"In Cambodia, climate change is already driving migration", 7 March 2023

As global temperatures rise, Cambodia’s agricultural workers and their families are left at the whims of unpredictable disaster.

Climate change is one of the greatest challenges for development especially in lower-income countries, which rely heavily on agriculture. In Cambodia, approximately 65% of the population is dependent on the agricultural sector, including fishing and non-timber forest products, both as sources of food but also economic growth.

That reliance, along with high levels of poverty, is among the factors that have long led the World Bank and other organisations to identify Cambodia as particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change…

… A 2018 study on migration as an adaptive response to climate change in Cambodia found that climate-related issues often led to debt and food insecurity.

The study also found that up to 45% of the 218 households surveyed in three rural, northwestern areas had chosen to migrate. More than half of that migration was climate-related, but it is unclear to what extent it was internal or external…

More sustainable solutions

… The UN Environment Programme estimates that cities are responsible for 75% of global carbon dioxide emissions, with transport and buildings being among the largest contributors…

To mitigate this, rural development, as well as the development of smaller Cambodian towns and cities, will need to be a key component of the government’s strategy to navigate the impacts of climate change…

This challenge of development will require increased government services, especially in education and vocational training, to better equip the population to navigate this shift…