![The Mouse and The Elephant at KWAP Inspire]()
by admin | Jul 24, 2018 | #MYD, Blog, MYD2018
MYD members attending the KWAP Inspire: Environmental Conference 2018
The Malaysian Youth Delegation representatives such as myself along with Syahirah and Jasmin had the chance to participate in the KWAP Inspire: Environmental Conference 2018 hosted by Kumpulan Persaraan (Diperbadankan) also known as The Retirement Fund (Incorporated).
MYD members had the chance to take a selfie with Sir Robert Swan, one of the greatest explorer on earth
It was a two days conference, held on the 17th and 18th July 2018 at Grand Hyatt, Kuala Lumpur. It was the first of its kind of conference hosted by company, hailing its participants from NGOs, business firms and investment companies to come together and share the ideas of incorporating sustainable development into their corporations and breaking through into a greener economy.
There were many prominent speakers that spoke at the conference that had engaged the participants, myself included, with their ideas and what they had done in their respective companies so far to really combat climate change and promote sustainability.
A speaker really stood out when he said, ‘The financial sector are the key player to combating to climate change. We are the ones that invest in businesses that cuts down forests and release toxic substances into the rivers and oceans, we certainly have the power to change that. So won’t we?’ Various topics such as green financing to assessing climate risks in investing in fossil fuel to challenges of food production in Asia and many more were simply an eye opener for me. It was amazing to see how most of the speakers had strategies and passion to reducing carbon footprint in their investments.
There were also presentation of environmental advocates such Sir Robert Swan, Nadya Hutagalung and Reef Check Malaysia. They presented theirs works and contributions to creating awareness amongst stakeholders and local communities on the dangerous effects of global warming, declining number of wildlife animals and the current condition of the earth.
Nadya Hutagalung speaking on the conversation work she’s done on elephants
No doubt it is so inspiring to see all these people telling their stories of their journey but the particular presenter that had me feeling so inspired was United Nations Environment Programme Ambassador and TV Host, Nadya Hutagalung. She spoke with confidence and pain in her voice as she presented the stories of what was happening to the elephants in Africa and Indonesia. She told the tales of her journey to not only increase awareness on the fate that lies for these elephants but also her conservation works as well.
My mind was racing, how could elephants be murdered just for their trunks that’s being sold off for the ivory trade? And most importantly, what can we do to stop this? She told the story of a mouse and an elephant where the moral of the story was that, no matter how little you are, you have a role into doing something that’s big. That definitely had me excited, I can do something to be a part of saving this world. Nadya is absolutely charismatic and engaging as a speaker, also an inspirational role model to look up to.
Written by Aaliyah
![A man who survived from an ultraviolet radiation]()
by admin | Jul 24, 2018 | #MYD, Blog, MYD2018
I attended the environmental conference on behalf of the Malaysian Youth Delegation (MYD) along with Jasmin and Aaliyah (Figure 1) hosted by the Kumpulan Wang Persaraan (KWAP) also known as the Retirement Fund (Incorporated) from July 17th – 18th, 2018 at the Grand Hyatt, Kuala Lumpur.
Figure 1. Members of MYD. From the right side; Aaliyah, Jasmin and I
The theme of the conference is Igniting Action for a Better Tomorrow. KWAP intends to inspire Malaysia’s corporations to adopt Environmental, Social and governance (ESG) practices in their businesses. The conference brought together environmental and investment experts and leaders from all over the world to discuss the current and future trends also the issues critical to sustainable investment.
“Don’t let anyone tell you, you can’t accomplish your dreams.” said Robert Swan.
My favourite part of the conference was the speech by Robert Swan. Robert Swan is one of the history’s best explorers (Figure 2). To travel to the south and north poles was his dream since he was small. He worked his tail off to find sponsors for him to travel to the south and north poles but no one responded. He ended up working as a taxi driver in the London town to support his journey to the poles.
I find his story was very inspiring. More young people should know and read about his struggles. This is to boost up their energy to achieve their dreams and to never give up. “Don’t let anyone tell you, you can’t accomplish your dreams.” said Robert.
Figure 2. A selfie of Robert Swan with the MYD members
Robert Swan had witnessed the impacts of climate change directly during his journey. He noticed there was a change in his eye colour and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) reported the Antarctic was struck by a large hole in the ozone layer while he was there. He was exposed directly to ultraviolet radiations in his journey. “A survivor is a person that looks at a threat and do something about it.” said Robert.
