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By Shikin Louis
KUCHING, Sept 4: Sarawak can carry out carbon trading direct to the buyer without going through the federal government as it falls under Sarawak’s Natural Resources and Environment Ordinance (NREO) 1958.
Deputy Minister of Energy and Environment Sustainability Sarawak (MEESty) Dr Hazland Abang Hipni said NREO58 is quite similar to Oil Mining Ordinance (OMO) 1958 where they both stand as strong laws of Sarawak and were already in place way before the formation of Malaysia in 1963.
“Because of that, Sarawak can do voluntary carbon trading direct to the buyer internationally without going through the federal government,” he said during the first panel discussion session at 2023 World Green & Sustainability Summit held at UCSI Hotel here today.
He also said that the Sarawak government has amended two laws in the Sarawak Legislative Assembly (DUN) in May last year, where one of it was the Sarawak Land Code, which seeks control over the State’s airspace, the emission of carbon dioxide and the possible monetisation of carbon dioxide.
He further said the Sarawak government aims to amend a few more laws with regards to NREO58 in the November DUN sitting.
“By November, we are going to amend a few more laws in our NREO 1958 to include the carbon ordinance, hydrogen ordinance and even oxygen ordinance because we are also going to have oxygen produced accidentally which can be used for industrial oxygen,” he added.
In a previous report dated June 27, Dr Hazland has stated that Energy Security Ordinance and Carbon Ordinance will be brought to the Sarawak Cabinet for discussion by the end of this year.
On the other hand, Federal Works Minister Dato Sri Alexander Nanta Linggi has recently highlighted that there are issues that affect Sarawak’s efforts to monetise carbon trading due to no governance and proper national laws are in place for it.
“When we want to do the carbon trading, the issue is carbon tax, it is not confined to laws from Sarawak.
“We need a national law that enable us to fully exploit the potential of Sarawak in terms of green energy, carbon trading and other sources of energy such as hydrogen and algae,” Nanta said. — DayakDaily
