KUCHING: The World Wide Fund for Nature Malaysia (WWF-Malaysia) has commended Sarawak for passing the 2023 Environment (Reduction of Greenhouse Gas Emission) Bill in November last year.
In a statement, WWF-Malaysia said the bill was the first on carbon emission and reduction in Malaysia with a complete strategy and roadmap.
"While the current law is prescribed for the oil and gas, and the energy sectors, WWF-Malaysia hopes that in the future, other major economic sectors such as oil palm and logging, will follow suit for mandatory compliance.
"The bill, alongside the Sarawak Land Code (Carbon Storage) Rules 2022 and The Forests (Forest Carbon Activity) Rules, 2022, will help chart the direction towards the state's 2050 net zero carbon emission goal which is just less than three decades away," according to the statement.
The statement reflects on some of the key developments in Sarawak last year and considers areas for improvement in the days ahead.
Meanwhile, WWF-Malaysia said Sarawak has maintained most of her forest cover, reported to be 62 per cent or 7.65 million hectares, the largest among all states in Malaysia.
It said if this figure is maintained, Sarawak alone contributes 46.5 per cent to the nation's goal of keeping at least 50 per cent land under tree or forest cover.
"While development is inevitable, we call on the Sarawak government to prioritise our forests and ensure that developments are carried out in a sustainable manner, cognisant and planned for an integrated approach.
"We must intensify efforts to gazette more permanent forests and not to lose any more of them," it said. — Bernama