08-07-2025
- Business
- New Straits Times
Sabah tables climate bill to protect carbon sink status
KOTA KINABALU: Sabah's status as a net carbon sink is a rare and valuable asset that must be protected, said state Assistant Minister to the Chief Minister Datuk Abidin Madingkir.
"Put simply, we absorb more carbon than we emit. We are among the few jurisdictions in the world with this status," he said when tabling the Sabah Climate and Carbon Governance Enactment 2025 in the state assembly.
Abidin said Sabah contributes about 36 per cent of Malaysia's total carbon sequestration, giving it a strategic edge in a carbon-constrained global economy.
Sabah completed its first comprehensive Greenhouse Gas Inventory in 2024 and is already aligned with Malaysia's 2050 net zero target under the Paris Agreement.
"Being a net sink is a strategic economic asset. An asset we must guard jealously," he said.
He stressed the need to ensure this position benefits all Sabahans and contributes to global climate goals. The transition, he added, will require capacity, investment and partnerships, including with the federal government and international stakeholders.
The bill, which was passed during the sitting, will establish the Sabah Climate Change Action Council, a Climate Registry, Inventory Centre, and the Sabah Climate Fund.
The council will include the state secretary as chairman, key ministries, the Forestry Department, Lands and Surveys Department, and the Economic Planning Unit. It will also be tasked with preparing a carbon budget, which will be made available to the public.
