Children, Climate Change and Cambodia: My Reflections from Siem Reap

This week I visited Cambodia, and it could not have come at a ‘hotter’ time, in the most literal sense of the word, because the temperatures in Siem Reap was almost 7°C above average. As I was leaving, the Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology recorded the highest temperatures since 1854 and the Ministry of Education issued a directive to reduce two hours from their regular school days due to soaring temperatures across the country.[1]?

Historically, the country has been known for severe flooding in terms of climate impact. Heavy rainfall in September 2022 caused severe flooding in 14 provinces. But now the country is in the grips of a major and prolonged drought. Everywhere you look, the land is parched and bone dry. There has been almost no rain in the country.??

The night before, it rained in a few areas, and I could see the excitement almost palpable around me with many calling their families to say, “It rained in my ancestral village!” But this sadly seemed to be an exception. In most areas of the country, farmers have been unable to plant the second rice crop, leading to economic hardship.??

?The Children’s Climate Risk Index (CCRI) ranked Cambodia 46th out of 163 countries, placing the country in the top third of nations facing significant risks due to climate change. This means that two million children, representing over one-third of the country's child population, live in communes with a high or very high CCRI, jeopardizing their health, education, and overall well-being[2]. In fact, a recent World Bank study estimated that climate change could knock off 9% of Cambodia’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 2050 and lead to an increase in poverty levels estimated to be up to 6 percentage points by 2040.[3]

As I made my way, in the sweltering heat, to visit a secondary school in the rural area in Siem Reap, I was acutely aware of how hot the classrooms were as if the air had become still inside their walls. As I walked from classroom to classroom, I wondered how learning outcomes must be impacted by the heat waves, and what would happen to the ability of children to learn, to play and to progress in school.??

I spoke to several groups of young children, age 12, mostly girls, as part of a digital skill development program supported by UNICEF. They were so energetic and full of ideas and ambitions. One of them wanted to become a CEO of a cosmetics company. The other one wanted to be the CEO of a leading digital company. They were learning, in class, how to code and develop apps and games to tackle environmental issues and to help them reach their dreams. And dreaming; that is what every child is entitled to! ?In another classroom, I saw how children were eagerly learning to read and speak in English. They read me parts of what they had learned with fluency and with so much confidence that my heart soared along with theirs. ??

One of the highlights for me was to learn about the afterschool program on tackling environmental challenges. As temperatures are rising, so are children rising to the occasion. Through the #GreenRising and life skills training program, facilitated and supported by UNICEF, students in Grade 9, learn to analyze problems, learn to work together, learn to find solutions, and learn to scale the solutions in their community. The program also helps them to understand the environmental challenges of today’s world and how as young people they can be part of the solution.??

They briefed me about the global challenges of climate change, plastic waste, biodiversity loss. They had analyzed how these problems were affecting them. And they had come up with practical, pragmatic and implementable solutions. From picking up waste to promoting solar energy, from distributing flyers about plastic pollution to planting trees in the community. They were leading from the front by speaking with their peers, their siblings, with their families, and their communities. They mobilized support. And acted together. As volunteers, they cleaned up their village environment, collecting plastic waste and planting trees and using the plastic waste by converting them into art.?

The beauty of this program is not just about helping young people develop life skills or making them aware of the environmental challenges. The beauty of this program is being a catalyst for them to act, volunteer, innovate and engage their communities in the process. As the 12-year-old girls, stood proudly and fearlessly in front of us, speaking extempore, from the heart, they convinced everyone there was no time to lose. I jotted down a few quotes: “Humans are the problem, we must change our attitude “. “I have the will and the courage to participate in this important youth volunteer program“. “It is our duty to act. Not someone else’s responsibility.”? ?

Such wise words.?

In the afternoon, I went to see the impact of their work in the field. We had lunch with the community leaders with youth volunteers and a 12-year-old student from the school. They showed me what they had done in terms of waste management. The village was clean and green. And the community leader said to me, “I am so ashamed. I am so ashamed that it took a young person to teach me that I could pick up the plastic. Why did I not do this before? I am grateful for this program. I am delighted to see and be part of the change.”??

The beautification of their village, in combination with the opening up of three village guest houses, attracts tourists now. As we walked through the village, one of the community members remarked that the pond where they would use to take tourists for a boat ride had completely fallen dry for the first time in history. They were worried about their future. They remembered how lush their village looked when they were young.??

As I walked through the village I thought: We do not know to what extent the current heat wave and lack of rain in Cambodia is caused by climate change, compounded by the El Ni?o phenomenon. Only science can tell. But what we do know, is that heat waves like this will be the “new normal” unless we change course. We also know that young people can be and must be part of the solution. They may not be rainmakers, but they certainly are change-makers!??

UNICEF Cambodia is actively supporting them and working to ensure that essential social services are climate resilient. Thank you, Team UNICEF Cambodia. Thank you #Life skills program and #GreenRising initiative. Thank you, young people of Cambodia.?

Thank you for sending me back home inspired, energized, and optimistic.??

You have restored my hope in humanity and in our future.??

[1] Cambodia reduces school hours amid soaring heatwave - Khmer Times ( khmertimeskh.com )

[2] Children in Cambodia at ‘very high risk’ of the impacts of the climate crisis - UNICEF ?and?https://geosight.unicef.org/project/cambodia-ccri-drm-index

[3] https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2023/10/31/acting-on-climate-change-is-key-for-cambodia-to-achieve-its-development-goals