CLOSING SPEECH MALAYSIAN GREEN FORUM 2010 By Y.B DATO SRI DOUGLAS UGGAH EMBAS MINISTER OF NATURAL RESOURCES & ENVIRONMENT 27 APRIL 2010 DEWAN SRI SIANTAN, PERBADANAN PUTRAJAYA YABhg Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi Former Prime Minister and Advisor Landskap Malaysia YABhg Tun Jeanne Abdullah Chairperson Landskap Malaysia YB Dato' Sri Peter Chin Fah Kui Minister of Energy, Green Technology and Water YBhg Tan Sri Samsudin Osman Resident Perbadanan Putrajaya YBhg Professor Datin Paduka Dr. Aini Ideris Deputy Vice Chancellor, Universiti Putra Malaysia Distinguished Guests Ladies and Gentlemen Good evening 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. Ladies and Gentlemen, 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. 2 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. 8. But these and other initiatives by the Ministry will not be enough to make Malaysia truly and comprehensively sustainable. We must acknowledge that the environment that we live in today is the product of our own instant gratification and throw-away society, therefore, the restoration and conservation of the environment should also be our collective responsibility. 9. Therefore, players in all sectors of the economy, citizens in all walks of life, and all organisations that are dedicated to making the world a healthier and more rewarding place to live need to play an active role in making our vision of a greener and sustainable Malaysia a reality. I urge all sectors of our society to be more active in initiating and implementing programmes to achieve this vision. As a start, I would urge all Malaysians to participate in our 3 tree planting programme as our objective, is for every citizen of this great nation to plant at least one tree in their lifetime. Ladies and gentlemen, 10. I was made to understand that Landskap Malaysia is very active in promoting the planting of trees and reforestation particularly in the urban areas, through the implementation of Hutan Kita or Our Forest program, not only in Kuala Lumpur but also in other states as well. I share the view of many that Hutan Kita as a community reforestation program is very unique and deserves support at every level. I would like to suggest that the implementation of Hutan Kita be extended to other areas under the Ministry’s jurisdiction such as the degraded lands, river floodplains and buffers and wetlands. 11. In June 2009, my Ministry launched the Programme known as Rakan Alam Sekitar. The objective of the programme hopes to create greater awareness among our citizens on the importance of the environment. The Ministry has set up a committee of Rakan Alam Sekitar in all 222 Parliamentary Constituencies throughout the nation. Under this Programme, community leaders work together with my Ministry, NGOs and private sectors to implement environmental activities such as beach cleanup, e-waste collection and tree planting. I am happy to note that Landskap Malaysia has indicate their intention to participate in RAS programme. I am also like to appeal to private sectors to join our RAS programme. 12. I am also proud to inform you that the Ministry is developing our own Environmental Performance Index (EPI) which will track national environmental performance at national, states and local level. This EPI hope to be used to monitor our environmental performance quality in order to ensure that we leave our future generations with an environmentally sustainable Malaysia. 4 13. I also fully subscribe to the ideas expressed in Tun Jeanne’s Keynote Address “A Holistic Approach to a Greener and Sustainable Malaysia”. We should fully understand the meaning of the terms eco, green and sustainability as mentioned in her keynote and apply them judiciously. Although they may not all mean the same thing, they nevertheless share the same spirit concerning the preservation of the environment. We may have the best green technology and green building indices in the world, but if our natural resources and the environment cannot co-exist and support the technology, then the imbalance between the built-up spaces and natural environment would still exist, and we will not succeed in achieving a green and sustainable Malaysia. However, I am happy to note that all these issues have been addressed very carefully in today’s joint resolutions. Ladies and Gentlemen, 14. I can assure you that these joint resolutions will be forwarded to the various related Ministries and agencies for their due consideration and implementation. At the same time, my Ministry will also consider these resolutions very carefully in the interest of all stakeholders especially the rakyat. I believe these resolutions could also serve as important input into the formulation of our future policies on sustainable management and conservation of natural resources in our country. 15. Lastly, I would like once again congratulate the organisers for a job well done and for assisting the government in disseminating the idea of a green and sustainable Malaysia. What is important now is for everyone to play their respective roles and move forward to implement these resolutions with the utmost urgency. As responsible citizens we must walk the talk and stand united to achieve 1 Malaysia as a Green and Sustainable Nation. 16. With that, it gives me great pleasure now to officially close the Malaysia Green Forum 2010. Thank you. 5 .