NATIONAL CLEAN AIR ACTION PLAN SET FOR IMPLEMENTATION NEXT YEAR - DOE

From Samantha Tan Chiew Tieng

BAKU (Azerbaijan), Nov 16 (Bernama) -- The enhanced National Clean Air Action Plan (CAAP), encompassing comprehensive measures for the management, prevention and control of air quality, is expected to be implemented next year.

The Department of Environment (DOE) deputy director-general (Operations) Dr Norhazni Mat Sari said the DOE is finalising the draft plan before presenting it to Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad in January next year.

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“This plan will serve as a guide for all stakeholders to play their roles in striving towards blue skies and a healthier environment,” she told Bernama today at the Malaysian Pavilion in conjunction with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Conference of Parties (COP29).

Norhazni said the soon-to-be-implemented CAAP aligns with COP29’s theme of ‘In Solidarity for a Green World’, which stresses political commitment to comprehensively addressing climate change.

She said the initiative is another proactive step by the government towards sustainable development, reflecting Malaysia’s role as the Chair of ASEAN in 2025 in addressing climate change issues and reducing pollution.

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In addition, she said integrated collaboration with ASEAN and the international community is essential to ensure Malaysia and the region achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 with the support of sustainable investment and green technology to reduce the impact of pollution.

Norhazni said the government, through the DOE, has taken various measures to mitigate and adapt to climate change, which is an urgent global concern for the well-being of the people and the country’s sustainable progress.

One of the DOE’s key initiatives is the enforcement of the Environmental Quality Act 1974, which covers various aspects such as the control of air, water, noise and waste pollution to improve the quality of the environment.

Meanwhile, she said the prohibition of open burning under Section 29A of the Act aims to prevent local haze, and enforcement efforts have shown the effectiveness of this law, as the number of fines issued has decreased.

At the international level, Norhazni said Malaysia is committed to implementing the Montreal Protocol, which phases out the use of ozone-depleting substances, thereby reducing global warming.

She said Malaysia is also party to the Basel Convention, which regulates the transboundary movement of scheduled waste to prevent the influx of toxic waste from developed countries into developing nations.

COP29, the largest annual conference on climate change, is underway in Azerbaijan’s capital from Nov 11 to Nov 22 and has attracted global attention, with approximately 50,000 government officials, policymakers and investors in attendance.

This year’s COP has been dubbed the ‘Climate Finance COP,’ as the primary goal is to reach an agreement on the annual financing to help developing countries address the cost of combating climate change.

-- BERNAMA