KOTA KINABALU, SABAH – Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries Datuk Seri Dr. Jeffrey Kitingan is pushing for a greener Sabah to combat climate change.
The Deputy Chief Minister said Borneons need tackle crisis together while making use of economic, social-cultural and environmental opportunities found in the region.
“To ensure that Sabah is fully prepared to face and tackle the climate crisis, we urgently need to have a comprehensive State climate change risk management programme…
“At State level, we will do our utmost in working with the new Federal Government of Malaysia and local authorities in Sabah to address these issues,” he said officiating Borneo Forum 8 today.
Jeffrey said Sabah needs more encouragement towards more sustainable development projects while empowering its consumers.
“Our infrastructure must be certified as sustainable, our buildings must be assessed and certified green, we must put in place policies and programmes that are climate-resilient, protect our beautiful coastlines and seas from level rises and pressing issues like fish-bombing and plastic pollution,” he said.
Reef Malaysia’s monitoring of fish bombing in Sabah’s waters recorded 2832 blasts from June 2014 until February 2020 and is a regular occurrence in Mantanani and Semporna.
As the world shifts less carbon-intensive products and energy sources to meet the Paris Agreement commitments Jeffrey says renewable energy like solar, wind, mini-hydro and geothermal power can all be harnessed in Sabah.
“We must now make a conscious policy decision to move away from reliance on fossil fuels and into renewable energy in a significant way. Of course, we will need money but things can be done as already shown in many examples all over the world…
“What is needed is government’s commitment and determination. When governments announced that it would tackle the climate crisis, they allocated money to developing new technologies, showed how they would tackle rising sea levels on a low-lying island, and then they implement them.
“Sabah and Borneo can lead the way. Developing green businesses is not only the right thing to do morally to safeguard the world and our beloved Island – it also makes great business sense,” he said.
He said a think tank called the Borneo Institute set up recently “will play a crucial role in setting the right mindset through quality research aimed at influencing policy change towards a more sustainable Sabah and Borneo.”
