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Video source > UNFCCC – Malaysia

Malaysians at COP20 Lima, Peru

Source: https://seors.unfccc.int/seors/reports/events_list.html?session_id=COP20

SPEECH BY H.E. MINISTER OF NATURAL RESOURCES AND ENVIRONMENT MALAYSIA AT THE HIGH LEVEL SEGMENT OF COP20/CMP10

Mr. President, Distinguished Delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen,

The Malaysian delegation wishes to express its deepest appreciation and gratitude to the government and people of Peru for the warm hospitality accorded to us in this historic and beautiful city of Lima.

Mr. President,

2. Climate change is a defining issue of our time and we need bold and brave action today to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to build resilience in terms of mitigation efforts. The Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) makes it clear that adaptation needs will increase in the coming years and, as a consequence, adaptation costs for all countries will continue to mount.

Mr. President,

3. Malaysia has adopted and begun implementing the National Policy on Climate Change and National Green Technology Policy. We have implemented the Renewable Energy Act since 2011 with the Feed-in-Tariff mechanism to scale up renewable energy development in Malaysia. We have formulated the National Water Resources Policy to integrate mitigation and adaptation efforts into water resource management and developed a road map to identify potential mitigation options up to 2030. We have also gazetted new forest reserves, demonstrating Malaysia’s commitment to a pledge made 22 years ago at the Rio Earth Summit.

4. With the seven decisions adopted on REDD+ at Warsaw, I am pleased to inform that Malaysia has submitted the reference level for technical assessment in the context of results based payments at the REDD+ Day organised by the Government of Peru and UNFCCC. This is the first step Malaysia is taking toward implementing REDD+. The reference level was developed with limited national funds as we are committed to reducing emissions from forestry activities.

5. We are earnest in tackling issues related to climate change and can do even more if the means of implementation in the form of climate finance, technology transfer and capacity building are scaled up.

6. As announced recently by our Prime Minister during the Climate Summit 2014 in New York, we have successfully reduced Malaysia’s carbon emission intensity by 33%. And we are on track to achieve our target of a 40% reduction in carbon intensity by 2020.

7. Malaysia has shown that our economy can grow while our emissions intensity falls. However, this has been accomplished without the requisite finance and technology transfer from developed countries as obligated under the Convention. This has forced Malaysia to allocate finite national resources between poverty eradication, sustainable development, environmental protection, adaptation and mitigation measures.

8. In particular, climate change adaptation is rapidly becoming a major expense item. Malaysia has spent nearly 2.6 billion US dollars in the last decade in tackling the incidence of more frequent floods. These are resources that we could have invested in green industries or used to slow the rate of climate change.

Mr. President,

9. Insofar as Intended Nationally Determined Contributions are concerned, Malaysia takes a comprehensive approach, fully in accordance with the Principles, Provisions and Annexes of the Convention, which addresses all the elements identified in decision 1/CP.17, namely Adaptation, Mitigation, Finance, Technology Development and Transfer, Capacity Building, and Transparency of Actions and Support.

10. In doing so, however, Malaysia reiterates the necessity of prioritizing adaptation along with the necessity for further clarity and ambition in the provision of the means of implementation for both adaptation and mitigation in order to enable Parties such as Malaysia to make a rational and forward-looking contribution to the 2015 agreement.

Mr. President,

11. Like many, I close my address in Lima with a call for a transparent and inclusive process and an outcome agreed by all that reflects equity and common but differentiated responsibilities, incorporating a level of ambition adequate to protect the most vulnerable. I hope that the lessons learnt from previous COP will guide the current process so that an agreement that acceptable to all will be achieved.

Thank you.

Datuk Seri G. Palanivel
Menteri Sumber Asli & Alam Sekitar (Minister of Natural Resources & Environment)
President Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC)
Ahli Parlimen Cameron Highlands

Source : http://unfccc.int/meetings/lima_dec_2014/statements/items/8733.php

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