Cambodia, like many countries in South-East Asia, is facing mounting challenges associated with rising temperatures, rapid urbanization, and growing energy demand in the building sector. As the country experiences hotter and more frequent extreme heat events, the demand for cooling—especially in residential and commercial buildings—continues to grow. This increased cooling demand risks placing significant pressure on Cambodia’s energy systems, exacerbating greenhouse gas emissions and accelerating the use of refrigerants, including potent climate-warming gases used in conventional air-conditioning systems.
Recognizing these challenges, the Ministry of Environment of Cambodia has taken a leadership role in advancing sustainable cooling solutions. In developing Cambodia’s National Cooling Action Plan (NCAP) in 2022, the Ministry identified space cooling in buildings as a priority sector for reducing energy demand and greenhouse gas mitigation. Among the measures evaluated, passive cooling strategies emerged as critical for improving building energy performance, reducing cooling loads, and supporting the phase-down of refrigerants with high global warming potential.
To support implementation of key recommendations of the NCAP, the Ministry of Environment, in partnership with the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN ESCAP) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), within Cool Coalition framework, has implemented the project Passive Cooling Strategies for Sustainable Development in Cambodia. This project aimed to demonstrate the effectiveness and feasibility of passive cooling as a foundational approach for managing cooling demand, enhancing thermal comfort, and contributing to climate change mitigation and adaptation objectives.
The project adopted a comprehensive, four-pronged approach to drive progress in the sector. First, it supported policy intervention by working towards the integration of passive cooling principles into Cambodia’s building energy regulations. Second, a pilot building demonstration was implemented to showcase the practical application and benefits of passive cooling strategies in a real-world setting. Third, an awareness and capacity-building campaign was launched to disseminate lessons learned and build the necessary knowledge and skills among national and local stakeholders for scaling up. Lastly, the project provided technical and strategic support for integrating passive cooling measures into Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) 3.0, reinforcing the country’s long-term climate goals. Furthermore, building on the learnings from Cambodia and other regional passive cooling initiatives, the UNEP Cool Coalition, UN ESCAP, and the ASEAN Centre for Energy initiated the development of the ASEAN Passive Cooling Roadmap, which will be introduced at the workshop as part of a stakeholder consultation.
This regional workshop marks the culmination of the project, bringing together policymakers, technical experts, and practitioners from across the region to reflect on Cambodia’s experience, share lessons learned, and discuss pathways for scaling passive cooling as an effective solution for sustainable development and climate resilience in South-East Asia.
