KUCHING, Dec 12 — Sarawak Premier Tan Sri Abang Johari Openg today said the war against climate change is a concerted effort that needs everyone to join in to ensure a sustainable future for all.
He said the state too needs to play an active role and quickly, as the alternative endangers the wellbeing of everyone on the planet.
“Delayed action will trigger the impacts of climate change so catastrophic that our world will become unrecognisable,” he said at the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between state-owned Petroleum Sarawak Berhad (Petros) and the POSCO Group of South Korea to collaborate in the development of Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) business in Sarawak.
Abang Johari said changing course will require immediate, ambitious and concerted efforts to slash greenhouse gas emissions.
He added CCS is beginning to prove itself as a commercially viable solution that has the potential to be used for making of hydrogen, blue ammonia, biofuels and other products, thereby providing a sustained platform in Sarawak, apart from the generation of carbon credits.
“In this regard, Sarawak’s initiative in CCS aims to support Green Energy businesses in line with the Global Financial movement towards Environmental, Social, and Governance framework,” he said.
He added that as Sarawak moves towards becoming a high-income prosperous state, environmental sustainability is vital and instrumental in its ability to secure both thriving human communities and abundant and healthy natural ecosystems.
The premier stressed that many have assumed that economic interests and environmental interests are in conflict.
“But new discovery and research makes the case that this perception of development vs conservation is not just unnecessary but actively counterproductive to both ends,” he added.
Petros was represented by its board of directors chairman Tan Sri Hamid Bugo, group chief executive officer Janin Girie, acting senior vice president for resources management Anyi Ngau while POSCO Group was represented by its head of hydrogen business Cho Ju-Ik in the signing of the MoU.
Under the MoU, the parties will conduct a joint study on potential carbon storage sites in Sarawak based on available data provided by Petros, transportation of CO2 from Korea to CCS hub in Sarawak, CO2 injection and sequestration, solutions to reduce, mitigate and/or avoid Green House Gas emissions arising from the CCS opportunities; and assess the technical and commercial feasibility of the CCS business.