He also observed the Arctic ice melted four months earlier before the melting season (summer). This shows the global warming is real and the earth is heating up faster than the usual time. We have always seen and read about the sea levels are rising and the ice poles are melting in the news but never have we experienced the direct impact of climate change. Climate change is real.
Listening to Robert’s story made me realised that people should deal with climate change issues seriously because we cannot turn back time once our whole land is sank in the sea water.
Written by Syahirah Aron
![Are financial sectors excluded from the climate change conversation in Malaysia?]()
by admin | Jul 24, 2018 | #MYD, Blog, MYD2018
For the first time ever, Kumpulan Wang Persaraan (Diperbadankan) (KWAP), also known as the Retirement Fund (Incorporated), hosted the KWAP Inspire: Environmental Conference 2018. It was a two days conference, held on 17th and 18th July 2018 at the Grand Hyatt, Kuala Lumpur.
The conference intends to connect the business world, government and environmental activists together to achieve environmental-friendly practices in business. Partnered with WWF as key knowledge advisor, the conference hopes to support the sustainable development agenda to ensure a better environment for future generations.
Impressive line up of speakers were the main attraction for corporates, industry players and NGOs alike to attend the conference. The breadth of topics covered between both days were also eye-catchers, with presentations and conversations revolving around climate finance, stranded assets, fossil fuel, Paris Agreement, ESG, food security and climate risks.
Malaysian Youth Delegations representatives at the KWAP Inspire Environmental Conference 2018
Among the prominent speakers include representatives from PRI, InfraCo Asia, Standard Chartered Berhad, Amanie Group, United Nations Environment Programme, Khazanah Nasional Berhad, AXA Investment Managers, Sime Darby Plantations, McDonalds, Global Environment Centre, Malaysian Nature Society, PACOS Trust and Bursa Malaysia.
I participated in the conference on behalf of the Malaysian Youth Delegation, along with Syahirah and Aaliyah. Coming from a youth NGO that focuses on climate change policy and education, we were very eager to attend the conference and learn on the private sector’s perspective on climate change, in particularly related to climate finance. I must admit, I have very little knowledge on climate finance as it is not an area which I am particularly keen on, albeit equally important nevertheless. Attending this conference is definitely me stepping out of my comfort zone, to learn more on a topic that was very alien to me.
Looking Beyond Fossil Fuel
with Robert Swan, One of the world’s greatest explorers.
Transitioning to a low-carbon future paves a path towards opportunities in the renewable energy sector, but at the same time, leave carbon-intensive energy assets stranded. Not only that, the value of real estate, agriculture and infrastructure will be affected. Thus, it is important for fossil fuel companies to diversify its portfolio.
However, although the Paris Agreement put forward an increase in ambition for targets, many firms and investors are still unsure of the mechanism of how the emissions reductions will happen, and how much assets will be stranded in the nearby future.
Many asset owners are reanalysing environmental and safety issues in regards to investment strategies, making explicit references to Environmental, Social, Governance (ESG) in development and execution of their investment strategies. In KWAP’s effort to promote ESG values and standards, it had set aside RM800mil to be invested in international initiatives through fund managers locally and internationally. It aims to grow its ESG portfolio to 70% from 50%-60% in order to strengthen it capabilities in responsible investments.
Addressing the Elephant in the Room
Satya Tripathi, Senior Adviser for 2030 Agenda from Sustainable Development, United Nations Environment Programme, was one of the speakers in the “Innovative Approaches to Green Finance” session. He touched on the Emission Gap Report and stated that we are unable to keep global temperature rise well below 2C, preferably 1.5C, without private finance. We have to address the elephant in the room – and the elephant in the room when it comes to combating climate change is, the private sector. The question is, how are private sectors, as key players, been neglecting their contribution towards the health of the environment?
Feeling Left Out of the Conversation
Not me.
I had the opportunity to have a conversation with the CEO of KWAP, Datuk Wan Kamaruzaman Wan Ahmad. Datuk Wan has great vision for KWAP upholding sustainability, reiterating KWAP’s commitment as a responsible investor. KWAP became a signatory of the United Nations-supported Principles for Sustainable Investment (PRI) in February 2018, making its mark as the first pension fund in Malaysia to demonstrate commitment towards responsible investing.
