Khmer Times —
Prime Minister Hun Sen is chairing the seventh Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) Summit today. The theme of the meeting is “Renewed Strength to Face the Challenges of the New Decade”.
One of the biggest challenges to the region is climate change, which has huge economic costs on top of the social upheaval and environmental damage caused by the floods and droughts that have been hitting the region with increasing intensity.
The Mekong River Commission for Sustainable Development (MRC) warned this week that floods and droughts cause more damage and fatalities than any other natural disasters.
“The repercussions of floods alone account for $70 million annually. These damages have devastating ecological impacts on affected communities and sectors,” said the intergovernmental organisation. “Recent MRC studies show that these trends will persist in the coming decades, requiring collective efforts to address the problems.”