By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, July 31: Sarawak stands among the earliest in the region to adopt a dual-pronged approach combining nature-based and technology-driven solutions in tackling the global climate change crisis.
In a Ukas news report, Deputy Minister for Energy and Environmental Sustainability, Datuk Dr Hazland Abang Hipni, said this pioneering initiative took shape under the leadership of Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg, culminating in the formation of a dedicated ministry in 2022.
“The Premier sowed the seeds of this idea six to seven years ago. Today, our ministry is driving the climate mitigation agenda through two primary pillars, nature-based solutions and technology-based solutions,” he said during the closing ceremony of the International Seminar on Humanity & Climate Change Crisis: A Multidimensional Perspective held at the Sarawak Islamic Complex Hall on Wednesday (July 30).
Dr Hazland noted that Sarawak possesses unique strengths in both domains, notably with around 62 per cent of its 12.5 million hectares of land are forested, serving as natural carbon sinks.
Additionally, the seabed off Sarawak’s coast holds an estimated carbon storage potential of 9 billion tonnes.
“With this, Sarawak could potentially store up to 10 billion tonnes of carbon, an immense natural asset that positions us as a key player in global carbon management,” he revealed.
On the technology front, he pointed to Sarawak’s long-standing investment in renewable energy, beginning with the Batang Ai Dam in 1985.
This foundation has expanded into major hydropower projects such as the Murum, Bakun, and Baleh dams, which now form the backbone of Sarawak’s green energy economy.
Dr Hazland also outlined four strategic pillars underpinning Sarawak’s climate action framework, namely legal and policy infrastructure, technical capabilities, financial and business mechanisms, and human capital development.
“For instance, under the financial pillar, we are developing a ‘Green Endowment’ as a sustainable financing initiative aligned with Islamic economic principles.
“At the same time, we are intensifying technical training to build a skilled green workforce in fields such as carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS), methanol production, bioenergy, and more,” he said
He added that Sarawak is guided by a robust policy framework, including the Hydrogen Economy Blueprint, Green Economy Policy, and Wellbeing Economy Policy, with Sarawak being the first state globally to implement a comprehensive green economy policy.
Dr Hazland called on all participants to take the seminar as a springboard for deeper commitment to global climate action.
“Let this be the beginning of stronger collaborations and renewed resolve in our collective mission to safeguard the planet,” he said. — DayakDaily
