Malaysia explains delayed climate policy

By: Hilary Chiew on December 12th, 2008

Malaysia is taking a long time to develop its climate change policy because it wants to ensure broad-based support, the environment minister said.

Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Datuk Douglas Uggah Embas was responding to a report released by environmental NGOs at the UN climate summit in Poland this week, which placed Malaysia in a dismal position for its record on climate change.
The Climate Change Performance Index, a report issued annually by GermanWatch and Climate Action Network Europe, ranked Malaysia in the bottom 10 of the list. It was in the company of big greenhouse gas polluters like the United States, Australia, Canada and Saudi Arabia.

The green groups published the findings on the sideline of the 14th United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. The report tracks the performance of 57 countries that together emit more than 90% of the world’s annual output of carbon dioxide, the principal greenhouse gas that is heating the planet.

Countries are compared based on their emission levels, emission trends and climate policies.

Uggah responded that its climate plan is taking time because a lot of different organizations and people are involved.

The ministry has invited people from government agencies, the private sector and civil society to provide their views and recommendations on the country’s climate plan, he said.

Technical working groups are deliberating on the fourth draft now and it will be tabled at the next Cabinet Committee on Climate Change, he said, but could not confirm when the policy would be finalized.

Critics contend that Malaysia is lagging behind in adopting renewable energy, and said its climate protection work will be undermined by its long-term energy plan, which favours fossil fuels.

In his address Friday to the assembly of 189 environment and energy ministers on the last day of the climate talks, Uggah urged rich countries to get serious about financing and transferring clean technology to ensure that the global fight against climate change will be successful.

“There have been many meetings on adaptation focusing on conceptual issues, ideas and needs assessment. However, on the ground there is little real work relating to adaptation,” he noted.

Uggah reiterated that any talks about targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions must be based on the principle of equity, where developed countries take the lead for their historical pollution. But in fact, rich countries are pressuring developing countries to make their own emission cuts.

So far, Uggah said, developing countries are unable to adapt to impacts of a changing climate as funding from developed nations are not forthcoming.

“We need the fund (so we can) switch from old, polluting system to climate-friendly technologies. Furthermore, this has been hampered by the unresolved issue of technology patents held by developed countries,” he added.

He also said Malaysia is keen on seeking mitigation incentives through forest conservation that is being discussed under the Reducing Emission from Deforestation and Degradation of Forest (REDD) mechanism.

He said it was appropriate that the role of forests as carbon sinks are being recognized by the Convention as Malaysia is one of those countries that had a significant forest cover.