KOTA KINABALU: Chief Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Haji Hajiji Haji Noor assured the Sabah Government continues to be a responsible custodian of the state’s environment, while remaining firm in defending the economic future of the people.
“This is the balance Sabah seeks. This is the future Sabah is building,” he said at the Powering Green Growth: Sabah and Malaysia in the Age of Sustainability World Green and Sustainability Summit (WGSS) at Shangri-La Tanjung Aru Resort near here on Monday.
He said Sabah fully supported renewable energy and stronger environmental protection, but at the same time, Sabah is still a developing state.
“We are strengthening infrastructure, expanding industrial capacity. creating jobs and improving energy security for long-term growth. So our position is clear,” he said.
Hajiji said energy is not merely an environmental issue, but also an economic issue and a matter of long-term security for Sabah, hence, a balanced and practical energy mix is important.
“Renewable energy is clearly part of our future. Solar, hydro, biomass, biogas and other clean technologies must continue to expand as part of Sabah’s long-term energy roadmap.
“The Sabah Energy Roadmap and Master Plan 2040 itself, emphasises on reliable, accessible, affordable and sustainable energy including improved generation reserve margin, a better generation mix, and increased renewable contribution,” he said.
Hajiji also posed a question: if Sabah continues to carry major environmental responsibility for the nation, then how does Sabah receive fair economic value from that contribution.
“This is not a selfish question. It is a fair question. Conservation is often spoken of as a moral duty. And yes it is a duty we take seriously. But conservation also has an economic cost. When land is preserved, there is an opportunity cost. When forests are protected, there is revenue forgone,” he said.
“When ecosystems absorb carbon and support biodiversity, the value created does not benefit Sabah alone. It benefits Malaysia. It benefits the region. It benefits the world.
“Therefore, the new sustainability conversation must also be a conversation about fairness. Fair value. Fair recognition. Fair investment and fair participation.
“Sabah cannot continue to be seen only as a place that contributes natural capital. Sabah must also become a place that benefits from natural capital,” he said.
He added Sabah can prove that a developing state does not need to choose between protecting nature and improving livelihoods.
“We can do both, but we must do it in a way that is right for Sabah, ” he said.-pr/BNN
