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Towards greener pastures
> Interviewwith KeTTHA secretary-general onMalaysia’s green plans
and the recently announcedGreen TechnologyMaster Plan
AT the International Urban
Sustainability&Green
Building Conference
(USGBC) 2017, Datuk Seri
Dr Zaini Ujang said in his opening
speech that the urban population in
Kuala Lumpur is expected to
increase to 10million by 2030 and
that 60%of the world’s population
will be living in cosmopolitan cities;
thus, living spaces will need to be
cleaner and greener.
The Energy, Green technology and
WaterMinistry (KeTTHA) secretary-
general also informed the audience
that Malaysia is ranked 42 among the
world’s happiest nations and is fourth
globally in terms of green cover.
“Putrajaya is expected to become ‘fully
green’ with 40%green cover by 2025. It
can be amodel for the world,” Zaini
said, sharing the good news before
making known the arduous tasks that
followwith theministry’s introduction
of the Green TechnologyMaster Plan
(GTMP) onOct 12.
The GTMP embodies the Eleventh
Malaysia Plan (2016 – 2020) or 11MP,
which had earmarked the need for
green growth across six sectors. Its aim
was to accelerate the course of the
nation’s growth and revolutionise its
socio-economic development. The
master plan focuses on six areas,
building and property included; hence,
we will be focusing on this area over
the next fewweeks.
IN THE BEGINNING
For decades, governments andworld
energy councils carried out scientific
studies, experimenting and analysing
various methodologies and techniques
to generate energy. The reasonwas
simply because it was a necessity in
sustaining future generations, like
oxygen is to life. While the world
realised it needs to generate energy to
meet societies’ future needs, it also
learnt of causal effects of greenhouse
gasses (GHG), a “by-product” of
energy consumption, which results in
global warming and causes adverse
climate conditions; hence, the need to
generate energy conscientiously and
consume it cleverly.
The outcome: the adoption of
Green Technology (GT) found to
supply renewable energy (RE), but
requires the use of green practices and
sustainablemethods of process across
green building, green purchasing,
green chemistry, green
nanotechnology, green lifestyles, etc.
This is why the National Green
Technology Policy (NGTP) was
formed and introduced in 2009,
spearheaded by KeTTHA. It focused
on energy, the environment, the
economy and social aspects. 11MP
emphasised the need to pursue GT. It
basically campaigned for strengthening
the enabling environment, promoting
sustainable consumption, conserving
natural resources, and strengthening
sustainable cities and communities;
responsible consumption and
production; and climate action.
WhilemanyMalaysians would ask
why the need to set up various policies
and plans instead of focusing on one at
a time, Zaini responds, justifying the
need to constantly develop and grow to
move forward as the rest of the world
is, as more knowledge and information
is attained in addressing the challenges
tomeet the SDGs.
In drafting the newGTMP,
KeTTHA received full support.
Twenty consultations were conducted
with stakeholders involving over 300
representatives from the government,
various industries, NGOs and the
academia. The objective of the GTMP:
“to drive further economic growth as
the plan, once it succeeds, expects to
bring in RM160 billion; garner a cleaner
environment for better lifestyles for
future generations; and enhance well-
being for the people while at the same
time protect nature, impede global
warming and improve the environment
on the whole,” informs Zaini. “At the
end of the day, we want to be a green
player, not a green consumer,” he adds.
The GTMP does not phase out the
targets set for 2020 and 2030. Instead it
acts as a catalyst to drive the green
issues and step up efforts to achieve the
objectives targeted for 2020 and 2030,
which aims to bridge the gap and
shorten the time taken to becoming a
high-income nation driven by green
growth.
Follow the second part of the
interviewwith the KeTTHA secretary-
general in next week’s section.
Targets in building sector
SECTORS/AREAS 2020 2025 2030
SUSTAINABLE CONSTRUCTION PRACTICE
Activedesign
-MEPS
•MEPS law
• 11appliances
• UpgradecurrentMEPS
ratings
• 16appliances
• HarmoniseMEPS
rating toASEAN
SHINE
• All appliances
• UniversalMEPS
rating
Number of certified
buildings
• 550 - • 1,750
Passivedesign
-BEI
• Buildingenergy regulation
• BEI 120
• Sectoral BEI 90 • Sectoral BEI <60
SUSTAINABLE CONSTRUCTION PRACTICE
Constructionmethod
- IBS
• Publicprojectsscore
70 - 100%
• Privateprojectsscore
50 - 100%
• Newtechnologies i.e. automatedbrick
laying, etc.
Constructionwaste • Tobedetermined
GREEN BUILDINGMATERIALS
Rawmaterials
Recyclecontent
• Tobedetermined.
•%recycledcontent inconcreteandothermaterials
NO
POVERTY 1 2 ZERO
HUNGER 3 GOODHEALTH
ANDWELL-BEING 4 QUALITY
EDUCATION 5 GENDER
EQUALITY 6 CLEANWATER
ANDSANITATION
AFFORDABLEAND
CLEANENERGY 7 8 DECENTWORKAND
ECONOMICGROWTH 9 INDUSTRY,INNOVATION
ANDINFRASTRUCTURE
REDUCED
INEQUALITIES 10 SUSTAINABLECITIES
ANDCOMMUNITIES 11 RESPONSIBLE
CONSUPMTION
ANDPRODUCTION 12
CLIMATE
ACTION 13 LIFE
BELOWWATER 14 LIFE
ONLAND 15 PEACE, JUSTICE
ANDSTRONG
INSTITUITIONS 16 PARTNERSHIPS
FORTHEGOALS 17
SUSTAINABLE
DEVELOPMENT
Datuk Seri Dr Zaini Ujang
GREENSERIES
The headquarters of Energy Commission of Malaysia, which is known as
the Diamond Building, in Putrajaya.
resilience against climate change and
natural disasters.
DEEPER GREEN
Wanting to reinforce its “green
stance”, the government signed the
Paris Agreement in 2015. The
document called for nations to
expedite global efforts tomitigate
worsening climate conditions. In the
agreement, Malaysia pledged to reduce
its GHG emissions by 45%by 2030,
spurring the establishment of a new
gameplan to fulfil the pledge.
Comprising 17 Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs)
constituted under the Nationally
Determined Contribution (NDC)
banner; GT-pertinent issues
deliberated included the pressing need
for cleanwater and sanitation;
affordable and clean energy;
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