ABSTRACT
Householders in the developing world are generally less aware of global issues. The general trajectory of Phnom Penh, towards a modern city with widespread high levels of household consumption, is not subject to any popular criticism. Although Cambodia continues to be defined as one of Asia's Least Developed Countries (LDC), this term belies the rapidly shifting urban culture in Phnom Penh and elsewhere. When viewed in the context of contemporary Western understandings of sustainability, many Cambodian household practices are exemplary. Recent climate change initiatives developed by Royal Government include the Cambodian Climate Change Alliance, a program that replays the now familiar partnerships between government departments, international agencies and internationally funded non-government organisations. Aspirations to modernity and upward social mobility specifically involve dissociation from this pre-modern vernacular architecture and associated methods of heat management. The use of air-conditioning is perceived as a superior, more desirable method of cooling indoor spaces.
