KOTA KINABALU: The capital city must take the lead in climate change actions for Sabah and setting an example for other cities in Malaysia.
Minister in charge of Kota Kinabalu City Hall (DBKK) Datuk Abidin Madingkir said there were generally two aspects to combating climate change — adaptation and mitigation.
Among others, he said the infrastructure and building codes must be adapted to meet unpredictable weather conditions.
Adaptation consisted of taking steps to reduce the impact of climate change, while mitigation was related to taking steps to reduce carbon emission and the extent of global warming, he said.
"Globally we are experiencing extreme weather changes, from extreme heat, forest fires, more frequent rain, and the inevitable flooding, and rising mean sea levels.
"You may have noticed and felt the strong sunshine, heavy humidity, downpour, and perhaps even street flooding around Kota Kinabalu. Because of this, our infrastructure and building codes must be adapted to meet unpredictable weather conditions. And we must have the policies, programmes and related guidance in place.
"At the state level, we need to do more sustainable development projects while improving project procurement, increasing energy efficiency, future-proofing structures, streamlining regulations and empowering consumers to do more.
"Kota Kinabalu must take the lead in climate actions for our cities (including towns and districts) and setting an example for other cities in Malaysia to emulate," he said when opening the National Workshop on Climate Change Mitigation, Adaptation and Climate Finance here today.
The three-day workshop was organised by Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy (GCoM) and hosted by DBKK.
GCoM is a platform for an international alliance of cities and local governments with a shared long-term vision of promoting and supporting voluntary action to combat climate change and move to a low-emission, resilient society.
Abidin said Kota Kinabalu had been implementing climate actions through concerted public campaigns.
"Among the climate and environment-related documents that Kota Kinabalu is using now, is the Kota Kinabalu Green City Action Plan (KKGCAP), co-prepared in 2019 by DBKK and ICLEI (Local Governments for Sustainability).
"I understand the KKGCAP is recognised as a Climate Action Plan by virtue of membership of GCoM.
"I believe DBKK has already started implementing some of the programmes through ongoing public programmes including Love KK initiatives via its seven components comprising Clean KK, Green KK, Beautiful KK, Heritage KK, Vibrant KK, Liveable KK and Healthy KK, in partnership with the private sector. These are good signs," he said.
Abdidin also said DBKK was looking into several smart city projects, the use of CASBEE (which is Comprehensive Assessment System for Built Environment Efficiency) for green building assessment, and renewable energy projects such as the mini hydro project at Kiansom Waterfalls with Toyama City of Japan.
"DBKK also wants to do a comprehensive study to track the city's carbon footprint," he added, while hoping for guidance from GCoM and the EU (European Union).