Bernama 15 Oct 10;
KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 15 (Bernama) -- Malaysia's strive to adopt a green lifestyle is essential not only to drive economic growth and improve quality of life but also to preserve the environment for future generations.
Against this backdrop, it is important for all Malaysians to assume their role to ensure the success of the green technology development which is aimed at reducing carbon emission and protecting the environment.
Malaysia voluntarily made a commitment to reduce up to 40 per cent of carbon emission intensity to Gross Domestic Product by 2020 and had decided to conserve depletion of natural resources and reduce pollution.
According to the Treasury in its 2010/2011 Economic Report released Friday, Malaysia is serious in promoting green technology in the country to ensure sustainable development as well as to reverse climate change effect by reducing global warming.
Moving in this direction, it established a Green Technology Financing Scheme (GTFS) of RM1.5 billion to provide soft loans to producers and users of GT, provided buyers of buildings awarded the Green Building Index certificate stamp duty exemption on instruments of transfer of ownership and embarked on developing Cyberjaya and Putrajaya as green technology pioneer townships.
The treasury also says the government has introduced the Awareness, Faculty, Finance, Infrastructure, Research and Marketing framework in the Tenth Malaysia Plan to develop a comprehensive ecosystem for environmental sustainability.
At the ministries level, the Ministry of Energy, Green Technology and Water will work hand-in-hand with the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Higher Education to promote and foster awareness among students.
The Ministry of Human Resource, Ministry of Youth and Sports and the Ministry of Tourism will also include green courses in their skills training programmes.
On the other hand, the Ministry of Transport and the International Trade and Industry Ministry will also develop an infrastructure roadmap for the use of electric vehicles beginning with a pilot project in Putrajaya.
-- BERNAMA
