DUBAI, Dec 2 — The Regent of Pahang, Tengku Hassanal Ibrahim Alam Shah Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah officially unveiled the Pahang NetZero 2030 campaign, in line with the 28th Conference of Parties (COP28) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) here today.

Tengku Hassanal said in his address at the Malaysia Pavilion at the COP28 that Pahang is committed to achieving net zero, and is being advised by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) in developing a roadmap towards this goal.

“My state of Pahang is blessed with high forest cover and we have been advised that Pahang has a chance of reaching its objectives of NetZero by 2030, and that by 2050, Pahang will not only achieve its NetZero Targets but should also be at a surplus.

“Our approach in Pahang is structured around five pillars, namely energy; transportation and built environment; circular and waste; industry and services; as well as land use, agriculture and forestry,” the regent said, adding that Pahang has identified investment opportunities that will drive the state to achieve its objectives.

“One challenge I have encountered in persuading my state government to embrace NetZero by 2030, and the new green economy, is understanding the potential of alternative revenue streams compared to traditional ones, predominantly from logging and mining.

“It is clear that while we cannot entirely cease logging and mining activities, adopting sustainable practices in these sectors is essential,” Tengku Hassanal added.

Tengku Hassanal highlighted that the state needed to recognise that revenue generated through green economy initiatives can supplement and potentially exceed existing revenue streams sustainably.

“Also, in Pahang, we are looking at the food sector within the green economy, in particular, to introduce modern agriculture practices devoid of pesticides.

“We believe this contributes to NetZero 2030 as well as the income and welfare of our farmers,” he said.

Tengku Hassanal also witnessed the signing of agreement between UEM Lestra Berhad (UEM Lestra), the green industries arm and wholly-owned subsidiary of UEM Group Berhad and Enggang Holdings Sdn Bhd to collaborate on the development of a solar plant in Gebeng, Pahang.

The proposed solar plant, which will be situated near the Gebeng Industrial Park, spans a 450-acre area and is projected to have a potential capacity of up to 170 Megawatt peak (MWp). — Bernama