Enhanced awareness of climate change following inking of MoU

KOTA KINABALU: The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Environment (KePKAS) and Conference East Environment from Akita (CEEA) has enhanced awareness of climate change in Sabah.

Assistant minister Assaffal P Alian said the ministry’s Environment Protection Department (EPD) and its partners such as the Sabah Environmental Education Network (SEEN), have conducted 95 programs around Kota Kinabalu, Ranau, Kota Belud, Kudat, Beaufort, Papar and Penampang.

“A total of 7,640 people, consisting of 77% students, 11% community, 6% teachers and 6% parents have been trained in less than 12 months after they came back from Japan,” said Assaffal when officiating at the Climate Change Actions Seminar at a hotel here yesterday.

“These are just four trained officers. I can imagine if CEEA gives more opportunities to our officers in Sabah to be trained in Japan, there will be more impact on our awareness programs in Sabah.

“For this year until March 31, 2018, a total of 2,190 people have been given awareness consisting of 45% students and 37% teachers. Hence, it is my utmost pleasure to note that this cooperation has indeed enhanced the awareness on climate change in Sabah,” he remarked.

Assaffal said the ministry signed the MoU with CEEA on March 24, 2017, for a period of three years from March 2016 to March 2019.

Based on the MoU, yesterday’s seminar was the last sharing with stakeholders in Sabah by CEEA and the extension of awareness programs for climate change will continue under the umbrella of EPD being the Climate Change Centre for Sabah.

So far, EPD has established close partnership with the Sabah State Attorney General, Department of Environment Sabah, Kota Kinabalu Wetlands Ramsar Site and SMK Taman Tun Fuad.

KePKAS permanent secretary Datu Rosmadi Datu Sulai, EPD director Mohd Yusrie Abdullah, JCCA deputy secretary general Kazuyoshi Koba, CEEA director general Mariko Fukuoka, representatives from ministries and departments and Sabah Environmental Education Networks (SEEN) members attended the event.