BÌNH ĐỊNH — The Fundamental Science and Society workshop, which gathered hundreds of notable scientists from around the world, wrapped up in Quy Nhơn City yesterday.

Topics discussed during the second day of the two-day workshop included basic science, global education, knowledge and technology mechanisms, open innovation and a collaborative economy.

One of the most pressing issues discussed, particularly for Việt Nam, was global warming.

Dr John Church, an expert in rising sea levels from Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), said the sea level would rise 65cm more and the global temperature would increase 3 degrees Celsius by the year 2100.

“Since the beginning of the industrial era, human activities have led to an accumulation of heat in the climate system,” he said, adding that the increase was due in large part to fossil fuels and agricultural activities.

According to Church, the heat was partly contributing to the sea level rise because of the warming ocean. Other causes of the phenomenon were the change in mass of glaciers and ice sheets, as well as the change in water storage on land.

All countries must work together for a solution, he said.

Trần Thục of Việt Nam’s Institute of Meteorology, Hydrology and Climate Change said climate change has affected various sectors in the country, including industry, tourism, health, agriculture and the ecosystem.

Prof Fredolin Tangang from the National University of Malaysia said studies on climate change in Southeast Asia have been minimal and no framework for regional climate change co-operation has been set up.

Tangang recommended a tighter mechanism to boost studies on the issue and share information among affected countries to mitigate the effects of climate change.

During the workshop, which was chaired by Rencontres du Vietnam (Meeting Việt Nam), Vietnamese scientists had the chance to exchange with leading experts in various fields and learn from them.

At the conclusion of the session, Prof Victor Matveev, director of the international Joint Institute for Nuclear Research in Dubna, Moscow, awarded Rencontres du Vietnam’s Chairman Prof Trần Thanh Vân an honorary doctorate status for his contributions to science. — VNS