1. First of all I would like to express my deepest gratitude to YABhg Tun Jeanne Abdullah, Chairman of Landskap Malaysia for inviting me to officiate the closing ceremony of Malaysia Green Forum 2010. I have been told that for the past 2 days, the forum went on well with a lot of ideas being shared, deliberated and exchanged.
2. I must congratulate the organisers for having this noble vision of protecting and conserving our beautiful Malaysian environment, both for present and future generations. I sincerely believe that with the theme Greener and Sustainable Malaysia, the forum has addressed some very important and pertinent environmental issues that in the past have either been ignored or taken for granted.
3. This forum is even more appropriate since, 2010 is the International Year of Biodiversity as declared by the United Nations with the theme “Biodiversity is life. Biodiversity is our life”. It is the year of celebration of life on Earth and of the often overlooked and under-estimated value of biodiversity in our daily lives. Biodiversity is the main source for the many products that not only enrich the quality of our life but also meets our basic need such as food, clothing and shelter. Besides providing products biodiversity also provides a wide array of services. Biodiversity services play a huge role in sustaining life on this planet and is valued at about US33 trillion a year. We have always taken this biodiversity products and services for granted. Besides that, in this Bio era, biodiversity has a huge role in new wealth creation for the nation among others through biotechnology. The New Economic Model gives a clarion call for the need to leverage on our rich biodiversity in a sustainable manner for harnessing this sector for greater contribution to the nation’s economy.
4. The world is facing numerous environmental issues that have far reaching implications for our survival on this one and only planet for mankind. Issues such as biodiversity loss, air and water pollution, indiscriminate dumping of toxic wastes, wildlife extinction and climate change have all caught the attention of world governments, policy makers, academia and non-governmental organisations (NGOs). International conventions and agreements have been formulated to address these issues. Malaysia as a responsible global citizen too is committed to resolving these issues in the domestic front.
5. As the lead agency responsible for natural resources and environment, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment is duty bound to ensure that the management and conservation of our natural resources and the environment are carried out holistically and effectively. To achieve this, we have put in place various laws, policies, regulations, guidelines and mechanisms.
6. In this regard, the Ministry is currently leading several initiatives aimed at addressing resource management and sustainability. The National Policy on Climate Change that will be launched shortly contains elements critical to resource use efficiency and waste reduction, both of which are central to the concept of sustainability. The roadmap for reducing Malaysia’s emissions intensity of GDP by up to 40% of 2005 levels by 2020 will also enhance sustainability in many sectors.
7. I am also happy to mention too that in conjunction with the International Year of Biodiversity my Ministry has just launched another planting campaign of 26 million trees nationwide beginning on April 22nd 2010. This planting program is not merely a symbol, but in fact, is a tangible expression of our commitment towards preserving the environment while adding value to our biodiversity and increasing the supply of oxygen in our atmosphere.
2. I must congratulate the organisers for having this noble vision of protecting and conserving our beautiful Malaysian environment, both for present and future generations. I sincerely believe that with the theme Greener and Sustainable Malaysia, the forum has addressed some very important and pertinent environmental issues that in the past have either been ignored or taken for granted.
3. This forum is even more appropriate since, 2010 is the International Year of Biodiversity as declared by the United Nations with the theme “Biodiversity is life. Biodiversity is our life”. It is the year of celebration of life on Earth and of the often overlooked and under-estimated value of biodiversity in our daily lives. Biodiversity is the main source for the many products that not only enrich the quality of our life but also meets our basic need such as food, clothing and shelter. Besides providing products biodiversity also provides a wide array of services. Biodiversity services play a huge role in sustaining life on this planet and is valued at about US33 trillion a year. We have always taken this biodiversity products and services for granted. Besides that, in this Bio era, biodiversity has a huge role in new wealth creation for the nation among others through biotechnology. The New Economic Model gives a clarion call for the need to leverage on our rich biodiversity in a sustainable manner for harnessing this sector for greater contribution to the nation’s economy.
4. The world is facing numerous environmental issues that have far reaching implications for our survival on this one and only planet for mankind. Issues such as biodiversity loss, air and water pollution, indiscriminate dumping of toxic wastes, wildlife extinction and climate change have all caught the attention of world governments, policy makers, academia and non-governmental organisations (NGOs). International conventions and agreements have been formulated to address these issues. Malaysia as a responsible global citizen too is committed to resolving these issues in the domestic front.
5. As the lead agency responsible for natural resources and environment, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment is duty bound to ensure that the management and conservation of our natural resources and the environment are carried out holistically and effectively. To achieve this, we have put in place various laws, policies, regulations, guidelines and mechanisms.
6. In this regard, the Ministry is currently leading several initiatives aimed at addressing resource management and sustainability. The National Policy on Climate Change that will be launched shortly contains elements critical to resource use efficiency and waste reduction, both of which are central to the concept of sustainability. The roadmap for reducing Malaysia’s emissions intensity of GDP by up to 40% of 2005 levels by 2020 will also enhance sustainability in many sectors.
7. I am also happy to mention too that in conjunction with the International Year of Biodiversity my Ministry has just launched another planting campaign of 26 million trees nationwide beginning on April 22nd 2010. This planting program is not merely a symbol, but in fact, is a tangible expression of our commitment towards preserving the environment while adding value to our biodiversity and increasing the supply of oxygen in our atmosphere.
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