| In 2015, Malaysia’s net Green House Gas emissions stood at 50,479,060 tons while we pretended to hide behind our status as a developing nation. While Malaysia has pledged to reduce GHG intensity per GDP by 35 percent by 2030 to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change , our pledge will remain rhetoric if we don’t take urgent measures to control our GHG output.
Prioritising private transport by the construction of new highways leading to deforestation particularly in Selangor and Penang.Poor enforcement paves the way for illegal factories to continue to dump their waste into our rivers and seas and clearing of forested hills with no one taking responsibility .
A circular economy can reduce at least 50 percent of GHG by recycling, biogas generation and a zero landfill policy. About 45 percent of solid waste in landfills is food waste which can be converted into bio-methane to generate electricity. Bio-methane from Indah Water Konsortium plants can generate 2.4 GWh of electricity. The use of bio-degradable plastic must be expanded to beyond just plastics bags to cover products such as sanitary products, diapers and packaging.
On a related matter, many Malaysians want to install rooftop solar panels for electricity generation to reduce their electricity bill and carbon footprints, but an information deficit is stopping them. Here is what landed residential owners in Peninsular Malaysia need to know about solar panels.Net Energy Metering is the policy utilised for residential rooftop solar panels. Under NEM, homes with solar panels can store electricity generated during the day and withdraw the electricity at night.
Cultivate the habit of unplugging electrical appliances when not in use as electrical appliances attached to a socket still suck power although switched off. This phenomenon is known as “phantom power” and contributes to a higher electricity bill.