The announcement was made by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob during the unveiling of the 12th Malaysia Plan (12MP) on Monday, with the objective of ‘A Prosperous, Inclusive, Sustainable Malaysia’. – Bernama photo
KUCHING (Oct 2): World Wide Fund For Nature (WWF) Malaysia has commended the federal government for pledging its commitment towards ensuring that the country would achieve its sustainability goals, including becoming carbon neutral by 2050 the earliest.
The announcement was made by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob during the unveiling of the 12th Malaysia Plan (12MP) on Monday, with the objective of ‘A Prosperous, Inclusive, Sustainable Malaysia’.
WWF-Malaysia acknowledged Ismail Sabri’s point about the government having to work with the private sector and introduce economic instruments such as carbon pricing and carbon tax, in order to achieve this objective.
“Civil society organisations (CSOs) are also recognised as development partners and will be institutionalised in various governance mechanisms to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
“The government has pledged not to build new coal-fired power plants, in line with the efforts of other progressive countries to achieve global goals set in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)’s Paris Agreement, meant to combat climate change,” said WWF Malaysia in a statement yesterday.
In her remarks, WWF Malaysia executive director and chief executive officer Sophia Lim welcomed the government’s decision of anchoring 12MP on themes of prosperity, inclusivity and sustainability, with the emphasis on ‘advancing green growth’.
She also echoed the sentiment that various stakeholders, including government agencies, the private sector and CSOs, must work together towards achieving sustainability, especially with the climate crisis looming over Malaysia.
“It is crucial to address climate change and nature risk in an integrated manner. It should always be part of sustainable development and included in all areas of governance – be it tackling poverty, hunger, health problems, unemployment and business continuity at scale, or ensuring gender equality and economic well-being.
“Certainly, it is a good move to align the 12MP with the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Nature-based solutions should be strategically employed to meet multiple environmental and societal challenges.
“By designing climate change adaptation and mitigation solutions, we also address other pressing needs like food security, health and livelihoods of the B40 segment of society.
“However, no man is an island – we need to band together to achieve national and global environmental goals.
“In that regard, WWF Malaysia is always ready to assist the government and our partners in every way we can,” she pointed out.