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This paper profiles the vulnerability, risk reduction, and adaptation to climate change of Cambodia. Cambodia is vulnerable to floods and droughts, mostly due to reliance on agriculture and fisheries. Cambodia’s National Adaptation Program of Action (NAPA) was published in October 2006. It prioritizes actions in response to current and projected impacts of climate variability and change on the country’s most vulnerable sectors: agriculture, forestry, water, health, and coastal zones.

The paper identifies the following climate trends in Cambodia:

• Mean annual temperatures have increased by 0.8°C since 1960, at a rate of about 0.18°C per decade. The rate of increase is most rapid in the drier seasons (December-January-February and March-April-May), increasing 0.20‐0.23°C per decade, and is slower in the wet seasons (June-July-August and September-October-November), increasing 0.13‐0.16°C per decade.
• Since 1960, the frequency of ‘hot’ days8 has increased significantly (+46, with strongest increases noted in September- November), as has the frequency of ‘hot’ nights (+63, with strongest increases noted in December-February).
• The frequency of ‘cold’ days9 has decreased significantly in September-February.
• The average number of cold days per year has decreased by 19 (5.2%). This rate of decrease is most rapid in December-January-February.
• The average number of cold nights per year has decreased, particularly during the dry season (December through February).
• Mean rainfall trends over Cambodia are unclear, with some areas experiencing increases and others decreases, but these changes are not statistically significant.