1.
Cambodia’s Climate Challenge
Many Options But Few Decisions
By Hoem Seiha | Economics Today
Climate change will hit developing nations
like Cambodia hardest. A coordinated response is
so far lacking, though some possible solutions are
taking shape.
A recent study of Thailand, Vietnam, Indone-
sia, and the Philippines concluded that, in the
‘business-as-usual’ scenario, climate change-related
economic losses could amount to 6.7 percent of
GDP by the next century. Given the relative high
vulnerability of Cambodia the costs here could
even be higher, stated a 2010 UNDP report Cambo-
dia Human Development; Challenging the Climate.
According to Global Donor Platform for Rural
Development, agriculture is one of the most cli-
mate-sensitive sectors, with implications for food
security, poverty reduction and overall economic
development.
Food insecurity, unemployment and social
instability are to increase, the UNDP report states.
Cambodia’s heavy reliance on rain-fed farming
in lowland areas, an undiversified agricultural
base, a lack of appropriate infrastructure and
technology to respond to effects, and low human
development levels compound the risks, accord-
ing to the UNDP.
Climate change will affect agricultural produc-
tion, said Yang Saing Koma, director of local
agricultural organization CEDAC. “Changing
climatic patterns, such as rain, disrupt traditional
rice production that depends entirely on rain. Hot
weather creates insects and blights that destroy
crops and rice production,” he added.
Already common pathogens such as diarrhea
and other various vector-borne viruses and
bacteria will become more widespread. Malaria
also looks set to become more common, according
to a report of National Center of Malaria Control
(NCM), as will dengue fever.
The impacts of climate change on health are
likely to be felt more by the poor because their
limited resources limit their ability to deal with
climate change, said Dr. Koun Eang Mony from
the Ministry of Health.
Technology Gap
Officially one of the world’s least developed
countries, Cambodia needs technical know-how
from other countries to adapt.
Cambodia has financial constraints, few
qualified national experts with climate change
expertise.
“Asian countries need to think hard about low-
carbon development, and a full armory of tech-
nological, financial, policy and regulatory tools
will be necessary to help drive the region toward
a clean energy future,” said ADB Vice-President
Bindu Lohani at a recent conference.
Involvement of the private sector will be cen-
tral, especially where the state lacks resources, as
in Cambodia. The private sector can offer attrac-
tive transitions to a low-carbon economy, and
a self-reliant and resilient economy, expanding
appropriate climate change adaptation schemes,
according to the UNDP.
Technological advances offer new opportunities
and declining costs for energy from renewable
sources. In the longer term, renewables can meet
a major part of the world’s demand for energy.
Energy mitigation options include renewables,
improved cook stoves, energy efficient building
codes, tax relief for renewable energy and mass
transit.
Some foreign companies are already taking
interest in investment in solar power, said Secre-
tary of State for the Ministry of Industry, Mines
and Energy Sat Samy, claiming that all villages
nationwide will have access to electricity gener-
ated renewably by 2020, and that by 2030, 70
Expansion Plan of smallholder and private industrial
Jatropha Plantation (Hectare)
0
200,000
400,000
600,000
800,000
1,000,000
1,200,000
2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
SmallholderplantaƟon IndustrialplantaƟon Total
Source: Study Report 2007, Cambodia Bio-energy Development Promotion Project
20 ECONOMICS TODAY FEBRUARY 16-28, 2010
ECONOMY & BUSINESS

2.
percent of total households will have green power.
Switching to different sources of energy, in par-
ticular towards locally available renewable sources
would also contribute to local employment genera-
tion, and thus to poverty reduction, UNCTAD notes.
This green energy is another way to green reso-
lution. Jatropha Curas bio-fuel has been produced
in Cambodia since 2004. GERES is among those
trying to promote Jatropha bio-fuel in Cambodia
with pilot project growing and selling Jatropha
seeds to farmers in three provinces. As noted
previously by Economics Today (Issue 54, Jan 1-15,
2010), Jatropha is good solution for Cambodia
as it can grow on marginal land such as denuded
former concessions. Domestic production of
bio-fuel would offer a reliable and cheap supply of
fuel for poor and remote rural communities. The
fuel can also be less of a carbon emitter if carbon
dioxide fixed by the Jatro-
pha plants as they grow is
taken into account.
