Lee Chean Chung

1 day ago

SPEECH FOR SEA YOUTH ·SUSTAINABILITY SUMMIT 2023

Selamat Sejahtera and Salam Malaysia Madani,
First and foremost, Yang Berhormat Minister of Natural Resources, Environment & Climate Change, YB Nik Nazmi would like to send his regards and apologies as he was called to a meeting with YAB Prime Minister, Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

* As the Member of Parliament for Petaling Jaya, it is a great pleasure for me to be here today to close the SOUTHEAST ASIA YOUTH SUSTAINABILITY SUMMIT 2023. As a former youth leader, I can’t tell you all enough how admirable and inspiring the fact that this Summit was brought to life and executed by a group of students.

* Congratulations therefore to everyone who was involved in making this a success—and may this be just the beginning of your activism in sustainability.

* Thank you also to the distinguished panellists and moderators, speakers and sponsors who took the time to contribute to this forum. Thank you for sharing your insights, passions, and commitment.

* I understand that today’s discussion was wide-ranging and thought-provoking, including on the best practices and new solutions for reducing our carbon footprint, bridging the gap between the corporations, non-profit sectors, and the youth by encouraging collaboration, mutual learning, and co-creating solutions towards sustainability and climate change challenges.

* I am sure therefore that you are all now energised; eager to return to your homes, communities, and institution to put the ideas as well as insights you have gained here into practice.

* It is also very pleasing to hear that the itinerary also includes Project Management Training for the student leaders—a very necessary skill these days. This is apt and in keeping with the theme of the Summit: “Putting ideals into action: Pioneering future sustainability leaders”. What I want to do in closing the Summit is to leave you all with some thoughts as you go back into the world.

Ladies and gentlemen,
THE ROLE OF NRECC
* Everyone here cares about sustainability, including how to address climate change and the energy transition. Otherwise, you would not be here on a weekend!
* Southeast Asia has not been insulated from the environmental threats facing the globe. It has taken a heavy toll on countries, threatening not only the region’s economic progress but also our very existence.

* Massive deforestation and forest degradation that is causing habitat loss, and biodiversity decline, water shortages which reduce our agricultural productivity, severe air pollution from rapid industrialisation and urbanisation to being highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, including sea-level rise, more frequent and intense natural disasters, and temperature and rainfall extremes—these have unfortunately become “occupational hazards” of life in our region. It is little wonder that young Southeast Asians are increasingly sharing the anxieties of their global counterparts on these issues.

* So, we all know that climate change is a threat and that the energy transition is a crucial plank in meeting it. That sustainability is the way of the future. We all know these things—the challenge is putting our ideas on them into action.
* Let me share with you briefly what Malaysia is doing on these fronts. The NRECC is a merger of the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources and the Ministry of Environment and Water. This shows that the government is seeking to address the often-interconnected issues of sustainability, the environment and energy holistically.
* In terms of the environment, Malaysia has:
* Pledged in our NDC under the Paris Agreement to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions by 45% by 2030. We have also announced under the 12th Malaysia Plan that the country will seek to achieve net-zero emissions earliest by 2050;
* We are developing a Long-term Low Emission Development Strategy (LT-LEDS) to provide context for long-term climate planning, development priorities, vision and future development direction; and
* We are also formulating and drafting a National Climate Change legal framework.
* We have also formulated the Green Mobility Masterplan as the guiding document for EV development in Malaysia, as an avenue to reduce the carbon footprint from the transport sector.
* In terms of energy:

* Malaysia’s power sector aims to boost the proportion of renewable energy in its capacity to 31% by 2025 and to 40% by 2035. The Government’s Malaysia Renewable Energy plan (MyRER) gives us the means of achieving this goal systematically and comprehensively;
* In fact, we have made positive progress in the transition towards RE. To date, about a quarter of the installed capacity in our power system or 9.9GW consists of RE, compared to a decade ago, when only 15% of our total;

* The NRECC has also collaborated with the IRENA to publish the Malaysia Energy Transition Outlook (METO), which explores the potential long-term energy pathway for our country to attain a cleaner and more sustainable energy system. The METO outlines, among other things, that solar photovoltaic will be the key technology that will lead Malaysia’s energy transition;

* The NRECC is also working to table an Energy Efficiency and Conservation Act (EECA) this year. This will assist in not only regulating energy efficiency and conservation but also assist consumers to adopt more efficient equipment and appliances and better manage their energy consumption to reduce wastage;

* Recently, YB Rafizi Ramli, the Minister of Economy, together with the Minister of Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change, YB Nik Nazmi has also announced that Malaysia’s the generation capacity for RE will be increased to create new economic opportunities. Also, a policy on cross-border RE trading will be implemented through the electricity exchange system, which will be developed and established by the government.
With this development, the RE capacity in the electricity supply system is anticipated to reach approximately 70% by 2050.
* But of course, more can and must be done, not only on the part of the government, but also the private sector, civil society, communities and individuals. NRECC will always listen to the aspirations and concerns of the young.
* Indeed, the push for sustainability must be something that is led and driven by you all. Addressing climate change is a work that will have transcend generations. But hopefully, we can provide you with a solid basis to make credible progress in both our generations.

