GOVT TO SPEND US$3 MLN GCF GRANT ON CLIMATE CHANGE NATIONAL ADAPTATION PLAN -- NIK NAZMI

From Anas Abu Hassan

DUBAI, Dec 5 (Bernama) -- The government will be spending US$3 million (US$1=RM4.66) in grants from the Green Climate Fund (GCF) to develop the National Adaptation Plan (NAP) on climate change, said Minister of Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change (NRECC) Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad.

He said that the ministry is currently in the process of getting approval from GCF to develop the NAP, which is a crucial framework in addressing the adaptation and resilience of the climate change agenda in the country.

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"We had our mitigation plan. With regards to adaptation, this is the national framework to inform how we deal with adaptation measures, and it will be prioritising health, agriculture and food security, forestry, biodiversity, water resources and security, as well as infrastructures and cities," he said in a panel session during Adaptation and Resilience Day of Malaysia Pavilion at 28th Conference of Parties (COP28), here.

The GCF was established within the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to support projects, programmes, policies and other activities in developing countries.

The minister said the NAP, together with funding from some international grants, will help the country design cities, plan physical development, and protect forests to meet challenges resulting from climate change.

The idea of rolling out the NAP for climate change was announced in the 12th Malaysia Plan (12MP) Mid-Term Review released by the Economy Ministry in September.

The NRECC Ministry is currently working with Germany’s development agency, the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), on developing the NAP proposal for approval by the GCF.

Meanwhile, Nik Nazmi said that governments, including developed countries, have faced limited fiscal space to deal with the adaptation and resilience of climate change issues.

"The idea of using blended finance and tapping into various funds is very crucial for countries to deal with adaptation and resilience solutions," he added.

Citing an example of Malaysia's approach to mitigating the climate change issues in the capital city of Kuala Lumpur with the construction of the Stormwater Management And Road Tunnel (Smart) tunnel, Nik Nazmi said the government took this approach to deal with both floods and traffic jams in the city centre.

"It (the Smart Tunnel) has reduced floods in the city centre and is being paid for by Malaysian motorists who pay the toll.

"This is one of the Malaysian approaches where we worked with private parties to find long-term solutions," the minister added.

-- BERNAMA