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Cambodia is highly vulnerable to the effects of climate change. Extreme weather events will occur more frequently; this includes floods, which already affect 90,000 residents annually, and heatwaves, with Cambodia already having one of the highest temperatures of the world. The temperature has increased since the 1960s by 0.18 °C per decade. [1] It had the 7th lowest CO2 emissions in Asia in 2019. [2]
Climate change is leading to increased drought in Cambodia, which is having major impacts on the Tonlé Sap and Mekong deltas. These water systems are highly important for water, agriculture and fishing in the country. Cambodia's population is impacted by increasing floods, tropical cyclones and waterborne diseases, and is highly vulnerable due to its high rate of poverty.
In 2020 Cambodia reported 15.33 mt in CO2 emissions and is responsible for 0.04% in 2019 and cumulatively 0.01% of worldwide CO2 emissions. The per capita CO2 emissions in 2019 were 0.97t since 2013 a big increase in CO2 emissions was observed with an increase of 192.69% between 2013 and 2019. [3] [4] 143.84 mt of CO2 emissions have been emitted between 1751 and 2019. [5]
The temperature has increased 0.18 °C per decade since 1980. Cambodia already has one of the highest temperatures in the world with 35 °C being recorded for 64 days a year nationally. These temperatures will rise in all RCP scenarios which could lead to permanent heat stress. The probability of droughts in 2080-2099 will rise from 4% annually to 5-9% under all scenarios. [1]
Climate change scenario | 2080-2099 |
---|---|
RCP 2.6 low emissions scenario | 1.0 °C |
RCP 4.5 intermediate scenario | 1.8 °C |
RCP 6.0 peak around 2080 then decline | 2.2 °C |
RCP 8.5 high emissions scenario | 3.7 °C |
The sub-daily precipitation will likely increase in intensity. Around 90.000 people are annually exposed to flooding in Cambodia, in RCP 8.5 scenario this will increase to 160.000 people annually. A study that was done by the World Bank expects that in 2050 19% of the population will be exposed to flooding. [1]
A major climate change issue for Cambodia is the impact it has on the Tonlé Sap lake and Mekong river system. [7] [8] Climate change will impact water flow in the country and increase the frequency of droughts. [6] [9] Hydropower dams have further exacerbated the issue. [10]
Impacts on the Tonlé Sap lake and Mekong will have considerable implications for agriculture and fishing in the country. [7] [11] The Cambodian population, which has a high rate of poverty, is highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change on tropical cyclones, floods and waterborne diseases. [12]
UNICEF ranked Cambodia 46th out of 163 that they assessed on the impact of climate change on the youth. Cambodia was ranked as a high risk country in the report. The youth in Cambodia is already highly exposed to scarcity of water, riverine flooding and vector-borne disease which could worsen with the effects of climate change. [13]
The Cambodian government pledges to reduce emissions by 41.7% in 2030. [14]
Cambodia is a country in mainland Southeast Asia. It borders Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, the Gulf of Thailand and covers a total area of approximately 181,035 km2 (69,898 sq mi). The country is situated in its entirety inside the tropical Indomalayan realm and the Indochina Time zone (ICT).
Vietnam is located on the eastern margin of the Indochinese peninsula and occupies about 331,211.6 square kilometres (127,881.5 sq mi), of which about 25% was under cultivation in 1987. It borders the Gulf of Tonkin, Gulf of Thailand, and Pacific Ocean, along with China, Laos, and Cambodia. The elongated roughly S shaped country has a north-to-south distance of 1,650 km (1,030 mi) and is about 50 km (31 mi) wide at the narrowest point. With a coastline of 3,260 km (2,030 mi), excluding islands, Vietnam claims 12 nautical miles as the limit of its territorial waters, an additional 12 nautical miles as a contiguous customs and security zone. It has an exclusive economic zone of 417,663 km2 (161,261 sq mi) with 200 nautical miles.
The Mekong or Mekong River is a trans-boundary river in East Asia and Southeast Asia. It is the world's twelfth-longest river and the third-longest in Asia with an estimated length of 4,909 km (3,050 mi) and a drainage area of 795,000 km2 (307,000 sq mi), discharging 475 km3 (114 cu mi) of water annually. From its headwaters in the Tibetan Plateau, the river runs through Southwest China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, and southern Vietnam. The extreme seasonal variations in flow and the presence of rapids and waterfalls in the Mekong make navigation difficult. Even so, the river is a major trade route between Tibet and Southeast Asia. The construction of hydroelectric dams along the Mekong in the 2000s through the 2020s has caused serious problems for the river's ecosystem, including the exacerbation of drought.
Tonlé Sap (; Khmer: ទន្លេសាប, Tônlé Sab ; lit. 'Fresh River' or commonly translated as 'Great Lake' is a lake in the northwest of Cambodia. Belonging to the Mekong River system, Tonlé Sap is the largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia and one of the most diverse and productive ecosystems in the world. It has been designated as a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 1997 due to its high biodiversity. In the 21st century, the lake and its surrounding ecosystems are under increasing pressure from deforestation, infrastructure development and climate change.
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Vietnam is among the most affected countries by global climate change. A large number of studies show that Vietnam is experiencing climate change and will be severely negatively affected in coming decades. These negative effects include sea level rise, salinity intrusion and other hydrological problems like floods, river mouth evolution and sedimentation. Natural hazards such as cold waves, storm surges will increase in frequency, with negative effects on the country's development, infrastructure and economy.
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The Tonle Sap-Mekong peat swamp forests ecoregion covers a patchwork of areas permanently inundated with fresh water along the Tonle Sap River and Mekong River floodplains in Cambodia and Vietnam. The terrain is mostly flat, with extensive agricultural fields, reed beds, and degraded shrub forest. Less than 10% of the region is in its original state, and less than 1% is protected. Habitat in the region is distinguished from the Tonle Sap freshwater swamp forests ecoregion that runs through the middle, as that ecoregion is only seasonally flooded.
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