Ladies and gentlemen,
THREE POINTS ON SUSTAINABILITY
* I would like to suggest you keep these three short points in mind as you return to your communities. The things we can say about sustainability is endless, but I think these three are particularly cogent.
* First, never forget the big picture. Don’t be afraid to think big—but also never fear starting small. Your actions and activism will make a difference. We need sustainability leadership at all levels of our society: our families, neighbourhoods, the companies and organisations you will join.
* It can be as simple as changing how often we turn on the lights or air-conditioning or learning to compost our waste. Often it will require a culture change—but that is where leadership, which is always about persuading and winning people over.
* This does not mean that the onus is only on ordinary people. Indeed, the famous climatologist and geophysicist Michael E. Mann in his recent book the New Climate War argued that a recent strategy of vested interests is deflecting the need for systemic change by governments and corporations by emphasising on individual actions to fight climate change.
* This does not mean that the things we do in our daily lives are useless. They are worth it and of themselves because they teach us discipline and make us think about issues like how much resources we consume. But the point is, never forget the interconnectedness of things, of the need to take a step back and see things as they are.
* So climate change and energy transition have to go hand in hand. And addressing these challenges cannot be separated from thinking about how it will affect our livelihoods and economics.

SUSTAINABILITY MUST BE INCLUSIVE
* This brings me to my second point: sustainability must be inclusive. Climate change hurts the poorest the most. But the process of mitigating it cannot and must not be a top-down process, whether it involves wealthy nations dictating to developing ones, the cities to rural areas, the rich to the poor, the centre to the peripheries, or the government to the people.
* We must think about the impact our policies and initiatives have on the poor, SMEs, women, indigenous, the differently-abled, minorities and the vulnerable.

* Fighting climate change will only succeed through an all-hands approach and ensures the material and economic development of countries and communities continue. Also, the “green economy” will not only become a necessity in the future but a potential for countries like ours to grow in the future.
* Inclusiveness to me hence also means that Southeast Asian countries should not only remain passive consumers of the technologies and solutions to climate change and energy security created elsewhere.
* We should also be coming up with our own green technology, within our own shores and with our own talent. We should be seeking to contribute and LEAD.
* After all, the economic competition of the future will depend on which countries can secure access to and master green technology. Those who can; shall remain competitive and get ahead. Therefore, it is crucial for Malaysia and Southeast to unlock growth for the future.

Ladies and gentlemen,
ASEAN MUST STAND TOGETHER
* My third and final point: Southeast Asia, through ASEAN, must stand together. With a population of nearly 670 million and a combined GDP of USD3 trillion—we are the fifth-largest economy in the world; and this is only likely to grow.
* This means that what we do or fail to do on the sustainability front will have a global impact, on humanity’s wider struggle against climate change.

* So, on the one hand this highlights the reality that international cooperation is crucial as climate change and sustainability issues transcend borders.

* The bilateral dialogue between three regional governments, Southeast Asia, Europe, and North America was particularly interesting as it provides valuable insights for catalysing action, ensuring that we are engaging the youth in the sustainability agenda and building a more resilient global community better equipped to address global challenges by working together and sharing knowledge and expertise.

* The summit provided an arena for discussion of sustainability-related global governance challenges, such as the performance of international agreements like the Paris Agreement and the SDGs. I am confident that the conversation will continue to strengthen cooperation among the three regions, critical for tackling global sustainability concerns.

* At the same time, we must realise that Southeast Asia must stand together. We must have one voice and a say in the global debates on how to address climate change.
* Also, as one of the world’s economic powerhouses, we must have a role in defining what the now in-vogue principles of environment, sustainability and governance (ESG) are and what they are not.
* To be sure, all companies and countries should embrace it—but it should not emerge as a form of protectionism by certain countries either. Southeast Asia’s regional integration is critical to combating climate catastrophe, and we must use evidence-based policies to achieve sustainability.

Ladies and gentlemen,
CONCLUSION
* I am certain all the young people in this room will go on to do remarkable things in their life. Some of you will perhaps become statespersons, or captains of industry or famed artists and fearless revivers of your societies.

* Even just being a good citizen of your country and of the world, of nurturing your families and communities, that too is a great achievement. As I said, everything we do will matter, especially when it comes to sustainability. To the organisers, you have already done quite a remarkable thing putting this Summit together. Don’t let it be the last—and I know it won’t.
* There will be a lot of work ahead of us. The times will be uncertain and perhaps even frightening. But if we stand together, with open hearts and minds and clear eyes, there’s no reason why we cannot leave a more sustainable world for our children and their children.
* It is now my great pleasure to close to the SOUTHEAST ASIA YOUTH SUSTAINABILITY SUMMIT 2023. Thank you all—and let’s win the future! … See MoreSee Less

Lee Chean Chung is in Selangor.

3 days ago

Menerima kunjungan daripada Puan Asha, Puan Illy dan Encik Keane daripada Pejabat Pesuruhjaya Tinggi Bangsa Bangsa Bersatu untuk Pelarian (UNHCR) di pusat khidmat saya semalam.

Kami meluangkan masa meneliti beberapa isu-isu kritikal melibatkan pelarian pelarian yang kini di Malaysia. Isu pelarian akibat perang dan lain lain bukan sesuatu yang baru tetapi harus kerap dibincangkan terutamanya di Parlimen.

#LeeCheanChung #UNHCR #petalingjaya #PJLestari … See MoreSee Less