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TU FAN: In the face of the challenges of climate change,
and the depleting natural resources,
humans exploring physical solutions
to sustainable development Green technology
can be one of the good options.
Since 2009, Malaysia has been facilitating application
of green technology through implementing
the national green technology policy.
Over the centuries, humans have tried to change the weather.
People have prayed and used strategies to get more rain
and decrease the heat.
While we have not intentionally tried to change the climate,
we have unintentionally brought about changes
that are affecting us today.
Starting in the middle 1700s, the Industrial Revolution
and the modern agriculture practice
began to [INAUDIBLE] amount of human-created carbon dioxide
emissions in the atmosphere.
Global carbon dioxide emissions have
been rising at an annual average of 2.7% during the past decade.
Countries all over the world are used different techniques
to reduce carbon emissions.
These include establishing power markets,
creating policy and legislation, and a green technology.
My research has focused on green technology in Malaysia,
but do you know what green technology is?
Green technology is a development and preparation
of products, equipment, and systems
that conserve natural resources, which minimizes and reduces
negative environmental impact of human activities.
What makes a technology green?
It minimizes environmental degradation.
It has zero or low green gas emissions.
It is safe to use, and it promotes
a healthy environmental for all life forms.
It conserves energy and natural resources.
It relies on renewable resources.
Green technology is not a new concept.
People have been trying to go green for decades, including
using wave motors, wind turbines, solar power
plants, and other [INAUDIBLE] energy ideas.
In keeping with global trends, Malaysia
has recently proactively promoted
and adopt green technology.
In 2009, Malaysia has established
the country's ministry of energy, green technology,
and the water, also called KeTTHa in Malay,
and adopted national green technology policy.
The main goal is to contribute to economic growth,
and to reduce Malaysia's carbon footprint.
The objective of the policy it to conduct
industrial and government through supporting
in putting buildings, green transportation,
renewable energy use, waste and water management.
The most important components of this policy
include setting up institutions and launching
fiscal instruments.
Setting up institutions is a key strategy in the policy.
Since green technology involves many different sectors,
it is important to have a structure that
involves all the relevant stakeholders to ensure
consensus and support.
The national green technology and climate change council
coordinates green technology issues
between the ministries, agencies, the private sector,
and other stakeholders that implement policies,
in addition, the agencies that assist and contribute
to development of green technology,
like the Green Technology Corporation.
As a focal point for green technology development
in Malaysia, green technology cooperation
provide facilities and the services
in advisory, consultancy, urban energy management,
and training.
Malaysia green technology [INAUDIBLE] scheme
is a most important fiscal instruments
to attract private entities to use green technology.
This scheme is for both the users and producers
of green technology.
It was initially started with 1.5 billion ringgits soft loan
and has now increased to 3.5 billion ringgits.
The scheme offers a 2% interest subsidy, and 60% of the loan
will be guaranteed by the government.
From 2009 to November, 2014 351 projects
were covered by this scheme, including 243 energy efficiency
projects, 17 green building projects, 91 waste and water
projects.
The majority of projects are located in Kuala Lumpur,
Selangor, and the Johor Bahru.
Most of projects focus on electrical electronics
subsector, and the biotechnology subsector.
Besides actions stipulated from the ministry level,
we can also see some progress at a regional level.
Iskander Malaysia is an important economic corridor
in the southern part of peninsula Malaysia.
It has recently begun low carbon programs.
The Low Carbon Blueprint Iskander Malaysia 2025
was endorsed by the product minister of Malaysia
in the Summit 2012.
This blueprint was prepared by a group of urban planners
and researchers.
Professor Ho Chin Siong from University Technology Malaysia
is a main member of this team.
HO CHIN SIONG: I think green technology policy
is a very important policy, because you focus
on the use of green technology in city building or city
planning.
So in our country here, we are trying to use energy efficiency
technology.
We are trying to use renewable energy technology,
and also recycling.
The solid waste management office, urban planning
have to reconsider how to promote
green technology, or green energy, or green transport,
or green industry in city planning.
So I think this is the way forward
for our nation [INAUDIBLE]
TU FAN: Also Malaysia has made progress
in promoting green technology.
Interviews with government officials, researchers,
and industrial firms, shows that many pieces as still missing.
First, information about green technology and the policies
are still very limited.
I conducted a questionnaire in 15 factories.
It shows that one of the main barriers for industrial firms
to use green technology is information.
TEH KEE SIN: The government intention is good.
But sometimes the SME are facing another challenges.
When it comes to the green technology or green industries,
sometimes when we want to get someone to justify that you are
in the green industries, sometimes we cannot get
the right person, to confirm and justify that we are in that
field.
Sometimes we may not be able to get the [INAUDIBLE]
So this is another challenge that we are facing.
HO CHIN SIONG: Some of this information
may not have reached other industrialists.
But I think the important part is, actually, this information
have to be disseminated to a bigger group.
And then I think we strongly feel
that the chamber of commerce industry association
should look closely, also trying to get
to know more about this green-- I think the ministry themselves
do know.
They are trying ways and means to disseminate this information
so that actually more and more people have opportunity
to access to this green tech plan.
TU FAN: Did you hear about that green technology policy?
SPEAKER: What?
TU FAN: Green technology.
SPEAKER: I myself, I like all these things.
