LETTERS: Malaysia has an urgent role in fighting climate change as we hold a large amount of fossil fuel resources.
According to Malaysia's third biennial update report (BUR3) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, we are committed to reducing greenhouse gases emissions intensity per unit of gross domestic product (GDP) by 45 per cent from the level in 2005, unconditionally.
The estimated emissions intensity per unit of GDP in 2005 was 0.532 tonnes of CO2 eq per thousand RM (Land Use, Land Use Change, and Forestry (LULUCF exclusive) and 0.059 tonnes of CO2 eq per thousand RM (LULUCF inclusive).
This means that as the country's GDP is projected to be RM3.4 trillion in 2030, we need to keep the CO2 eq emission to be less than 370 million tonnes.
Currently, we are at around 33 per cent reduction, and it is believed that we are going to meet the Intended Nationally Determined Contribution target.
BUR3 gave me new insight into how emission avoidance is achieved in Malaysia, exclusively.
FIRST, Malaysia is blessed with a large forest landmass. Malaysia managed to consistently maintain more than 50 per cent landmass as forest.
LULUCF is able to remove more than 240 million of CO2 eq emission alone, which is 76 per cent of our total emission in 2016.
SECOND, being the second largest producer of palm oil after Indonesia, Malaysia took advantage of this resource and its by-products.
B10 biodiesel mandate (2018) in the transport sector (blending of palm oil in diesel fuel to 10 per cent) not only increases demand for palm oil, but most importantly it contributes to reducing dependence on petroleum.
Besides, the biogas recovery and methane avoidance facilities retrofitted to the palm oil mills allow us to capture the additional resources while reducing the GHG emission.
THIRD, wastepaper recycling contributes a lot to emission avoidance. In 2016, almost four million tonnes of CO2 eq emission reduction were achieved through various efforts.
Although the current action plans are enough to meet the target by 2030, I hope Malaysia can commit itself to pursue net-zero target by 2050.
It may sound challenging, but not impossible. These are the reasons:
CONTINUE the efforts to reduce deforestation, implement sustainable forest management, conserve carbon stocks and use palm oil in biodiesel.
IN BUR3, an increase in energy efficiency is the primary focus in the energy sector to reduce emissions. There are mature technologies that can help reduce carbon emission with high energy efficiency.
CEMENT is a carbon-intensive industry. BUR3 reported that material substitution and reducing clinker ratio are implemented to reduce carbon emissions from this industry. More can be done.
ELECTRIC vehicles (EVs) should be encouraged or even be made compulsory in some areas. Sadly, based on data in 2019, there were only 194 EVs registered in Malaysia.
Learn from other countries like the United Kingdom that introduced regulations to allow only zero-emission vehicles to enter certain "green zone" areas and slowly expand the zone. The UK government will ban all new petrol or diesel cars by 2030.
The measures and policies above are not new or "rocket science". In fact, some Malaysian private companies and government agencies have been working on them for years.
Last week, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released its sixth assessment report. In short, we are running out of time.
Temperatures will rise by 1.5C before 2040 under all emissions scenarios. The longer we delay our action, the steeper the emissions cut is required.
Tan Chen Horng
Kuala Lumpur
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times