But no one has yet made
a commercial success of
Jatropha as a fuel crop, and
without a solid plan to
earn tax revenue from local
operations, Governments
may prove reticent to back
community projects.
GERES is working on
more pragmatic responses.
In addition to their Green
Charcoal (Issue 64, Jun 1-15, 2010), GERES also
has other solutions, including some as simple
as better designed clay cookers. “There are big
improvements in cooking stoves,” said Him Piset,
an official at GERES, “particularly the Vattana
Cooker, which is used to dehydrate palm juice into
sugar; it is energy-efficient and could reduce 6.6
tons of carbon dioxide per stove a year.”
Not Just Hot Air
While the Government has committed to a mix
of fossil fuel fired power stations and hydroelectric-
ity, biomass or biogas generation could be a greener.
Martin Medina at Institute for Global Environ-
mental Strategies (IGES) suggested that recycling
waste material can both help protect climate
change by reducing CO2 emissions and provide
valuable commodities—fertilizer and biogas.
Projects in China and Bangladesh paying
garbage pickers to sort waste for processing may
be an option in Cambodia given the 1,400 tons
of garbage Phnom Penh throws out daily. Of that
total, 65-70 percent is bio-waste, ripe for conver-
sion into fertilizer and fuel.
Generating power from the massive deposits
of garbage at the former city dump on Phnom
Penh’s outskirts is proposed, but it is clear much
more can be done with Cambodia’s mountains of
organic waste.
The Scaro Organization is processing household
waste to make com-
post fertilizer and
trains poor commu-
nity people to recycle
waste into daily mate-
rials, said Yun Kura,
founder of Scaro.
Martin Medina
also points out that
pig farms can reduce
methane emission,
thus alleviating global
warming. He pointed
out that unwanted leftovers from both households
and restaurants—which would otherwise emit
methane as it decomposes—can be fed to pigs.
Lay Khim noted that the waste from pigs
themselves can be processed into biogas, which
can offer an alternative to
fossil fuels.
Agriculture, a major emit-
ter of GHGs, actually has
the potential to sequester
carbon.
Strategies to fight against
climate change include the
use of compost instead of
chemical fertilizer for farm-
ers, said Yang Saing Koma of
CEDAC. Natural compost is
a mixture of several organic
wastes such as tree leaves
or manure, while chemical fertilizers use massive
amounts of fossil fuels in their production. Natu-
ral fertilizers are also cheaper.
UNCTAD suggests that adjustments in the sec-
tor could contribute significantly to GHG abate-
ment, without much technological innovation.
Improved crop and grazing land management is
advised, such as the restoration of organic soils
that have been drained for crop production and res-
toration of degraded
lands.
Sustainable agri-
cultural production
methods, including
organic agriculture,
can contribute to
climate change
mitigation and other
improvements in
the environment
through the reduc-
tion or elimination
of chemical pollut-
ants, and water and soil conservation practices,
according to UNCTAD.
Organic agriculture improves soil fertility and
structure, thus enhancing water retention and
resilience to climatic stress.
Small steps such as this will be needed if Cam-
bodia is to adapt to the world’s changing climate
in time.
387 340
68
795
387
490
98
975
387
708
142
1,237
Power
GeneraƟon
Transport
Sector
Other
Sector Use
Total
2010 2015 2020
Demand estimate and forecast for Diesel
Oil Consumption (000 tons)
387
68 68
523
387
98 98
583
387
142 142
671
Power
GeneraƟon
Transport
Sector
Other
Sector Use
Total
2010 2015 2020
Bio-diesel to be produced for domestic
consumption (000 tons)
“Asian countries need
to think hard about low-
carbon development, and
a full armory of techno-
logical, financial, policy
and regulatory tools will
be necessary.”
ADB Vice-President Bindu Lohani
FEBRUARY 16-28, 2010 ECONOMICS TODAY 21
ECONOMY & BUSINESS