Green energy, now maybe they use more of these solar energy,
green energy.
I think these are the two main things they are using now.
So solar energy-- actually, I myself am using it.
Now they use it for as a hobby, but later
on when I know more about it, maybe
I will use it partially to reduce my company's electricity
to replace other supplies to cut down the cost.
TU FAN: Secondly, there is a mismatch
between the needs of the firms, and the focus
of government programs.
According to the questionnaire, industrial firms priorities
were waste water, energy utilization, solid waste,
energy supply, and then green buildings.
However, most of the government incentives
go to energy projects, mostly for solar.
PRAKASH NAGALINGAM: We feel that too much emphasis has
been given to solar, and we are trying
to look into other areas like thermal energy
and also the ocean thermal energy which
will lead new energies as well.
Because initially the green technology concentration
was only by the federal government.
We didn't incorporate with the state governments.
As you can see, the green technology concept
is a federal concept.
But these [INAUDIBLE] encouraged all the state governments
to have their own green technology
concept in state level.
So once the state level has their own green technology
concert, so this kind of mission can be discussed more
in the particular states.
So then you can see, now, I do agree with you,
the advantage is pretty much low.
TU FAN: To improve the wave implementation,
there is urgent need to have a validation of the policy.
Until now, there has no assessment
of the green technology policy implementation.
PRAKASH NAGALINGAM: They can do so much
in [INAUDIBLE] investment, I mean
creating a scenario for the investment,
for the green technology players.
But then, as I can tell you that we are not really sure how much
benefit [INAUDIBLE] by these people,
and how much green technology has contributed to the policies
of--
TU FAN: Adopting green technology
will not be easy for developing countries.
The most important reason is that green technology
is a comparatively expensive approach.
Even in developing countries, we still
can see that the argument about if government
should invest in green technology.
But it is clear from the experience from Malaysia
that government incentives are still
very important to encourage green technology.
PRAKASH NAGALINGAM: People say that only developing countries,
I mean, concentrate too much on subsidies and incentives,
but actually it's a [INAUDIBLE] scenario.
Last time I went to Holland, Netherlands.
As you can Netherlands is a very developed country,
and they really pay much attention to the environment.
The are very environment friendly people.
But, they have, when it comes to transport
industry, the government, in 2013,
they came up with this incentive for green,
I mean electric vehicles, and also plug-in electric vehicles.
So when the incentive was introduced in 2013,
the sales of EV rocketed.
And the highest sale [INAUDIBLE] went to Mitsubishi Outlander.
It's known as PHEW.
It's actually a plug-in hybrid, electric vehicle.
But when the incentive ended by 31st December, 2013,
sales of electric vehicles in Netherlands
dropped tremendously in 2014.
So as you can see, the lifestyle of people, the consumers
are very much related to incentives and subsidies.
TU FAN: Secondly, for developing countries,
having consensus will be equally critical for launching
green technology actions across every area,
from construction, to transportation, to industrial.
Malaysia has developed incentive policies,
but local government needs to be involved for that knowledge
to be diffused across the country.
This is also an important law for
other non-government institutions
such as industrial associations.
The way the funding of SME comes now, the funding of SME.
TEH KEE SIN: No, we have no funding.
Yeah, we don't have funding because we
should be self funded, I think.
So sometimes when we talk about the funding for the R and D.
R and D is a long term investment.
At the beginning stage you may not be earning benefit at all.
So you have to come up with a lot of resources.
For the green [INAUDIBLE] or green industry
or even the [INAUDIBLE] We still have
to-- the government [INAUDIBLE] whether it be the [INAUDIBLE]
or whether it be the [INAUDIBLE] the government should
take the lead.
[INAUDIBLE] in terms of the green [INAUDIBLE]
green technology, green industry,
we are still so much behind some other countries in our region.
You know, Japan, Taiwan or even China,
I think we are still pretty much behind them.
So we hope [INAUDIBLE]
Also blaming some of the ministry.
[INAUDIBLE] that never [INAUDIBLE] That's why
[INAUDIBLE]
TU FAN: The size of government support, both federal
and the local government, and the cooperation
from associations, public education and capacity
building for the labor force are also important.
No matter how difficult it is, people in Malaysia
have become aware that behavior change is much important.
Without behavior change, nothing will happen.
HO CHIN SIONG: We should not only look at mitigation.
We have to look at adaptation.
Adaptation means, we see that also we
have to how to adapt to this climate change.
So mitigation can be expensive.
Adaptation should come in together.
And I think the most challenging part is
that mind change, the mindset.
How do you promote low carbon society to the local society
so that they have the mind change, the mindset changing
from very high consumption to a low consumption society?
So by doing that they could cut down their waste.
They could cut down their consumption,
and they could actually improve their quality of life,
even without having a very high consumption.
So I think mindset change is very important.
That's why in our campaign we started,
we call it, low carbon society.
We didn't call it low carbon city.
TU FAN: In developing countries, the government and the citizens
are equally for ways to grow economically,
but at the same time, protect environment and mitigate
global climate challenges.
Critics of green technology is that it's
a very expensive investment for developing countries,
and that it's not easy to get access and adopt
because of knowledge barriers.
From 2009, Malaysia has taken steps
to implement green technology.
Each step has not been easy.
The Malaysia experience with promoting green technology
can provide insights for other developing and developed
countries.
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