Carbon Footprints In Malaysia
Research Analyst: Xin Hui
Introduction
In a world where humans are consumed with their self-desires, does the environment have any form of impact on their decisions?
Focusing on Malaysia, the country has a relatively high carbon footprint compared to other ASEAN nations. Recent data indicates that Malaysia’s CO2 emissions per capita are around 7.5 metric tons, significantly higher than Vietnam’s 1.8 metric tons, Indonesia’s 2.4 metric tons, and Thailand’s 4.5 metric tons. Within the region, only Singapore exceeds Malaysia’s per capita emission rate. Regarding overall carbon emissions, Indonesia leads due to its larger population and reliance on coal. Malaysia’s total emissions are substantial given its smaller population size.
Carbon Footprints In Malaysia
Despite this, Malaysia is committed to becoming carbon-neutral by 2050. The nation has halted the construction of new coal-fired power plants and plans to retire existing ones as their power purchase agreements expire. Additionally, Malaysia is increasing its renewable energy capacity through large-scale solar projects, as detailed in the Malaysia Renewable Energy Roadmap (MyRER). These efforts aim to significantly reduce emissions by replacing coal with natural gas and renewable energy sources by 2030. While Thailand and Singapore are at the forefront of decarbonization in the region with significant investments in renewable energy and carbon pricing mechanisms, Malaysia is closely following a strong demand for renewable energy and a clear plan to reduce coal dependence.
However, despite Malaysia’s ambitious goals and initiatives, the country faces significant challenges in effectively managing its carbon footprint. One major issue is the heavy reliance on natural gas as a transition fuel. While natural gas burns cleaner than coal, it still contributes to CO2 emissions, delaying the complete shift to zero-carbon energy sources.
Another concern is the implementation speed and scale of renewable energy projects. Although the Malaysia Renewable Energy Roadmap (MyRER) outlines extensive plans, the actual progress has been slower than anticipated. Bureaucratic hurdles, funding limitations, and inadequate infrastructure development have hampered the swift deployment of large-scale solar projects and other renewable energy installations.