PETALING JAYA: Stronger public engagement and community-level action are needed to tackle climate change, particularly in waste management and climate-resilient housing, says Nga Kor Ming.
The Housing and Local Government Minister, who is leading Malaysia’s delegation at the 31st United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP31), said climate action must move beyond policy discussions and international commitments towards practical implementation involving local governments, businesses and communities.
Nga also highlighted Malaysia's commitment to strengthening the circular economy through greater household participation, community-based initiatives and responsible waste management practices.
“Malaysia's experience has demonstrated how national policies can be translated into meaningful public participation, particularly through the Separation at Source (SAS) initiative, which encourages households and communities to take greater responsibility for waste management.
“Last year, Malaysian families and communities collectively set a national record by collecting more than 27,600kg of used cooking oil in a single day, demonstrating how everyday household waste could be transformed into valuable resources, including sustainable aviation fuel and green energy, provided all parties work together,” he said during the "Rethink Food. Reduce Waste" programme in conjunction with the conference.
COP31, taking place from Nov 9 to 20 in Antalya, Turkiye, brings together world leaders, ministers, senior government representatives, intergovernmental and multilateral organisations, civil society groups, climate adaptation practitioners and youth champions to advance global cooperation on climate action.
Nga said this was particularly crucial as the world was expected to face extreme El Nino weather next year, posing an imminent risk to global food supplies.
Separately, during the session ‘Housing at the Heart of Climate Action: Moving from Commitments to Sanctuary’, organised by UN-Habitat, Nga called for a fundamental shift in how housing is positioned within the global climate agenda.
He also emphasised that climate-resilient housing must be recognised not merely as an economic commodity or an emissions liability, but as a fundamental human right and public good.
Citing the UN-Habitat review of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC 3.0), which found that 69% of national climate commitments now address urban housing, he stressed that stronger commitments must be matched by effective implementation, particularly for the more than 1.1 billion people living in informal settlements and vulnerable communities worldwide.
Nga also proposed setting up a Direct-to-Community Urban Climate Facility, with at least 20% of multilateral urban climate funding channelled directly to local governments and informal settlement communities through grants.
“This would empower local authorities and communities to implement practical climate adaptation measures at grassroots level, including building retrofits to improve cooling, stormwater management and climate-resilient infrastructure, while ensuring vulnerable communities are protected from the growing impacts of climate change,” he said.
