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Cambodia ranked primary globally for the Pure Setting class within the 2026 Greatest Nations rating by U.S. Information & World Report as a consequence of its low industrial footprint, and powerful land and useful resource sustainability.
Pure Setting was one among eight classes assessed within the report, which was launched on Might 13. Hundred international locations had been evaluated throughout eight classes, together with governance, well being, infrastructure, alternative, tradition and tourism, and pure setting, utilizing a data-driven framework weighted by 42 world consultants from academia, suppose tanks, and worldwide organizations.
Whereas Cambodia got here in first worldwide for Pure Setting, it ranked 91st general throughout all eight classes.
The Pure Setting class measures sustainability by way of indicators similar to carbon emissions, forest-area change, air high quality, and concrete inexperienced area.
The popularity is a mirrored image of the federal government’s efforts to guard and preserve pure assets, in line with Setting Minister Eang Sophalleth in an announcement through Fb.
Environmental consultants, nevertheless, welcomed the end result with warning, saying broader challenges, together with deforestation and ecosystem loss, nonetheless should be addressed.
“It’s a nice honor for Cambodia and its folks to obtain worldwide recognition for achievements in environmental safety and pure useful resource conservation,” Sophalleth stated.
Cambodia manages 73 protected areas protecting greater than seven million hectares or about 41% of the full land space, with the goal of preserving forests, wildlife habitats, and biodiversity by way of stricter environmental safety legal guidelines.
San Mala, government director of the Partnership for Setting and Improvement group (PED), stated whereas the rating is constructive and needs to be welcomed, he known as for elevated consideration of the broader environmental state of affairs.
“Cambodia is a creating nation, so there aren’t many large-scale industrial factories. We do not need vital air pollution from industrial emissions, which helps protect the pure setting,” Mala talked about.
“Nevertheless, forests proceed to be misplaced and degraded daily, whereas the rights of environmental defenders are more and more restricted.”
In keeping with International Forest Watch, Cambodia misplaced three million hectares of tree cowl between 2001 and 2025, with round 97% of this loss occurring in areas primarily pushed by deforestation.
Mala stated that regardless of ongoing forest loss and unlawful logging, the federal government has struggled to successfully defend forests and has additionally restricted the position of Indigenous communities, environmental activists, and NGOs in monitoring and advocacy.
As well as, civil society participation is usually considered as damaging to authorities fame, whereas NGO studies are regularly dismissed as missing credibility or comprehensiveness.
He additionally identified that whereas Cambodia ranked excessive within the Pure Setting class, scores within the different seven classes had been low, together with Financial Improvement (97th), Civic Well being (ninety fifth), and Infrastructure (91st) which needs to be to reform.
“I believe we [government] ought to transfer away from flattery, the place we settle for solely good factors however adverse factors or low scores [are] normally rejected,” he stated. “It’s time that we conduct self-criticism and analyze the weak aspect to make it higher.”
Khvay Atitya, spokesperson for the Ministry of Setting, advised CamboJA Information that they may proceed implementing setting insurance policies, together with increasing inexperienced cowl by planting no less than a million timber yearly and supporting enhancements in neighborhood livelihoods.
