Second National Communication

Purpose of Project

The project aims to support the Royal Government of Cambodia in preparing its Second National Communication to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). This official report will focus on the progress Cambodia has made in preparing to cope with the impacts of climate change (adaptation) and in reducing greenhouse gas emissions that so as to lessen climate change (mitigation). The activities of the project are a continuation and update of the work done for Cambodia’s Initial National Communication, which the Government submitted to the UNFCCC in 2002. The project also aims to strengthen Cambodia’s ability to integrate climate change concerns into its development planning. This includes developing technical and institutional capacity, and mainstreaming climate change issues into both national plans and plans for specific sectors, such as agriculture, energy, waste and water resources.

Main Activities

The project activities are carried out by four Thematic Working Groups working on four aspects of the Second National Communication: greenhouse gas inventory; vulnerability and adaptation assessment; greenhouse gas mitigation; and technology transfer and others. The project also conducts climate change education and awareness raising, capacity building, institutional strengthening, and preparation for Cambodia’s participation in the annual UNFCCC Conference of Parties (CoP).

• Collect and analyse plans and studies relevant to the formulation of the Second National Communication, and update information on national circumstances.
• Collect and analyse information on specific needs arising from climate change impacts and information on institutional arrangements for preparing national communications.
• Undertake a national greenhouse gas inventory, conduct an uncertainty assessment, and explore data management systems for the continuous preparation of national greenhouse gas inventories.
• Review climate change scenarios for Cambodia, analyse records to identify meteorological trends, assess future climate change impacts in key vulnerable sectors, and identify other priority adaptation strategies identified in the Initial National Communication in 2002.
• Organize a Thematic Working Group on Mitigation to develop a projection of greenhouse gas emissions by sources and removal by sinks under different mitigation scenarios, and draft a national greenhouse gas mitigation plan. Organize a national workshop to discuss and finalize the draft national mitigation plan.
• Report on constraints and gaps for implementing measures under the UNFCCC and for improving the national communications. Provide information on financial resources and technical support activities and develop project profiles on adaptation to climate change for funding. Assess information on technology needs and assistance received and prepare a final submission to the UNFCCC.

Key Results

• The Greenhouse Gas Inventory Report for the year 2000 provides a baseline for measuring Cambodia’s emissions. The inventory found that the biggest contributor to emissions in 2000 was land-use change and forestry (49 percent), followed by agriculture (44 percent), energy (7 percent) and waste (less than 1 percent). The GHG Inventory was presented to a National Workshop.
• Agriculture and Land Use Software developed by the US-EPA-Colorado State University was selected and 38 delegates from ASEAN countries, Panama, the US and the UNFCCC Secretariat attended hands-on training on its use.
• The Vulnerability and Adaptation Assessment developed trends in historical data, climate change scenarios and a model for generating daily climate data from monthly data. The simulated daily data were used to project future conditions in Cambodia under two scenarios – high and low emissions.
• A field study was conducted in Prey Veng Province, one of the most vulnerable in Cambodia. The results of the survey were used to support an economic analysis of the impact of climate hazards on agriculture. The possible impact on the Tonle Sap Lake was analysed, and a coastal zone analysis looked at the effects on infrastructure of high tides or extreme waves, as well as a rise in sea levels.
• The project provided planning, implementation and reporting for Cambodia’s first National Forum on Climate Change (19-21 October 2009).
• Forums were supported for Cambodia to discuss its position paper for presentation at the UNFCCC Conference of Parties (COP-15) in Copenhagen.
• Four members of the Cambodian delegation were supported to attend COP-15.

Background

Cambodia ratified the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in 1995 and acceded to the Kyoto Protocol to the convention in July 2002. As a result, Cambodia has inter-national obligations to collect and share information on how it is responding to climate change and report it to the Conference of Parties of the UNFCCC. Cambodia submitted its Initial National Communication to the UNFCCC in 2002. This project assists Cambodia in preparing its Second National Communication. The activities continue the work carried out by earlier projects related to climate change, including the formulation of the National Adaptation Programme of Action to Climate Change (NAPA, 2006) and the National Capacity Self-Assessment (2004). As a developing country, Cambodia is entitled to full financing for preparing its National Communications. It has no fixed deadline for submitting its Second National Communication. The project helps the Government to strengthen its technical and institutional capacity to implement the Convention by focusing on issues identified as environmental and developmental priorities. The strategy centres on understanding the needs of sustainable management and rational use of Cambodia’s natural resources, and on sustainable development of the energy sector. It promotes incorporation of climate change concerns into development policies and plans. The Ministry of Environment is implementing the project, with support from UNDP aimed at promoting national ownership, leadership and accountability. The Second National Communication concentrates on the sectors with the highest greenhouse gas emissions, and on those vulnerable to changing climate conditions as identified in the NAPA. These include energy, agriculture, industrial processes, waste, land use change and forestry, water resources, human health and the coastal zone.