Kuala lumpur: The proposed National Climate Change Bill (RUU PIN) is a national legislative framework encompassing climate change mitigation and adaptation measures, according to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability (NRES). It said the Bill should be viewed as part of the country's interconnected climate change policy and legislative ecosystem, complementing one another, rather than separately from existing policies, strategies, action plans and instruments.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, the RUU PIN aims to provide a legislative basis to ensure that climate change action can be implemented in a more structured, integrated, and transparent manner, with clear accountability. The Bill also serves to complement existing and ongoing climate change policies, action plans, and strategies developed by the Government, rather than replace these instruments. The statement from NRES was issued following views reported recently regarding the Bill, particularly concerning the prioritisation of adaptation in addressing climate change risks.
Recently, Dr. Hezri Adnan, Senior Sustainable Development Adviser at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), expressed concerns that the Bill did not reflect Malaysia's priorities for addressing climate change impacts, as it focused more on mitigation, whereas the country needed more adaptation measures. NRES clarified that adaptation is part of the action framework under the Bill, with a climate risk and vulnerability analysis-based approach among the key elements in identifying, assessing, and managing climate change risks more systematically.
The RUU PIN is expected to strengthen the government's capacity to obtain and manage climate change-related data and information from various sectors and stakeholders. NRES explained that the adaptation targets would be translated through the development of the National Adaptation Plan (MyNAP) to strengthen the country's resilience to the impacts of climate change. Additionally, the Climate Change Fund under the Bill would provide dedicated funding, including support for implementing climate change action.
Malaysia is currently taking an approach to implementing mitigation and adaptation measures simultaneously to address increasingly complex climate change risks, including floods, extreme weather, sea-level rise, and coastal erosion, which are closely linked to the country's economic competitiveness. Mitigation addresses the causes of climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions, while adaptation reduces risks and strengthens resilience to the impacts of climate change. Both need to be implemented in a balanced manner, as adaptation measures protect the people and the country from the impacts of climate change, while mitigation measures are important to reduce the increase in such risks in the long term.
The government is also developing a comprehensive climate change governance ecosystem, with each instrument having a specific and complementary function. The ecosystem comprises the National Policy on Climate Change 2.0, RUU PIN, Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) and NDC Roadmap, Long-Term Low Emission Development Strategies, as well as MyNAP. It is supported by the Fourth National Communication, Biennial Transparency Report, and carbon market instruments to provide data and information on emissions, climate risks, and vulnerabilities, report progress on the country's climate commitments, and support the transition to a low-carbon economy.
The overall framework will be supported by national-level coordination and governance mechanisms through the National Climate Change Authority to ensure that climate policies and commitments are translated into more structured, integrated, and effective implementation, reporting, and financing. Strengthening coordination mechanisms at the national level is crucial to ensure that climate change policies and commitments are translated into consistent and effective action with an impact on the ground, NRES stated.