Impossible to achieve 'Zero Carbon Nation' status: Wan Junaidi

KUALA LUMPUR: A 'Zero Carbon Nation' status is impossible to achieve as it requires solid economic and social settings.
Stating this, Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar stressed that Malaysia will have to change its economic source from producing and manufacturing to a service oriented economy.
"You need to understand what zero carbon means. Zero carbon means a country does not produce or use oil (petroleum) or cement and this is impossible.
"There are only two countries that can perhaps achieve that, which are Bhutan and the Vatican City," he told the Dewan Rakyat.
Wan Junaidi said Bhutan's population is only 750,000 people and has large forests, which fully protected and prohibited from access.
"It is an isolating country by itself, despite that if you check, even Bhutan produces 1.8million tonnes of carbon each year.
"This shows that zero carbon cannot be achieved," he said.
Wan Junaidi was responding to Thomas Su (DAP-Ipoh Timor), who asked to state the long-term plans to address the problems of climate change and if the Government has any plans to make Malaysia a 'Zero Carbon Nation' by 2030.
Wan Junaidi said if Malaysia wants to implement this policy, it would require investment, technology and high capacity and a streamlining of other development plans.
He said the government hopes to achieve a balance in terms of carbon discharge and carbon sink by 2030.
Calling the government of not having political will to implement the policy, Su said it may be difficult to implement but not impossible.
"We know that it is hard but I am asking what is our long term plan, what are the measures that we can move towards a zero carbon nation.
"Yes although it seems difficult , we cannot say it is impossible. It is not if I understand the term or not, it is if the government has long term plans or not," he said.
Wan Junaidi however reiterated that zero carbon is impossible to achieve, adding that Malaysia uses the term carbon neutrality.
He said carbon neutrality means there is enough carbon sink to offset the carbon that is produced.
"There is no country in the world that does not use fossil fuels at all.
"We are an oil producing country and we have our plantations....you cannot destroy our plantation. Do you want to shut down everything?" Wan Junaidi said.