Greenpeace highlights demands for Malaysia to step up its climate agenda at APCW.
Johor Bahru, Malaysia – As COP28 draws near, Greenpeace Malaysia campaigners and volunteers urge the government to show stronger political will to make polluters pay at this year’s Asia-Pacific Climate Week 2023 (APCW).
The non-governmental organisation alongside climate justice supporter and Senior Research Associate for the Center of Technology, Strategy and Sustainability (CTSS) Ganesh Pillai, calls for enforceable legislation and support in building the country’s climate resilience through a Transboundary Haze Pollution Act (THPA), Climate Change Act, and by proactively pushing for loss and damage funds at COP28.
The climate crisis is fuelled by dirty businesses that are destroying lives and livelihoods, as record-breaking deadly weather events continue impacting Malaysia. These range from peatland fires in Bachok, Kelantan and Rompin, Pahang due to extreme heat; to flash floods in Batu Pahat, Johor and Subang, Selangor.
Leaders must acknowledge that to maintain a livable environment, they must commit to ending climate-killing practices such as deforestation, forest fires and emissions.
Greenpeace Malaysia calls for the government to:
- Develop strong legislations such as a THPA and Climate Change Act that will serve as a deterrent or halt environmentally destructive practices, and hold polluters accountable by paying for reparation of damage caused.
- Recognise that basic human rights to a clean, healthy environment are the fundamentals of climate justice by transitioning away from climate polluting practices toward a just future for all.
- Proactively take steps at COP28 to secure loss and damage funds to finance climate mitigation and adaptation efforts.
Thing Siew Shuen, Greenpeace Malaysia Senior Programme Manager said:
“Big polluters are driving the worsening climate conditions we are living in. Harmful industries must be held responsible for the part they play in exploiting Malaysia and exposing the country to irreparable damage for their own profiteering. It is necessary for the government to take a firm stance in order to protect citizens from the greatest threat we will face in the years to come.
“As a climate vulnerable nation, the government also has a duty to advocate for our right to loss and damage funds during COP28 by calling for corporations who have made the greatest contribution to the climate crisis, pay for historic damage and future damage caused by their operations.”
ENDS