KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia will continue implementing initiatives and policies to address issues concerning climate change, environmental degradation and sustainable utilisation of natural resources.
Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said Malaysia has introduced a number of measures that were deemed friendly to the environment since 2009.
During the same year, Junaidi said, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak had announced that Malaysia had adopted a voluntary indicator to reduce its greenhouse gas (GHGs) emissions intensity of Gross Domestic Product, conditional on receiving finance, technology transfer and capacity building from developed countries.
"Malaysia continue to incorporate policies to conserve the environment under the 10th Malaysia Plan, which was implemented for five years beginning 2011.
"This resulted in Malaysia achieving a 33 per cent reduction in emissions intensity of GDP by 2013.
"The effort will be continued under the Eleventh Malaysia Plan 2016-2020 under the Green Growth Agenda. This agenda calls for strengthening the enabling environment, including policy and regulatory frameworks, human capital and green technology."
Junaidi was delivering his speech during the Joint High Level Segment of The 21st session of the Conference of Parties (COP21) and 11th session of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (CMP) in Paris, France on Monday.
The Green Growth Agenda, Junaidi explained, also included initiatives to conserve the nation's diverse biodiversity.
"I would like to highlight that Malaysia’s forest cover to date stands at 54.5 per cent.
"Here we reaffirm our commitment to maintain at least per cent level of forest and tree cover in perpetuity through “zero net deforestation and degradation", thus halting net forest loss by deforestation and stopping net decline in forest quality."
On a related matter, Junaidi also said flood mitigation programmes have accounted for more than RM9.3 billion in spending in the 9th and 10th Malaysia Plans.
He said further funding was required for the implementation of mitigation programmes from next year.
"At the same time, Malaysia has developed action plans to enhance water security under the National Water Resources Policy that also needs to be implemented."