URBAN development is the primary producer of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions that contribute to climate change. Fuelled by rising population, the situation will worsen unless steps are taken to implement green and sustainable development.
For Malaysia, one important driver for reducing carbon emissions is the adoption of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change in 2015. In Paris, we had made the commitment to reduce our carbon intensity of GDP by 45% by the year 2030 as compared with the 2005 level.
Low Carbon Cities, Low Carbon Country
Embracing low carbon development approaches for cities and townships is essential towards making Malaysia a low-carbon, climate-resilient green economy. Hence, in 2011, the Ministry of Energy, Green Technology and Water introduced a performance-based system called the Low Carbon Cities Framework (LCCF) to guide local authorities and developers in making decisions on greener solutions.
There has been a growing interest in LCCF as reflected in the increasing number of partners - from nine local authorities in 2012 to 52 to-date. Out of this, 22 local authorities are now working on their baseline development.
One of the pioneering and flagship green townships is the Federal Government Administrative Centre of Putrajaya. It is taking the lead in becoming a sustainable low carbon city, with a goal of reducing its GHG emissions intensity by 60% by 2025 compared with 2012 levels, and making the city cooler by two degrees Celcius.
Many of its government buildings have adopted green building standards and are rated by the Green Building Index. The other initiatives implemented include the installation of solar PVs on selected government buildings, widespread use of LED lightings, activation of electric buses, extension of bicycle lanes, placement of composting machines, and the introduction of urban farming.
Sustainable Cities Week at EXPO 2017
Putrajaya’s green city initiative was highlighted at EXPO 2017 in Astana, Kazakhstan, earlier this week by Datuk Seri Hj Hasim Hj Ismail, President of Putrajaya Corporation (PPJ) who spoke on realising Putrajaya as a global sustainable administrative city. Another Malaysian low carbon city success story was also in the spotlight when Dato’ Maimunah Mohd Sharif, Mayor of Penang Island Council, shared the Municipal Council of Seberang Perai (MPSP)’s success in boosting urban sustainability.
These talks were part of the “Sustainable Cities Week” programme organised by Malaysia at EXPO 2017 to highlight our expertise and experience in sustainable development. In addition to LCCF, there was also a talk on carbon management through the Malaysian Carbon Reduction & Environmental Sustainability Tool (MyCREST) presented by the Construction Industry Development Board of Malaysia.
The week also included other talks by Malaysian Green Technology Corporation, ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, CENVIRO, Sime Darby Property, Green Building Index (GBI), and University Tenaga Nasional (UNITEN).
For more information on
Malaysia’s participation at EXPO 2017, visit www.greenfuturemalaysia.com
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