Scenarios for a quantitative and systematic design of Low Carbon Development in Cambodia: Focused on Energy Policy

Abstract

 Cambodia fully supports the global efforts to reduce Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions, although the country's emissions are regionally and globally insignificant. The country has counted the Low-Carbon Development as a win-win approach to help Cambodia avoid pervasive economic growth models by increasing energy efficiency, promoting renewable energy, and reducing environmental pollution and GHG emissions, while sustaining social and economic development. This study proposed a scenario for a quantitative and systematic design of low-carbon development in Cambodia towards 2030 with a focus on energy policy. The Extended Snapshot Tool (ExSS) was used to project quantitative future activities and CO₂ emissions and reduction potentials, and to identify low-carbon measures to be implemented to achieve the above-mentioned goal. The results of this study yield that CO₂ emissions are projected to increase to about 23.28MtCO₂/year (5.5 times) in 2030BaU compared to around 4.22MtCO₂/year in 2010. The effective implementations of low carbon measures, CO₂ emissions are expected to reduce by about 12.83MtCO₂/year (about 55.10%) in 2030CM. Given the limited research in Cambodia, the results of this study are expected to be used to formulate a low-carbon development policy of this country.