PETALING JAYA: Nature-based solutions must be a priority in the upcoming climate adaptation, resilience and the comprehensiveness of the National Climate Change Bill, say green groups.
They also called for a broader concept of climate resilient development to address the issue of climate change.
In a joint statement, Sahabat Alam Malaysia, the Consumers Association of Penang and Third World Network cautioned against a narrow focus on a low-carbon economy.
“This is because some climate mitigation policies focus only on low carbon while ignoring all the other sustainability limits (environmental and social feasibility challenges).
“This can threaten food security and human rights, and risk overstepping multiple planetary boundaries with potentially irreversible consequences,” they said, adding that carbon trading or emission trading schemes are a false solution in addressing the climate crisis which is unlikely to work in many aspects.
“A study in 2013 estimated that during the 2005-2011 period, emission reductions in the European Union Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) covered sectors could be explained almost entirely by a combination of factors not related to the carbon market,” they said.
According to the group, one of the world’s largest steelmakers which also happened to be a major polluter, made profits of about €2bil from the EU ETS between 2005 and 2008 while making minimal proactive changes to reduce emission.
“Another study in March 2021 found that the EU ETS has led to average emission reductions of only 0%-1.5% per year.
“This is insignificant, given the EU’s historical emissions and also the limited global carbon budget,” they said.
They also noted that the Interpol recognised that the intangible nature of carbon makes carbon markets exceptionally vulnerable to criminal activity.
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“It has warned that if financial instruments related to carbon trading become too complex, the world’s carbon markets could trigger a financial crisis,” they added.
The group said forest carbon offsets cannot be used to justify the continued expansion and pollution of the fossil fuel industry, as forests are not able to absorb the massive amount of additional carbon in the atmosphere coming from the industry.
“Burning fossil fuels releases carbon from permanent storage into the atmosphere, leading to an increase of total carbon in land, ocean and atmosphere.
“The rush into trading forest carbon credits, both in the domestic and international voluntary carbon markets, will risk perpetuating the systemic causes of violations of indigenous customary land rights and territories in Malaysia,” they added.
The group also called for clear provisions on the National Climate Fund’s allocation to ensure that local governments and communities can access the funds directly to finance climate efforts.
“This is because local communities have long started taking measures to become more climate-resilient.
“They have also taken initiatives to conserve biodiversity and sustainably use natural resources through ecosystem-based adaptation, community-based agroecology and agroforestry,” the group said.
Greenpeace Malaysia campaign lead Heng Kiah Chun also agreed that the Bill should prioritise nature-based solutions and integrate them as a core element of the climate adaptation strategy.
“It must also emphasise decision-making processes that prioritise nature-based solutions, especially in areas like water management, agriculture and forestry.
“The new law should require the government to create a clear and inclusive plan to help all sectors and regions prepare for climate risks.
“Adaptation plans must be tailored for states and local areas based on their specific needs and challenges,” he added.
Heng proposed a system to collect and share data on climate risks, vulnerabilities and adaptation, besides just emissions.
He said all parties, including companies and state governments, should be legally required to share such data with the public and that scientific reviews and public reports on climate risks to help guide Malaysia’s adaptation strategies must also be mandated.
“The law should cover how Malaysia will deal with irreversible climate losses like damaged ecosystems or displaced communities, alongside its plans for adaptation and mitigation.
“Nature-based solutions are vital for increasing resilience to climate change but they are often overlooked in favour of infrastructure-focused solutions,” he added.
Heng also said an oversight mechanism is needed to provide proper checks and balances against potential misuse or inefficiencies, as well as ensuring effective implementation of the Bill.
“We need an independent oversight mechanism that further raises ambiguities regarding the obligations and liabilities of the public institutions tasked with implementing the proposed law.
“This includes the regulatory entity, the responsible entities, the authority regulating the carbon trading mechanism, the competent authority and other authorities at both national and state levels to whom the minister has devolved powers, duties and functions to enforce the new law,” he said.
Rimba Watch director Adam Farhan expressed disappointment that the ministry has not engaged with them.
“While we support the transition to a green economy and measures such as greenhouse gas accounting and reporting, we object to a proposal involving the trading of carbon which allows for carbon offsetting and renewable energy certificates,” he said.
“We believe that carbon offsetting is a false and unproven solution which has contributed worldwide to the degradation of nature, land grabs and indigenous rights violations,” he said.
Adam also said carbon offsets, particularly those based on forests and other nature-based solutions, cannot credibly be proven to deliver on promised emissions reductions.
