22 Aug 2022 Story Air
Cambodia paving the way for cleaner air

Cambodia, the Southeast Asian country, known for the temples of Angkor Wat and the French colonial architecture of Siem Reap, is becoming increasingly vulnerable to air pollution.

In order to understand and combat the threat, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), through the Asia Pacific Clean Air Partnership and the Climate and Clean Air Coalition, has partnered with the Cambodian Ministry of Environment to develop the country’s first Clean Air Plan.

Cambodia is a rural nation with over 60 per cent of its 16 million people living in the countryside. Historically, air pollution has come from wood and charcoal burning, agricultural fires and the incineration of waste. But as it develops, Cambodia is facing a wave of urban pollution. Recent research by UNEP shows that the largest sources of pollution in Cambodia today are transport, electricity generation, industry and residential development.

Launched in January 2022 Cambodia’s Clean Air Plan, based on the UNEP report Actions on Air Quality, outlines a package of measures to address the major sources of current and future emissions in the country. It is the first time a national report has been produced in Cambodia to measure health-damaging air pollutants and it collected data from the transport, agriculture, construction, energy and water sectors.

Fully implemented, the plan could reduce two major pollutants, PM 2.5 and black carbon, by 60 per cent. It could also help slash emissions of methane and carbon dioxide, key drivers of climate change, by 24 per cent and 18 per cent respectively by 2030. Those improvements would help Cambodia avoid almost 900 premature deaths per year.

The Clean Air Plan found that transport is one of the main contributors to air pollution. According to the Cambodian Ministry of Public Works and Transport, between 2015 and 2019 the number of registered vehicles in the country rose by around 65 per cent. UNEP’s Global Trade in Used Vehicles Report found that Cambodia is one of the countries in the region with substantial imports of used vehicles; these are usually over 10 years old and are significant contributors to air pollution and climate emissions.
Full article: https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/s ... leaner-air