RimbaWatch urges govt to set fair-share carbon budget

Free Malaysia Today

2 days ago

RimbaWatch noted Malaysia's commitment to extracting 9.83 billion barrels of oil equivalent in fossil fuel reserves, 82% of which is gas. (Wikipedia pic)
PETALING JAYA : Environmental watchdog RimbaWatch has urged the government to define a national carbon budget aligned with Malaysia's fair-share contribution to climate change in order to meet its net-zero emissions target by 2050.
In its Fossil Fuel Emissions Outlook Report 2025, RimbaWatch urged the natural resources and environmental sustainability ministry to develop a carbon budget aligned with the 1.5°C target and Malaysia's 2050 net-zero commitment, and to ensure that it reflects the country's historical emissions responsibility and share of the global population.
'This carbon budget should then inform a sectoral carbon budget for the domestic energy sector,' RimbaWatch said, calling for the framework to be embedded in the proposed climate change bill.
The report warned that Malaysia's current plans to expand gas production are incompatible with its climate targets under the Paris Agreement, and could derail progress toward net-zero goals.
RimbaWatch said the country had committed to extracting 9.83 billion barrels of oil equivalent in fossil fuel reserves, of which 82% is gas. The emissions from these projects could total 4.15 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions, equivalent to 13 times Malaysia's annual emissions.
The report also estimated that the projects would emit 10.9 million tonnes of methane, a greenhouse gas 82.5 times more potent than carbon dioxide, over a 20-year period, 'leading to an estimated 8,234 premature deaths worldwide' due to pollution-related health impacts.
To address this, RimbaWatch called for the Climate Change Act to include interim targets.
'Establish gradually reducing carbon budgets for the sector with milestone targets of a 25% reduction in budget by 2030, 50% by 2040, 75% by 2045 and 100% by 2050,' it said.
The group also urged Malaysia to join the global call for a fossil fuel non-proliferation treaty, describing it as a way to accelerate and finance a just transition to renewable energy sources, end fossil fuel expansion, and support an equitable phase out of existing production.
'The proposed treaty rests on three pillars with one being a global just transition for every country, worker and community, the non-proliferation of fossil fuel projects, and a fair phaseout based on the capacity and responsibility of wealthier nations.
'The health burden associated with Malaysia's methane emissions is both significant and global in scale,' the report concluded.