The issue of environment is not the sole domain of the developed world. Malaysia may be a small nation but we are big in our commitment and execution to fight global warming. I find the decision by the United States of America to withdraw from the Paris Agreement disappointing because as the world’s second largest polluter, US leadership is pivotal. However, this decision has also strengthened the resolve of other countries, notably China and India, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
A participant of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), Malaysia signed and ratified the Kyoto Protocol negotiated in 1997, and in 2009, our Prime Minister further committed to a voluntary reduction of up to 40% in terms of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions intensity per unit of GDP by 2020 during the 15th Conference of the Parties (COP 15) in Copenhagen.