The Ministry of Environment in Cambodia has set the target to increase Cambodia’s renewable energy to 70% by 2030 to fulfill its commitment to mitigate climate change.
To this end, the Ministry had also organised the Awareness Raising Workshop on “Climate Change for Media Professionals in Cambodia” in Battambang province, recently.
The event was supported by the Cambodia Climate Change Alliance – Phase 3 (CCCA3), a multi-donor initiative funded by the European Union (EU), Sweden, and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) with a comprehensive and innovative approach to address climate change in Cambodia.
Ministry of Environment Secretary of State Chuop Paris said, “The developed countries are the ones which mainly contribute to global emissions, and our country has become one of the countries affected by climate change.”
“We are a small country and release little emissions, but we have expressed our high commitment to contribute to global climate change issues,” he added.
It may be noted that at the COP28, Eang Sophalleth, the Minister of Environment had said that Cambodia has achieved a rate of 62% renewable energy capacity and is committed to advancing the energy sector’s sustainability.
“Even as a low emitter, we are aware of our vulnerability to the adverse effects of climate change,” Sophalleth said. “The dedication to a clean energy transition is evident in our implementation of ambitious domestic energy and climate change policies.”
Further, the government recently cancelled a 700MW domestic coal power project and aims to raise the renewable energy share to 70% by 2030, which is double the ASEAN benchmark set for 2025.
The government goals include reducing electricity consumption by 19% by 2030 through efficiency measures and broader electrification in sectors like transportation, agriculture and industry.
Moreover, the Ministry has initiated the “Environmental Circular Strategy 2023-2028” to orient and identify priority work to ensure environmental sustainability and integrity, climate change response and promoting a green economy to achieve the government goal of being a carbon neutral country and having 60% forest cover by 2050.