There’s a reason why the KWAP Inspire Environmental Conference 2018 is one of its kind in Malaysia. Datuk Wan expressed his frustration that financial sectors are often excluded in conversations when it comes to climate change, particularly in Malaysia. The government and NGOs know their roles in addressing climate change, but the private sector and financial sector still need to catch up. So, how do we improve the state of communication in between sectors and bridge the gap?
Providing Inclusive Platform
with CEO of KWAP, Datuk Wan Kamaruzaman Wan Ahmad.
Did I mention that the conference costs RM1,880 per person to attend?
KWAP Inspire Environmental Conference 2018 brought big sponsors from the asset management sector, including Affin Hwang Capital, Aiiman, Amundi, BNP Paribas, CIMB Principal, Glennmont Partners, Kenanga, Nikko Am and Serba Dinamik, among others. It also brought big names in the environmental industry such as Robert Swan, One of the world’s greatest explorers, and Nadya Hutagalung, Eco-Activist and TV Personality. The conference was priced at such as it was meant to attract corporate attendees – and the content of the conference reflected just that.
The price of the conference raised a debate on whether the conference was being “inclusive”, or rather it is “just another fancy corporate conference”. The Malaysian Youth Delegation is very grateful to be invited to attend the conference as I believe that we learned a lot on the role of financial institutions in addressing climate change, and the knowledge that we have obtained will definitely be beneficial as we know understand better.
However, the platform limits opportunities for students, NGOs, and interested individuals who are keen on the topic discussed but constrained due to financial capabilities.
Perhaps the first step for the financial sectors to be included in the climate change conversation in Malaysia, is to be inclusive.
Written by Jasmin
![RM1.4 billion spent in just two months – Time to end fuel subsidies]()
by admin | Jul 20, 2018 | #MYD, In The News, Knowledge, MYD2018, YouthStatement
It’s been just over two months since the Pakatan Harapan coalition came into power. In that time, the Malaysian government has spent RM1.4 billion on fuel subsidies, as estimated by Rafizi Ramli in a recent blogpost. Soon after winning GE-14, Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad announced that the weekly price float mechanism for RON95 and diesel would be removed, fixing them at RM2.20 and RM2.18 per liter respectively. This price fix will remain in place until the end of the year as the government studies potential avenues to implement its targeted fuel subsidy policy outlined in the PH manifesto.
Continued subsidies will only portray an artificially low cost of fuel to the rakyat, while encouraging private vehicle usage, leading to more urban road congestion and increased carbon emissions. This leads us down a dangerous path of normalizing subsidies once again – at a time when it’s more important than ever to wean off fossil fuel consumption. As a signatory to the Paris Agreement, Malaysia has shown its commitment to reaching our global temperature increase target. The reintroduction of fuel subsidies completely contradicts our contributions to solving the global climate crisis. The government is paying money to continue to emit carbon, at a time when expenditure is becoming increasingly scrutinised.
The moral reasons notwithstanding, the reintroduction of fuel subsidies may be popular and well received by the general Malaysian population. The Pakatan Harapan coalition ran on a pro-Rakyat, pro-welfare platform, emphasizing the need for a reform to the high cost of living. Throwing fuel subsidies into the bucket of tactics to reduce cost of living is short sighted and this is where we need to have a conversation about externalised costs.
While the rakyat may benefit from more affordable fuel at point of sale, the true cost – or externalised cost – is not appropriately accounted for. When we pay RM2.20 per liter at the petrol station, we are not considering the cost of health implications from pollution, the cost of loss of biodiversity, the cost of loss of agricultural productivity, along with all other hidden costs related to carbon emissions and climate change. While even the market price of fuel would not adequately cover all of these additional externalised costs, we should not be paying any less than that. When considering the welfare of the rakyat, the Pakatan Harapan government needs to have more future-oriented solutions revolving around sustainable development, good public transportation and renewable energy policies – further supporting the PH government’s manifesto item on increasing renewable energy to 20% by 2025.
In the era of fiscal responsibility, Malaysia could really use the savings from the removal of subsidies. While deterring increased use of fossil fuels, the savings could be used to incentivise more renewable energy and energy efficiency projects around the country. As a point of reference, just before GE-14, the Green Technology Financing Scheme was recently renewed for a period of five years from 2018 to 2022, to the tune of up to RM5 billion. To put that into perspective, at its current rate, the government will spend RM5 billion on fuel subsidies in under eight months. A Malaysia that prioritises good public transportation infrastructure and services, renewable energy and energy efficiency projects instead of fossil fuels is a Malaysia that is on the right track of developing in a sustainable manner.
