Key environmental challenges in Cambodia and Civil Society Strategies and Priorities

1. Key environmental challenges in Cambodia and Civil Society Strategies and Priorities By Mrs. Seng Sothira, Climate Change Project Officer Forum Syd

2. Contents Key terminology: environment, biodiversity, ecosystem, climate change, weather Key environmental problems and causes Development Opportunities and priorities Climate Change, effects, impacts, and proposed solutions Civil society strategies related to climate change The Joint Climate Change Initiative (JCCI) Real longterm solutions

3. 1. Key Terminology: Environment, Biodiversity, Ecosystem Ecosystem is Groups of living things and the environment they live in make up an ecosystem. An ecosystem has two parts. Biotic Factors Living things (plants, animals, bacteria) Abiotic Factors Non living things (air, water, soil, climate …) The natural environment encompasses all living and non-living things occurring naturally on Earth or some region thereof. The natural environment is contrasted with the built environment, which comprises the areas and components that are strongly influenced by humans. Wilcox's definition was "Biological diversity is the variety of life forms...at all levels of biological systems (i.e., molecular, organismic, population, species and ecosystem)

5. 1. Key Terminology: Climate and Weather • Climate encompasses the statistics of temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, wind, precipitation, atmospheric particle count and other meteorological elemental measurements in a given region over long periods. • Climate can be contrasted to weather, which is the present condition of these elements and their variations over shorter periods.

6. 2. Key environmental problems and causes • Loss of ecosystem services and biodiversity • Deforestation • Land degradation ( deforestation and unsuitable agricultural practices, over used of pesticide,..) • Water pollution and scarcity ( up stream activities; dams, poorly planned water infrastructure, increase of agrochemical poses,) • Natural hazards and disaster • Climate change • Source: university of Gothenburg School of business, economic and law “Cambodia Environmental and Climate Change Policy Brief”

7. 2. Key environmental problems and causes • Over exploration of the natural resources • Mismanagement of ecosystem and biodiversity • Corruption • Increasing population • Deforestation (illegal logging, increasing of demand for fuel wood and charcoal, lack of transparency in concession system, migration, • Low level of public participation in decision making • Natural disaster and climate change • Unsustainable agriculture practices and • Weakly implemented policies Source: university of Gothenburg School of business, economic and law “Cambodia Environmental and Climate Change Policy Brief”

8. 2. Key environmental problems and causes • Priority to short-term benefits or benefits only for companies and the wealthy • More vulnerability might be created by dam building, irrigation systems, privatisation of land and water etc

9. 3. Development Opportunities and priorities • To value the green component of its economy • Promote Environmental friendly products • Green tourism • Improving the natural resource management – strong Pro-poor effects • Forest project • Rural electrification: renewable energy and efficiency energy Source: university of Gothenburg School of business, economic and law “Cambodia Environmental and Climate Change Policy Brief”

10. 4. Climate Change, effects, impacts, and proposed solutions

11. Evidence based research (IPCC) Temperature, sea level and blanket of snow

12. To increase HDI demands more energy for the mayority

15. Some proposed solutions • Sustainable development • Social, economic and ecological development • PGD – Politics of Global Development • Coherence different political areas • The right perspective and the perspecive of the poor • Democracy and rights (RBA) • Democratic processes, participation, focus on rights, transparancy, institutional capacity etc

16. Some proposed solutions • Mitigation (IPCC – 2007) • Max 2 degrees temperature increase and 350 ppm CO2? • Binding comitments from developed now and developing countries within10 years to diminish – 40 % dev countries 2020, 80 % in total 2050? • Adaptation and climate finance • Binding comitments from developed countries? • new and additional resources in relation to existing ODA? • Who decides over funds - UN or WB? • Adaptation Fund/ Kyoto process

17. Some proposed solutions • Technology transfer: Renewable energy, Energy efficiency • Forests: REDD • National and Local Development Plans must adress poverty reduction, vulnerability reduction and focus on rights. • All adaptation efforts are integrated in the development plans

18. Some proposed solutions • Adaptation discussions must part of a political process – different solutions will benefit different groups in the society • Participation of parlaments, local authorities, civil society and specially marginalised groups in the planning, monotoring and evaluation phases • Transparancy, space to demand rights and responsability, support to institutional capacity

19. 5. Civil societies’ strategies related to climate change 5.1. Advocacy to change structures that keep people vulnerable 5.2. Strengthening local adaption capacity as well as to reduce climate risks 5.3. Mitigation: reduce the source of carbon emission and enhance carbon sinks.

20. 5.1. Advocacy to change hindering structures • Demand the participation for the poor and vulnerable using their capacity and experience in formulating the problems and solutions in democratic processes • Demand new laws and regulations to replace those increasing peoples vulnerability and powerlessness like hiv/aids, conflicts, laws and regulations, attitudes etc • Demand benefits for the people living in poverty, vulnerability and powerlessness making visible their living conditions - lack of jobs, income, natural resources, transport, illness, unsafety in conflict areas etc

21. 5.2. Strengthening local adaption capacity as well as to reduce climate risks • Local comunities often have strategies to adapt to extreme weather conditions and distasters and to promote food security, drinking water etc • analysis of their successful adaption strategies, the problems they face today and make a adaptation plan and improve their adaption strategies • Focusing rights to ensure jobs, income, assess and administration to water and land, education, health system will strengthen their adaptation capacity • Common analysis and proposals at local level on the basis of local conditions • Ecological agriculture, agroforestry, processing and sales of local products from forstry and agriculture, new and climate durable products

22. 5. 3. Mitigation: reduce the source of carbon emission and enhance carbon sinks. • Reforestration and aforestation • Waste management • Increase the accessebility to decentralised energy and Renewable energy • Enhave the energy efficiency • NRM (protect and prevent from illegal activities and manage the NRM for sustainable use of the resources)

23. 6. The Joint Climate Change Initiative (JCCI) Forum Syd, Cord and Danish Church Aid/Christian Aid – steering group • JCCI started in 2010 • Provided capacity building to 22 NGOs • Fund 19 NGOs during 2011-2012. • Objective: • Build capacity of Cambodian local NGOs to be able to integrate climate change perspective into their existing programs and projects. • Finance partners projects related to climate

24. 7. Real longterm solutions • Changes in systems and structures • Public drivers • Global Marshall plan – Green Energy revolution • Strategies for public investments • Good governance • regulations for companies • New and additional funds • Financial Transaction Taxes, Air traffic taxes • Active civil society and citizens • Consciousness • changes in consuming pattern

25. False or part of solutions? • Geo enginiering • store carbon in the soil and sea, release more carbon in the air, put mirros in the atmosphere , synthetic biology etc) • Atomic/ nueclear energy • REDD+ • paying for eco-system services. To whom? How? Price = trade • Carbon emissions trading • Offsets

26. Thank you for your kind attention!