Clean Water and Sanitation (SDG 6), Climate Action (SDG 13)
Shifting the global climate change mitigation paradigm: Malaysia’s tropical forest in the limelight Jeyanny Vijayanathan* 1 , Ismail Parlan 1 , Soon Ting Kueh 2 1 Forest Research Institute Malaysia, Selangor, Malaysia 2 Malaysia Institute of Chemistry, , Taman Tun Dr. Ismail, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia The recent surge in global greenhouse gasses emissions of 36.4 GtCO 2 a year has led to several disastrous repercussions such as global warming, floods, thunderstorms, sea level rise and ocean acidification. We are on course to reach an increased level of 1.5 degree °C temperature in two decades. Malaysia accounted for a total of 263,577 Gg CO 2 eq emission in 2016. Malaysia is committed to reduce its carbon emissions against GDP by 45% reduction by 2030 compared to 2005 levels. Tropical forests play important roles in climate change mitigation. Carbon is continuously cycled by plants through photosynthesis, growth, respiration, death, and decay. Photosynthates are directly employed in cellular respiration and root exudation, or stored as complex molecules as an energy storage, or both for the development of the leaves, stem, or roots which increases with time. The decaying plant parts are sequestered in soils. Several key measures that can be accounted for include reforestation/afforestation, conservation of vulnerable tropical forest ecosystems, sustainable forest management (SFM), sustainably sourced harvested wood products (HWP), urban forests, soil organic carbon capture and storage. Malaysia is on its course in increasing tree cover in various states by encouraging tree planting programmes and rehabilitation of degraded forests. Vulnerable terrestrial and marine ecosystems are being preserved and prioritized. Large buffer areas around wetlands, peat swamps and mangrove ecosystems are being enhanced. The SFM executes reduced impact logging (RIL) that minimizes impacts on the environment and wood wastage. Malaysia is on course to estimate the GHG’s emissions and removals from HWP as a 2nd tier approach. The importance of soil organic carbon estimation via modelling techniques are currently in preparation for national biennial transparency reporting. The role of sustainably produced biochar as a carbon capture and storage mechanism are being explored. Currently, Malaysia has an estimated investible carbon value of 53,632,000 tCO 2 year-1 equivalent to net present value (NPV) of USD 2.6 billion year-1, second largest in the Asian-Pacific region after Indonesia. Thus, it is anticipated that the current national strategies and initiatives in the forestry sector will further uphold Malaysia’s commitment towards reduced carbon emissions that will create a harmonized balance between sustainable utilization and conservation of planetary health.
Keywords : climate action, agriculture and forestry land use, carbon credits, conservation
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