KUALA LUMPUR: With the country’s renewed commitment to climate change action, there will be focus on strengthening the Department of Environment (DoE) under Budget 2025, said Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad.
As Malaysia pushes towards its net-zero target, he said, the government is set to introduce strategic measures, including a new framework, to equip the DoE with enhanced powers and resources.
“The Environmental Quality Act, now 50 years old, requires modernisation to meet the growing demands of environmental protection. Through the Environmental Quality Act, we have increased prison sentences, but we also need to ensure that the department is fully equipped and empowered to tackle and protect our environment, as well as to meet the higher expectations of the public.
“The upcoming Budget will address this issue, alongside an ambitious revision of national carbon market policies, which are key to Malaysia’s emissions reduction goals,” he told reporters at the International Greentech and Eco Products Exhibition and Conference Malaysia 2024 (iGEM 2024) today.
Nik Nazmi addressed concerns regarding the feasibility of Malaysia’s net-zero target by 2050, especially in the light of growing environmental challenges, such as reduced agricultural yields.
“Achieving net-zero by 2050 is a big challenge, but we believe that Malaysia has the resources and the ambition to meet this goal. While we are a small contributor to global emissions, we aim to be a beacon of sustainability in Southeast Asia, showing that bold action is not only necessary but possible,” he said.
The minister emphasised that meeting the target will require significant adjustments across both public and private sectors, along with substantial financial investment. “There will be a lot of public and private money that is needed, and bold policies will have to be implemented.”
Nik Nazmi pointed to initiatives such as retargeting electricity and diesel subsidies and revising Malaysia’s national carbon market as essential steps in aligning the country’s economy with its climate objectives. “The harder part is translating this ambition into concrete actions, but we are confident that we have the right momentum to achieve our net-zero aspirations,” he said.
Economy Minister Rafizi Ramli launched the three-day iGEM 2024, which aims to generate RM4.8 billion in business leads. Hosted at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, iGEM 2024 cements Malaysia’s commitment to a green economy as the country gears up for COP29, the Asean chairmanship 2025 and Expo 2025.
The three-day conference, which ends today, serves as a key platform to reinforce regional leadership in addressing the urgent climate agenda.
Organised under the Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Ministry, iGEM’s 2024 edition is set to expand the series’ global influence, with participation from 480 exhibitors and 48,000 visitors from 48 countries, targeting new markets in Europe, Middle East and North Africa.
