Extreme heat in Phnom Penh
A fast-growing capital of garment factories and metal roofs, where the hot season peaks before the rains.
Heat type. Humid heat, hottest from March to May.
Heat action plan No published city heat plan found
A proposal with the Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology and Phnom Penh Capital Hall would develop a heat action plan for the city, with thresholds and response protocols. No adopted city heat plan found yet.
Vicious cycles the evidence ties to Phnom Penh
| Cycle | Why here | One action that breaks it |
|---|---|---|
| The cooling trap | UN ESCAP projects that the urban heat island could add 2 °C to 7 °C on top of global warming in Phnom Penh. | Cool by design |
| The poverty–heat trap | At three garment factories, workers reporting heat symptoms rose from 68% in the cooler months to 88% in the hot months. | Heat-safe work |
| The lost-schooling loop | In the April 2024 heatwave, Cambodia shortened public school days by two hours. | Keep children in school |
Who heat hits hardest here
- Workers in heat-exposed jobs
- People in informal settlements
Already at work here
- UN ESCAP
- Asian Development Bank
- World Bank
Listing does not imply partnership, affiliation or endorsement.
Four questions for Phnom Penh’s heat plan
- Is it funded, with a named owner?
- Does it assess who is most vulnerable, and where they live?
- Does it have legal backing, so departments are required to act?
- Does it count indoor and night-time heat, not only daytime highs?
Official warnings: Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology · Today’s heat and the week ahead: beattheheat.asia/#city-phnompenh
Sources
- National Committee for Sub-National Democratic Development. library.ncdd.gov.kh/detail/17224/download
- Cooling Singapore, citing Chow and Roth, 2006. thegpsc.org/sites/gpsc/files/cooling_singapore_-_digital_urban_climate_twin.pdf
- World Bank, 2025. worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2025/09/16/bangladesh-faces-health-and-economic-risks-from-rising-temperature-world-bank
- UNICEF, 2025. unicef.org/reports/learning-interrupted-global-snapshot-2024
- Centre for Policy Research, 2023. cprindia.org/briefsreports/how-is-india-adapting-to-heatwaves-an-assessment-of-heat-action-plans-with-insights-for-transformative-climate-action