Cambodia has pledged to join the international community in tackling global climate change by reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by 55% by 2035, although it contributes only a small share of emissions.
The Kingdom’s commitment was announced by Minister of Environment Eang Sophalleth, who represented Prime Minister Hun Manet at the Climate Ambition Summit on September 25, at the UN headquarters in New York City, the US.
“Cambodia emits only a small amount of greenhouse gases, but we are highly vulnerable to climate change. The Third Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC 3.0), which has been submitted to the UNFCCC Secretariat, is a crucial step toward mobilising climate finance and investing in low-carbon and climate-resilient development, in line with phase one of the Royal Government’s Pentagonal Strategy,” he said.
He stressed that Cambodia must continue to pursue economic development while also committing to international cooperation on global climate change, in line with the UNFCCC principle of “common but differentiated responsibilities based on respective capabilities”.
The NDC 3.0 was developed based on Cambodia’s commitments and national strategies to enhance its ambitions of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and building climate resilience, aligned with national priorities and the global goal of keeping temperature rise below 1.5°C, under the Paris Agreement.
The national plan aims to cut greenhouse gas emissions by up to 55 per cent, equivalent to about 73.7 MtCO₂e (million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent) by 2035 under the conditional scenario. The focus sectors include energy (covering transport, production and construction), industrial processes and product use (IPPU), agriculture, forestry and other land use (FOLU), and construction.
Sophalleth led a Cambodian delegation to the special event on climate action during the High-Level Week of the 80th UN General Assembly (UNGA80) and other related meetings in New York, from September 23–25.
The delegation held a September 24 working meeting with Gerald Prolman, executive chairman of Equitable Earth Agency, to discuss potential carbon credit trade in Cambodia and the preparation of a joint declaration on REDD+ carbon credits at the upcoming COP30 of the UNFCCC.
Sophalleth also met with Todd Stevens, CEO of WCS in the US, to discuss the implementation of Cambodia’s NDC commitments, particularly REDD+ projects.
