushu University in Japan said energy savings must be made at small – and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) as well as residential buildings.

The city should more aggressively promote a green lifestyle among residents, effective waste management and a low-carbon transportation system.

Hori suggested carrying out a public campaign on energy-efficient housing, a green lifestyle, and energy conservation.

Local experts said households and SMEs were especially wasteful.

An assessment by the Viet Nam Green Building Council showed that few buildings for household use complied with green building construction standards.

"Energy is being used with low-efficiency in most SMEs around the city due to out-of-date technology and weak energy management," said Le Hoang Viet of the city\'s Energy Conservation Research and Development Centre.

Assoc Prof Toshiyuki Fujita of Japanese Kyushu University recommended that the SME sector train human resources about efficient energy use, create an energy-audit programme for SMEs, provide energy-saving practices to stakeholders, and nurture green consumers via education and training.

He also encouraged linking energy conservation with SMEs\' corporate social responsibility.

Waste management is another major problem facing the city.

Dr Nguyen Trung Viet of HCM City\'s Department of Natural Resources and Environment said the city dumped around 6,500 tonnes of solid waste a day, but has not treated it properly, polluting the environment and groundwater.

Viet suggested that gases emitted from huge volumes of waste could be collected to be used as renewable sources of energy.

"The current volume of daily waste in the city could generate more than 1.2 million tonnes of biogas, which equals 1,100 tonnes of methane (CH­­4)," he said.

Prof Seiichi Ishikawa of University of Kitakyushu in Japan suggested setting up a waste collection system focusing on the three R\'s – recycle, reuse and reduce.

He also called for improvement in waste treatment methods, processes and equipment to protect residents\' health and to preserve the living environment in the city.

Experts also strongly suggested an overhaul of its traffic system for low carbon emissions.

Phan Cong Bang of the city\'s Department of Transport said the city had low road density and few parking areas, and that seaports were still located in the inner city.

These have contributed to traffic congestion, and higher gas emissions.

He suggested developing a master plan for all roads, parking lots, intersections, seaports and airports in the city.

Dr Satoshi Toi of Japanese Kyushu University said the city should promptly build a railway network and trunk-road network to ease traffic in the city.

A representative of the HCM City Power Corporation said that it was developing a strategy to exploit solar and wind energy in the city.

The conference was organised by Japan\'s Institute for Global Environmental Strategies, HCM City Polytechnic University and Kyushu University in Japan.