Fruits preserved in the bottle

These kinds of fruits tast very good. They’re a bit sour, but they’re the common food for pregnant women in my country.

This is what we call Nem.

Nem is a kind of snack or food roll made of hashed fish meat wrapped by banana leaves or plastic. We, Cambodian people really enjoy eating Nem. A delicouse Nem comes from Kratie province.

Sao Mao, Putrea, Mongkhut, Ang Kaim and Pnhiev are comon Khmer fruits

These fruits are easily to find as they’re available everywhere in the markets and some stores along the roads.

Phnom Penh: Cambodian students have different understandings of the health, environment and working problems caused by climate change.

‘We might wonder why it becomes hotter and hotter and we might think why is there no exact season,” said Mr. Him Khortieth, Communication officer of Cambodia Center for Study and Development in Agriculture (CEDAC)

“I know the climate change quite well according to my course at my university,” said Khun Vannak, a freshman at Institute of Foreign Languages (IFL).

Climate change results from green house gases including Carbon Dioxide, Nitrous Oxide, Metan and Chlorofluorocarbons which affect the Ozone layer the most; Vannak continued, adding that it will cause suppression of immune systems causing skin cancer, eye problems, changing the earth surface and climate disruptions to the food chain.

“It will cause the sea level to change which leads the low-lying coastal areas to be submerged under the water, bringing about serious damage such as flood, typhoon, effects to the landscape, causing wildlife to lose their habitat and the land will lose,” Vannak; said seeming very concerned.

However, Vannak strongly believes that people’s understanding of climate change is very limited because they don’t care much about its direct effects. 

Many students admitted that they know very little about climate change.

 “Climate change isn’t mentioned much in the course and I, myself am not so interested in it,” said Yang Channlyda, a third year student of English at Norton University.

In the age of 20, Chivy, a third-year student of English at Norton University, who is quite busy with her homework, also admits that she doesn’t know about climate change well, but she could understand that the weather has changed a lot and the seasons tend to be mixed.

“Climate change will cause many new epidemics, effect their business, and their products,” said Chivy, while frowning.

Being so busy with the course that not related to climate change at all and having no access with media services has caused Somaly Kum, a third year student at National University Management(NUM), didn’t take any attention to climate change issue.

These students blame the media and education system for the lack of climate change understanding.

“Media should play an important role to report the issue and the government should include climate change issue in the education system in public school in order that the young generation will be able to get involved together to improve environment,” said Vannak, the student of the RUPP.

Responding to the lack of reporting on climate change, media practitioners have stated that it’s because there is not enough human resources in the related field.

 “Many media institutions don’t have enough human resources related to this field. There aren’t specific reporters as they know very little about the consequences so that they cannot report much about it,” said Huy Vannak, the Radio Free Asia (RFA) reporter.

Asian Development Bank keep sorry to recognize that the media in Cambodia, one of the developing Asian countries, is not doing a good job in reporting on climate change.

To respond to the poor proficiency of climate change reporting, on April the 16^th ADB conducted a work shop to provide journalists technical training, scientific knowledge, and broadcast reporting.

The media plays an important role in breaking down a complex scientific issue like climate change and making it accessible to the general public, said An Quon, senior director of Asian Development Bank’s department of external relation.

But big media institutions in Cambodia tend to ignore about climate change. Television of Khmer (TVK), Kampuchea Thmey newspaper, Phnom Penh Post newspaper, and Radio Free Asia (RFA) report on other issues which their staffs admit that their reporters’ knowledge of climate change is very limited.

“We recognize that the reporting of this issue isn’t specific and qualified enough for people,” said Ms. Chhay Channyda, a Phnom Penh Post reporter

Media, people and government all contribute to people’s lack of understanding.

“Many media institutions don’t have enough human resources related to this field. There aren’t specific reporters as they know very little about the consequences so that they cannot report much about it,”said Mr. Huy Vannak, the RFA reporter.

Climate change is along-term problem that won’t go away, Vannak said, adding that Cambodian know very little about its causes and consequences and some of them don’t even know what climate change is.

“They care only their business whether or not they can support their family and themselves. For the environmental problem, specially the climate change, they value it less concern and consider it as the external problem rather than individual,” Mr. Huy Vannak said.

Due to the human interest, media try to fulfill what people want to know like the financial crisis because it affects people directly and leave this issue behind.

The media attempts to report on what affects people directly, leaving climate change with its sub affect behind, said Mr. Sat Sophal, editor-in-chief of Kampuchea Thmey.

“We can see what is happening now like unemployment. Many people are jobless and some are not able to find income like before, so this will lead to crime in the society and another matter. Global warming, people only wonder why it becomes hotter and hotter,” he continued.

And because the government does not distribute the information on climate change, media is unlikely to write about it.

“We don’t have much cooperation from the source and we are very difficult to get information from the government and the ministry,” said Ms. Nyda of the Phnom Penh Post.

“Climate is the hot issue and very sensitive to the government; if any reporters or NGOs dare to report or take action on this issue, they will stay in trouble.” One reason the government may not the proudly information on climate change, said Mr. Cheang Chanheang, a program coordinator at Khmer Youth and Society Development.

By Phally Ngoeum