Pahang Regent outlines state's NetZero 2030 campaign at COP28

DUBAI: Your Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is a great honor to address you today, and I am proud to see that Malaysia is well represented at this important event and continues to have a pavilion as with previous years.

We are gathered here to discuss the future of our planet and address one of the most pressing challenges of our time.

I am pleased that Malaysia recognizes the urgency and is fully embracing the ambition of forging a green economy and achieving net zero by 2050.

The green economy, focusing on sustainable development without degrading the environment, needs to be the cornerstone of our approach.

We need to achieve this while being socially inclusive and ensuring equitable access to the benefits of sustainable development.

I am happy to report that Pahang is also committed to achieving net zero and is being advised by PWC in developing a roadmap towards this goal.

My state of Pahang is blessed with high forest cover, and we have been advised that Pahang has a chance of reaching its objectives of NetZero by 2030 and that by 2050, Pahang will not only achieve its NetZero Targets but should also be at a surplus.

Therefore, our aspiration is to achieve NetZero by 2030, and I am happy to announce the beginning of our NetZero 2030 campaign here at the Malaysian Pavilion at COP28.

Our approach in Pahang is structured around five pillars, namely:

a) Energy,

b) Transportation & Built Environment,

c) Circular & Waste,

d) Industry & Services; and

e) Land Use, Agriculture & Forestry.

For each pillar, Pahang has identified investment opportunities that will drive our state to achieve its objectives.

One challenge I have encountered in persuading my state government to embrace NetZero by 2030 and the new green economy is understanding the potential of alternative revenue streams compared to traditional ones, predominantly from logging and mining.

It is clear that while we cannot entirely cease logging and mining activities, adopting sustainable practices in these sectors is essential.

The state needs to recognize that revenues generated through green economy initiatives can supplement and potentially exceed our existing revenue streams sustainably.

A notable example of this is the state’s decision to grant a concession of 110,000 hectares of Peat swamp forest in Pekan.

This concession aims to sequester carbon credits from the preservation of the peat swamp, demonstrating a viable way for revenue from the green economy to replace traditional income from activities like logging effectively.

I am also championing the protection of our beloved Malayan Tiger, which we all know is critically endangered.

I'm very grateful to the state of Pahang for agreeing to gazette over 100,000 hectares of forest as the first Tiger reserve in Southeast Asia.

I am grateful they have named the tiger reserve after my father as the Al-Sultan Abdullah Royal Tiger Reserve.

We are embarking on a program to protect the Malayan tiger specifically from poaching activities and to embark on a rewilding program which has never been done before in Malaysia.

I'm grateful for the support we have received from India, which has provided us with technical assistance as they have increased their tiger population.

I'm also grateful for the financial support the EU has provided.

Happily, there have been other expressions of support from international donors, which all go well to expand the area of protection in Pahang and protect our beloved Malayan Tiger.

Also, in Pahang, we are looking at the food sector within the green economy, in particular, to introduce modern agriculture practices devoid of pesticides.

We believe this contributes to NetZero 2030 as well as the income and welfare of our farmers.

Pahang is also reviewing its policies for renewable energy to be comparable with, if not better than, neighboring states in Malaysia in order to accelerate its energy transition to achieve its Net Zero targets.

The successful implementation of renewable energy via solar plants in Pahang will require a clear and transparent state-wide policy as well as regulatory framework to facilitate the installation of solar farms in a sustainable manner.

The best way to formulate one is through collaborative efforts between the state government and the private sectors.

I am very pleased that one of Malaysia's leading green economy groups, UEM Group, has decided to prioritize Pahang in its green economy objectives.

They are initiating this with a collaboration on the development of a solar plant in Pahang.

We look forward to more collaborations with UEM Group in the future.

In this regard, I am confident that the State of Pahang will consider matching the incentives over the use of land for renewable energy facilities in order that the State attracts investments in renewable energy towards achieving its NetZero 2030 aspirations.

Thank you to the Malaysian government and the Ministry of Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change for inviting me to give the opening remarks.

I am grateful to have your attention here today and I am happy to work with any one of you to advance Pahang’s climate ambitions.