Understanding the Causes and Impacts of Climate Change in Cambodia

While only a small percentage of Cambodians spontaneously mention human activities as a cause of changing weather patterns, when asked directly, a third agree that their personal activities contribute. The majority of respondents blame deforestation for changes in the weather. A significant but much lower percentage blame pollution from industry, cars and fossil fuels generally.

Causes of Climate Change

When asked unprompted what they think has caused the weather patterns to change in Cambodia, two thirds (67%) of respondents think that deforestation in Cambodia causes the weather patterns to change, while just 3% mention deforestation outside the country’s borders. Just 18% of respondents mention industrial pollution as a cause.

29% say that they don’t know what causes the changing weather patterns, while just 11% mention driving cars and motor vehicles.

Impacts of Climate Change

Almost all of those respondents who have heard of the term ‘climate change’ (98%) also say that they think Cambodia is currently affected by climate change. Human health and agriculture are perceived to be worst affected. A substantial number of Cambodians (22%) say that they do not know whether Cambodia will feel the impacts of climate change in the future, suggesting that people are uncertain whether the changes they have experienced in their everyday lives will affect them in the long term.

Human health and agriculture are understood to receive the worst impacts of the changing weather. Most people (59%) mention the impact of climate change on health, with substantial numbers saying farming is more difficult (47%) and others mentioning drought (36%) and increasing temperatures (35%). Around a quarter (28%) mention decreases in agricultural yields and water shortages (24%).

Reference

BBC World Service Trust and the Ministry of Environment, (2011), Understanding Public Perceptions of Climate Change in Cambodia