‘Sarawak first state to have own climate change policy’

MIRI: The Sarawak government’s climate change policy is adapting a green energy initiative that will benefit the state’s economy and improve the livelihood of its people while protecting the environment, says Mayor Adam Yii.

He said Sarawak will be first in Malaysia to issue its own climate change policy focusing on three sources of green energy – hydropower, solar energy and hydrogen.

“Sarawak is a very forwardlooking state. One of its key focuses in the Post Covid-19 Development Strategy (PCDS) 2030 is sustainable development aligned with the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that will help the state recover with a stronger and more resilient economy.

“We aim to change the economic structure of the state into a sustainable manner, besides modernising and increasing efficiency driven by digital and physical connectivity,” he said in his opening speech at the International Congress on Impacts of Climate Change on Agriculture, Ecosystems and Human Health (ICCC 2022) here on Wednesday.

He explained that Sarawak’s policy will be in line with Malaysia’s commitment to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for sustainable development to ensure a clean and healthy environment.

“Once the study conducted under the 12th Malaysian Plan is completed, it is expected to provide an action plan to reduce and adapt to the impacts of climate change,” he added.

As the global focus now is on sustainable development, the implementation of Sarawak’s development projects will definitely have certain impact on the environment and biodiversity conservation.

Thus, on the communitylevel, awareness and education on sustainable development, needs to be pursued so that the community has a better future encompassing a clean environment and sustainable development without excessive waste and pollution and protection of natural resources and biodiversity.

The conference, jointly organised by V Sivaram Research Foundation, Curtin University Malaysia and University Technology Mara (UiTM) Sarawak, was attended by 150 participants from Malaysia, Spain, Indonesia, India, Brunei, Singapore, Nigeria, and South Africa.

It aims to create an open networking space and platform in order to exchange information and knowledge on novel innovations and application in different domains in agriculture, environment, ecosystems and health related issues.

The three-day event which ended on Friday featured oral presentations, poster presentations, discussions, and other events.