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Malaysia seeks clean energy transition deal with rich nations
Malaysia, which relies on coal and natural gas for 75 percent of its power needs, is trailing its Southeast Asian neighbours on clean energy expansion - and climate experts say the new government should tap more global green funding to cut carbon emissions, tackle the effects of warming and protect nature.
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Malaysia's newly appointed Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim offers prayers after taking the oath during the swearing-in ceremony at the National Palace in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia on November 24, 2022. (Mohd Rasfan/Reuters)
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alaysia is in talks with richer nations, hoping to follow its neighbours Indonesia and Vietnam in striking a finance deal to transition away from polluting coal power towards more renewable energy, the country's climate change minister said.
Malaysia, which relies on coal and natural gas for 75 percent of its power needs, is trailing its Southeast Asian neighbours on clean energy expansion - and climate experts say the new government should tap more global green funding to cut carbon emissions, tackle the effects of warming and protect nature.
In late 2022, Indonesia and Vietnam clinched big finance partnerships with rich nations to shutter their coal-fired power plants early and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, Malaysia's minister of natural resources, environment and climate change, said his government had been engaging with developed countries - including the United States, the European Union and Japan - on the prospects for energy transition and other climate-related deals.
"We saw how Indonesia tapped into the just energy transition plan, and Vietnam as well. Conversations are ongoing," he said during an interview at his ministry in Putrajaya, adding that he hoped an energy transition deal could be reached within the next one to two years.
Like many countries across the region, Malaysia is hit regularly by the impacts of rising temperatures and more extreme weather – whether choking haze linked to regional forest fires, droughts or floods.
Despite being a country mega-rich in biodiversity, Malaysia is also a major producer of palm oil and timber - which many environmentalists blame for deforestation and climate change.
