MALAYSIA: REDUCED CARBON DIOXIDE EMISSION MAIN AGENDA THIS YEAR

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 22 (Bernama) -- Malaysia has made great progress in environmental protection this year to upgrade the people's quality of life.

This is in line with the government commitment to reduce carbon dioxide
emission to 40 percent by 2020, aided by developed countries.

United Nations (UN) data showed that carbon dioxide emission in Malaysia in
2006 was 187mil tonnes or 7.2 tonnes each person.

The government implemented many inititatives including Green Technology
Scheme (GTS) with allocation of RM1.5 bil (US$1=RM3.13) to help companies
promoting green technology.

The scheme guaranteed that 60 percent of the cost was taken up by Credit
Guarantee Corp Malaysia Bhd with 40 percent risk borne by financial
institutions.

The government took up two percent of interest rate as commitment to
increase use of green technology and aid growth of new technologies while
attracting private sector participation.


Green initiatives including "No Plastic Bag Day" in several states in
Malaysia such as Selangor, Penang and Kota Kinabalu were held at Jaya Jusco,
Cold Storage, Parkson, 7-Eleven and Giant Hypermarket on Mondays, Thursdays and
Saturdays.

Shopper were charged 20 sen per plastic bag on those days in an effort to
reduce emission of carbon dioxide.

Proton plans to mass produce hybrid cars next year with the cooperation of
British based subsidiary company Lotus and several component suppliers.

Several hybrid cars were being tested in Britain and would be sent to
Malaysia by end Dec or early next year.

Proton would also assemble hybrid cars for use by government agencies based
in Putrajaya before mass producing them next year.

Hybrid cars could reduce cost due to low electricity tarriff and doing away
with engine oil change making it environment friendly as they did not emit sound
or smoke.

Green technology was given further boost when Melaka Chief Minister Mohd Ali
Rustam announced setting up of a Green Technology Institute next
year to speed up growth and generate high income.

The Melaka government also plans to produce LED diodes, solar panels and
solar cells to make Malaysia the world's second largest producer of solar cells.

Ipoh-based Solar Twin Creeks Malaysia Sdn Bhd which invested RM1bil would
produce 100 MegaWatt(MW) by 2012, increasing to 500MW by 2014.

Melaka-based AUO SunPower Corporation Sdn Bhd would produce solar cells,
solar panels and solar systems generating over 1,400MW annually when completed
by 2013.

The Energy, Green Technology and Water Ministry and Tourism Ministry also
launched 1Malaysia and Bersih 1Malaysia green campaigns in Batu Ferringhi,
Penang in Aug.

The campaigns were to raise public awareness on the need to maintain
cleanliness of tourist areas like beaches and waterfalls.

The year also saw several cases of illegal logging in Perak, Terengganu,
Pahang and Selangor leading to destruction of wildlife habitat.


Other issues that grabbed public attention were river pollution, illegal
sand mining, toxic and rubbish disposal from factories and dumping sites.

Natural Resources and Environment Minister Douglas Uggah Embas
said only 306 rivers are categorised as clean last year compared to 334 in 2008.

Last year saw 54 rivers categorised as polluted, six more than in 2008 while
the number of least polluted rivers increased to 217, 20 more than in 2008.

Open burning in Sumatera, Indonesia reduced air quality in several areas in
Johor, Melaka, Negeri Sembilan and Selangor causing haze in October.

Littering by the public caused 60 tonnes of rubbish to pollute rivers in
Selangor and Kuala Lumpur annually.

Such irresponsible attitude had a negative effect on the environment causing
cases of leptospirosis and melioidosis.

-- BERNAMA