[Tweet “we need drastic (climate) action now, and it starts with us quitting our fossil fuel addiction”]
While the fiscal argument to removing fossil fuel subsidies may be more convincing, we still need to make the moral argument. Over the last two centuries, the world has been built upon fossil fuels, with carbon-intensive development led by the West. This is the very premise to the argument that developed nations bear historical responsibility when it comes to fighting climate change. While Malaysia ought to champion the principle of equity on the international stage, we also need to be doing our part at home. By cutting fuel subsidies and throwing our full weight into sustainable mobility and renewable energy, we can lead the way, specifically in the Southeast Asia region, in actively finding ways to solve the climate crisis.
So here we stand – at a nation-defining juncture. #MalaysiaBaharu represents new hope for many. The question remains: do we want to look at the wellbeing of Malaysians only for the next five years, or for the next 50? We can either bid goodbye to a safe and secure future for our youth, or we can act now and make a difference. To get on a 2°C pathway, in line with the Paris Agreement, we need to take drastic (climate) action now, and it starts with us quitting our fossil fuel addiction. With strong political will, we can make a just energy transition happen.
Written by Mike
Read also: Fuel price hike statement
Date: 20 July 2018
ABOUT THE MALAYSIAN YOUTH DELEGATION (MYD)
A group of young passionate Malaysians who represent the local youth climate movement at international climate conferences, such as the annual Conference of the Parties, part of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Dedicated to raising awareness of climate policies amongst Malaysians, the youth are mentored and trained to translate technical policies into more relevant and relatable information for the public. MYD holds speaking engagements with various climate organisations to better understand the current landscape of local and international climate policy. With that, MYD endeavours to hold Malaysian leaders accountable for the promises made at international climate summits.
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![#MYD2018 Training Series: Climate Finance: Mitigation and Adaptation]()
by admin | Jul 19, 2018 | #MYD, Blog, MYD Training Series, MYD2018, UNFCCC
The Malaysian Youth Delegation (MYD) is organizing its 6th Training Series on the 21st of July 2018. The upcoming Training Series will be on Climate Finance. This session will be focusing on the role of climate finance in climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts.
Dr. Gary Theseira will be leading the session as our trainer. Dr. Gary is the Deputy Under Secretary of the Environmental Management and the Climate Change Division, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment Malaysia, pending new structural changes. Previously, he has served as the Senior Research Officer at the Tropical Forest Biodiversity Centre, at the Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM). Dr. Gary’s expertise lies in climate change policy and sustainable development. He is part of the Ministerial Core Group and the National Climate Change negotiators team (for COP7, COP12-23 and Rio+20), and has coordinated Like-Minded Developing Countries Group, the Group of 77 and China, and the ASEAN Member States in international climate change negotiations. He is also involved in the preparation of National Submissions and Communications to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Global Environment Facility and Green Climate Fund, supervise and monitor the implementation of the Clean Development Mechanism, as well as assist in REDD+ readiness and baseline planning and implementation.
Light refreshments will be served after the event. Don’t forget to bring your own utensils in effort to go green!
Details
The event is free and open to the public, so bring your family and friends to learn more about Malaysia’s involvement in UNFCCC! Below are the details of the event:
Date: 21st July 2018 (Saturday)
Time: 9.30 am – 1.30 pm
Trainer: Dr. Gary W. Theseira
Venue:
Kuala Lumpur Teaching Centre (KLTC)
The University of Nottingham Teaching Centre
Level 2, Chulan Tower
No. 3, Jalan Conlay
50450 Kuala Lumpur Malaysia
https://www.nottingham.edu.my/AboutUs/Datesandcampusinformation/Mapsanddirections/KLTC.aspx
Location
Registration
The Malaysian Youth Delegation (MYD) is a group of passionate Malaysian individuals who represent the local youth climate movement at international climate conferences, such as the annual Conference of the Parties (COP) part of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Dedicated to raising awareness of climate policies amongst Malaysians, the youth are mentored and trained to translate technical policies into more relevant and relatable information for the public. MYD holds speaking engagements with various climate organizations to better understand the current landscape of local and international climate policies. In doing so, MYD endeavors to hold Malaysian leaders accountable for the promises made at international climate summits.
