Cambodia

The workshop was run by the United Nations Institute for Training & Research (UNITAR) and the training arm of the Ministry of Economy and Finance as well as the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Cambodia Climate Change Alliance (CCCA). It aims to provide government officials with the tools to estimate and justify additional spending on potential investments that will work…

A joint working group between Cambodia and Russia held its first meeting in Phnom Penh to explore the possibilities of using “atomic energy for peaceful purposes,” said the statement, quoting Minister of Environment Say Samal. According to the statement, the Russian ambassador to Cambodia, Dmitry Tsvetkov, and representatives of the Russian corporation Rosatom were also present at the meeting. In June, memorandums of…

The Kingdom returned one of the lowest Environmental Performance Index (EPI) scores in the region, narrowly edging ahead of Myanmar and Laos. The 2016 EPI pointed to widespread logging as a key cause for Cambodia’s disappointing result, citing the government’s move to convert protected zones into economic land concessions for plantations and large-scale agriculture projects. “Cambodia has consistently witnessed some of the greatest annual…

The study, conducted by University of Queensland and the Wildlife Conservation Society, found that the top 20 emitters, including China, Australia and the US are “free riders” – enjoying polluting industries’ contribution to their GDPs, but suffering low climate impacts relative to the size of their economy. Meanwhile, countries that don’t produce much greenhouse gases are choking on the emissions. According to the study…

Rising temperatures lately and drought have shrunk the size of the lake, and the size of the catch. This means less fish to live on, or more danger in seeking out the fish that have fled deep inside the massive lake, which sit in the center of the country and is a major source of food for millions of people. Ker Chhorn, a 46-year-old…

In an email sent just before the treaty was adopted, government delegate Sum Thy wrote that “we can see that some key national positions Cambodia have proposed have been included”, naming the much sought-after loss and damage funds and $100 billion in annual climate financing by 2020 with preferential access for poorer countries. However, Thy also noted “there is no commitment in terms of…

The “Together for Climate” event held at the Cambodia-Japan Cooperation Center was co-organized by the Cambodia Climate Change Network (CCCN), a coalition of conservation groups, and a few other organizations. “There is no doubt that Cambodia is one of the most vulnerable countries” to climate change, CCCN chairman Tep Boonny said in a speech at the event. “Climate disruption would have dreadful consequences for…

What’s more, the heat wave is expected to dramatically shorten the already-brief period of mercifully lower temperatures typically experienced in the coming months. A statement from the Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology released yesterday said that Cambodia would experience a “dry and hot” climate from December 2015 to May 2016, particularly in April and May, when maximum temperatures will reach up to 41…

According to the document, which outlines the stakes for reaching a legally binding consensus, the talks will take place during “a decisive year to achieve an international climate agreement”. French Ambassador to Cambodia Jean-Claude Poimboeuf opened the meeting by outlining expectations for COP 21, including a universal emissions agreement and reporting system, as well as an international enforcement mechanism. Betty Thogersen, Cambodia representative for…

Like other countries, Cambodia is preparing its own plan to contribute to the fight against climate change, under UN protocols called Intended Nationally Determined Contributions, or INDC. That includes policies to preserve natural resources and biodiversity, Sao Sopheap, a spokesman for the Ministry of Environment, said. Cambodia has seen a massive reduction to its forest cover over recent decades, losing a potential carbon sink…

First, the nature of adaptation projects is to teach people to flexibly deal with the impact of climate change, a task that requires sustained effort over a long period of time. Second, adaptation projects, just like other climate-change projects, are mostly donor funded over a limited timeframe. What will happen after funding ends is, therefore, critical. In Cambodia, adaptation projects account for 70 percent…

This joint organized workshop was held with the objectives to raise awareness and build capacity of key NGO members/partners in the region on Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs), Loss and Damage (L&D), National Adaptation Plans (NAP) and Join Principle for Adaptation (JPAs), to open up a space for communications and dialog on relevant issues with the Government, and to build on knowledge and to…

Large swaths of forest can act as a carbon sink, pulling CO2, a major greenhouse gas, out of the atmosphere. But Cambodia has seen a steady decline of its forest cover in recent decades, as commercial development and illegal logging continue. Speaking to reporters Wednesday, EU Ambassador Jean Francois Cautain said the Cambodian government should allow local communities to protect the last 2 million hectares…

The project will last three years and be implemented in both Cambodia and Nepal, with each country allocated $3 million. “Drought and flood are the two biggest constraints to rice production,” IRRI representative Dule Zhao told the Post yesterday. “Now that we have a lot of flooding problems, if the [seed] variety we are using is not stress tolerant then the damage will be…

One of the key results of the project has been the preparation of maps which indicate the vulnerability of the Cambodian roads to the impacts of climate change, most notably hazardous floods. The MRD now has in place a GIS-based system to assess the vulnerability through very detailed information including hydrological models scaled to local use. The project has also helped to improve the…

The grant, financed by the Strategic Climate Fund of the Climate Investment Funds, was signed during a ceremony in Phnom Penh by ADB Country Director Eric Sidgwick and Cambodian Minister of Economy and Finance Aun Pornmoniroth. It covers additional financing for the $19 million Greater Mekong Subregion Biodiversity Conservation Corridors Project in Cambodia, ongoing since 2011. “Communities living in forests are among the most…

The deals were inked between Cambodian finance minister Aun Pornmoniroth and Eric Sidgwick, ADB country director for Cambodia. The agreements cover a rural roads improvement project, a technical and vocational education and training development program, and a community-based disaster risk reduction project, the bank said in the statement. It said some 66 million U.S. dollars, including a grant aid of 12 million U.S. dollars, will…

Organized by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) in partnership with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the two-day forum set up a platform for participants to share experience and identify solutions to climate financing challenges. "Finding effective ways for at-risk communities to finance the cost of adaptation to the effects of climate change is key to reducing vulnerabilities and improving people's lives and…