KUALA LUMPUR: The National Energy Transition Roadmap (NETR) serves as a strategy for transitioning the nation's economy into the future, ensuring its continued relevance and competitiveness on the global stage.
Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change Minister Nik Nazmi NIk Ahmad said the NETR prioritised the importance of decarbonisation while taking into account its impact on society.
"The NETR should not only be seen in terms of its contribution to decarbonisation or greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, although those are its main objectives.
"Rather, it is also a means to revolutionise and transform our economy to the future, so that we can embrace as well as be relevant and competitive in a world whose industrial and commercial basis are rapidly changing by the day.
"It ensures that we are not simply decarbonising without regard to the effect on society but also that jobs can continue to be created and standards of living can continue to develop."
He said this in his keynote address at the inaugural Conference on Rethinking The Future of Sustainability here, today.
Nik Nazmi said the NETR was not just pertinent, but also relevant, charting an ambitious course for Malaysia and guiding the government toward a cleaner and more sustainable energy future.
He also said the roadmap encompassed bold targets aimed at mitigating GHG emissions while significantly transitioning the country towards a low carbon energy.
Due to global warming from GHG emissions, he added, countries worldwide were mitigating carbon emissions by adopting sustainable resource utilisation, energy efficiency and renewable energy deployment.
"In the case of Malaysia, the government has committed to systematically ramp-up the share of renewable energy power installed capacity to 70 per cent by 2050 as an immediate action to effectively mitigate the impact of climate change," he said.
The search for environmentally-friendly energy sources and reduced carbon footprints, Nik Nazmi said efficient and sustainable use of energy were among critical factors in lowering the country's GHG emission.
He said with the widespread use of energy efficiency, it was anticipated that Malaysia would be gradually using less energy to produce the same amount of goods and services.
"In recognition of this, the Dewan Rakyat has recently passed the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Act.
This will provide the mandate and means for the government to effectively regulate the adoption of energy efficiency and conservation practices, thus enabling the public and private sectors, as well as the general public, to embrace energy efficiency thoroughly and inclusively," he added.
Nik Nazmi assured that Malaysia would remain actively involved internationally, especially by collaborating with other like-minded developing nations in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
"We will continue to articulate our positions on matters that could impact our ability to develop or define our policy framework."