The Ministry of Environment has funded a Cambodia Climate Change Alliance project and selected five schools to test climate change response strategies by planting trees and developing gardens with increased biodiversity.

Preah Sisowath High School, Chaktomuk Secondary School, Hun Sen Bun Rany Arun Vatey High School, Phleung Chheh Roteh Primary School and Hun Sen Prey Veng High School were selected for the project called “Urban Area Carbon-Removal and Climate-Change-Combating Approaches Test and Development”.

It is to be carried out for two years at each school.

“What we are doing is trying to find ways to provide options to combat climate change and methods to lower carbon emissions by planting more trees in gardens to provide a greener atmosphere for the school and lower temperatures there,” said Sao Sopheap, secretary of state at the Ministry of Environment and the project’s director.

Project coordinator Hour Limchhun told The Post on Thursday that the project included the installation at each school of four solar panels that can produce a total of 1,100w, two LED light bulbs, 20 electric fans and 20 trash bins, and the construction of two containers that can each store up to 5,000 litres of rainwater.

Biodiverse gardens consisting of 130 small- and medium-sized trees and 375 other small plants are to be planted in the schools.

“Through the project, we will build toilets and construct more [sinks] for teachers and students, and focus on building human resources into eco-schools,” Limchhun said.

Limchhun said research on battery-powered motorbikes – to promote carbon dioxide-free technology – had concluded.

He said the Ministry of Environment will publically announce the projects’ activities and results on national TV stations and Apsara radio station, while posters and brochures will be printed on the impact of climate change to promote ways of tackling it.