KOTA KINABALU, July 13 — The National Climate Change Bill, which will be tabled in Parliament this year, will make Malaysia one of the few countries with specific laws on climate change.
Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister Datuk Seri Arthur Joseph Kurup said the bill would also make Malaysia only the second country in ASEAN to enact such a law.
“On a global level, Malaysia will become approximately the 60th country to have a specific bill related to climate change,” he told reporters after delivering a keynote address at the Sabah Asia-Pacific Impact Investing for Sustainable Development Summit here today.
Arthur added that under the bill, the Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Ministry (NRES) will introduce a carbon tax to incentivise industries to transition to more environmentally friendly processing methods and operations and use green technology.
“While the framework and policy for this carbon tax are developed by NRES, its implementation will be under the Finance Ministry,” he said.
Using Sabah as an example, he noted that the state holds a significant advantage with its 63 per cent forest cover, which contributes to the nation’s total forest cover of 54.4 per cent. This exceeds the minimum international obligation of 50 per cent agreed upon during the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992.
