Climate Change

Climate Change – what is it and why is it important?

Climate Change Educational Poster by UNDP

Throughout history, the Earth’s climate has constantly changed. But the extent to which our planet has warmed since the second half of 20th Century is beyond the natural cycle of climatic variation.

This dramatic change is largely due to the increased amount of Greenhouse Gases (GHG) generated by human activities – in particular land use change, deforestation and the burning of fossil fuels in the shift towards industrialisation. The increase in global temperature leads to changes in climatic patterns and melting of ice caps at the Poles. These in turn lead to phenomena such as sea level rises, changes in rainfall patterns, heat and cold waves and increasing droughts and floods. These changes are already having a negative impact on the environment and on the lives and livelihoods of communities across the world.

The effects of climate change are cumulative, irreversible and global. In addition, there is an inverse relationship between responsibility and impacts. Those in less and least industrialised countries who did not cause human-induced climate change are to be impacted most and earliest as they are least equipped to cope with the impacts. The “readiness” to cope with the impacts correlate with the level of economic and human development, as well as with the level of knowledge and information on climate change. Short-term disasters and the longer-term effects of climate change threaten people’s ability to lead long and healthy lives, to have access to education, to have a decent standard of living, and to participate in community life with dignity and self-respect.

The economic implications of climate change are extremely high due to the cost of damage and the need to prepare for further impacts, as well as investment needs for inevitable mitigation measures. It is all the more the case for developing countries like Cambodia.

What does climate change mean to Cambodia?

It’s not just about floods and droughts, but about the country’s capacity to cope with the challenges– and its ability to identify and build on opportunities.

Climate change is real and happening in Cambodia, and its impacts are unavoidable. The country is considered highly vulnerable due to its high levels of poverty and lack of infrastructure to cope with natural disasters and other longer-term effects of climate change, but by increasing society’s capacity to respond and adapt well, the impacts can be minimised.

However, climate change is not only about impacts and threats – how Cambodia responds to climate change also presents opportunities that lead to healthy economic and social development. Acting on climate change, reducing poverty and pursuing sustainable development can – and must – go hand in hand.

The first ever study on Cambodia’s vulnerability to climate change, conducted in 2001, projected that the country’s temperature would increase 1.35-2.5 degrees celsius by 2100. It also predicted annual rainfall would increase between three and 35 percent above current levels, also bringing more erratic, intense rain patterns, and unpredictable seasonal changes. For centuries, Cambodians have skillfully adapted their livelihoods to align with seasonal changes – such as rain-fed agriculture and fishery cycles synchronized with seasonal floods. But unpredictable seasonal changes, including potential changes in the Mekong flood pulse patterns, mean these centuries-old methods are under threat. Combined with short-term natural disasters, the long-term and gradual changes in climate can lead not only to economic losses but also to various human development challenges - such as food insecurity, health impacts, unemployment, migration and reduced access to education due to economic pressures on households.

According to recent studies, Cambodia is one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change impacts in the region. Contributing factors include a heavy reliance on rain-fed farming in low land areas, an undiversified agricultural base, a lack of appropriate infrastructure and technology to respond to effects, and low human development levels. If the country’s key sector, agriculture, were to be affected by a natural disaster, leading to the failure of major crops, issues such as food insecurity, unemployment and social instability would follow. Affected families may migrate to new places in search of better livelihood opportunities. Increased occurrence of water- and air-borne diseases will have significant health and economic implications in the country, which already suffers from a large number of malaria and dengue cases every year. On the coast, sea level rises will affect coastal communities and prime development locations. It is predicted that if there were to be a rise of one metre, 56 percent of Koh Kong city would be submerged.

Enabling prosperity

While there are significant threats, climate change is also about opportunities. An increasing amount of development assistance and various financing schemes are being made available for Cambodia, both to prepare for imminent impacts and to help prevent further global warming. With this assistance, Cambodia can harness opportunities, such as introducing low carbon measures that lead to positive development. Developing countries such as Cambodia can choose to avoid unsustainable, and often polluting, conventional ways of development. This is an option that most of today’s developed countries didn’t have when they started their economic growth. The schemes that are available for Cambodia to take advantage of include: carbon financing schemes; transferring to new clean technologies; and increasing energy efficiency.

Involvement of private sector is central to the success of this approach, and there is a need to create good public-private partnerships to encourage businesses to contribute to low-carbon “green growth”. Through such partnerships, Cambodia can reduce the effects of climate change while ensuring sustainable development and economic growth.

Source: www.un.org/undp