KUALA LUMPUR: Greenpeace Malaysia urges the government to enhance the country's climate resilience by implementing both a Transboundary Haze Pollution Act (THPA) and a Climate Change Act, specifically emphasising enforceable legislation.
The environmental group said more decisive political will at this year's Asia-Pacific Climate Week 2023 (APCW) is needed to ensure that polluters are held accountable.
"The climate crisis is exacerbated by unscrupulous businesses that are causing harm to lives and livelihoods, with record-breaking and deadly weather events continuing to impact Malaysia.
"Leaders must acknowledge that, to maintain a habitable environment, they must commit to ending climate-harming practices such as deforestation, forest fires, and emissions," the statement said.
Greenpeace Malaysia senior campaign manager Thing Siew Shuen opined that those irresponsible parties should be held responsible for exploiting Malaysia and causing irreparable damage to their profits.
"It is necessary for the government to take a firm stance to protect citizens from the most significant threat we will face in the coming years.
"The government must advocate for our right to loss and damage funds during the Conference of the Parties to the Convention (COP28) by calling corporations who have made the greatest contribution to the climate crisis to pay for historical damage and future damage caused by their operations," he said.
Therefore, the group also called on the government to recognise that fundamental human rights, including the right to a clean and healthy environment, are essential elements of climate justice.
"This involves transitioning from practices contributing to climate pollution towards a fair and equitable future for everyone.
"They should take proactive steps at COP28 to secure loss and damage funds to finance climate mitigation and adaptation efforts.
"Developing strong legislation also will serve as a deterrent or halt environmentally destructive practices and hold polluters accountable by paying for reparation of damage caused."