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It is undeniable that the world is experiencing adverse climate change. That is why the weather in Malaysia, particularly Sarawak, is not only inclement sometimes but also unpredictable most of the time. Datuk Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar, Minister of Natural Resources and Environment
KUCHING: Malaysia is fully committed to its promise to contribute to the global fight against climate change by sticking to forest conservation programmes.
The unpredictable weather affecting Malaysia, particularly Sarawak, is due to the on- going climate change consequential to the factor of human activities.
Trees and plants absorb carbon dioxide to produce oxygen especially at night, hence enhancing forest conservation. Conservation is more than vital now as the heat keeps the icy polar caps and mountain glaciers to melt slowly resulting in rising sea water level, causing coastal land to recede.
When contacted on Monday, Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Datuk Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said: “It is undeniable that the world is experiencing adverse climate change. That is why the weather in Malaysia, particularly Sarawak, is not only inclement sometimes but also unpredictable most of the time.”
“The green canopy of Malaysia and also that of Sarawak produces oxygen but carbon dioxide emission to the atmosphere is fast overtaking oxygen, causing icy polar regions and glaciers to melt. Ice turns into water which then goes to the sea. The sea water is therefore rising and most continents are now sinking.”
He added that Malaysia wanted to be part of the solution and so it was fully committed to any forest conservation programme.
“It can be predicted that if these programmes are not successful when most countries are not committed to them, most continents will be sinking fast 85 years from now. We may not be around to see it but our great grand children will.
“It cannot be denied that human activities cause climate change. Its impact can be seen and felt. Just look at the present weather - we can’t even tell anymore whether it is going to be sunny or rainy at any time of the day. It is also obvious that the amount of rain water is increasing. We can see that waves are getting bigger,” he added.
Wan Junaidi, who is also Santubong MP, said many world leaders, especially in the USA, were trying to deny climate change due to their economic policies by arguing that climate change was not largely due to human activities.
These leaders were pushing for fossil fuel projects at the expense of those going for forest conservation programmes, he added.
“If we talk about human activities, it is what we human have done since 300 years ago - from the agricultural revolution until the industrial revolution. Human activities affect climate change,” he said.
Wan Junaidi said the issue was fi rst discussed in the 1960s. Then, in 2011, the United Nation ( UN) tried to make a change and seek contributions from 195 member countries to go green in its ( UN) effort to reduce carbon dioxide emission into the atmosphere. But some groups opposed the proposal because they wanted to go ahead with their fossil fuel projects and this was evident in 2015 when the USA pushed for these projects after rectifying the 2011 UN Agreement in 2015 in Paris.
He said he could not see how the UN was able to overturn the 2015 Paris Agreement because even now the USA president Donald Trump’s leadership was also driven by the wishes of the country’s business community.
“What can be done is to reduce emission, manage businesses according to carbon-free principle and mitigate impact of climate change,” he said.
In Malaysia, for instance, the Public Works Department and its building consultants had been advised to build environmentalfriendly buildings. Those who were building bridges had been told to erect them carefully so as not to cause soil erosion, he added.
“Whatever they do they must make sure that buildings and bridges withstand the test of time and contribute to reducing factors of climate change. However, we are still facing a dilemma in addressing this issue of climate change because of lack of funding, need of businesses and pace of advanced technology.
“What is true is that Malaysia is serious in fulfi lling its promises towards green conservation. Malaysia can fulfi ll what has been promised to the world, that is to protect our forest,” he added.