KUALA LUMPUR (May 17): The Malaysian Green Technology and Climate Change Corporation (MGTC) is committed to working with the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources (KeTSA) to encourage more firms to implement sustainable energy management system through the Energy Management Gold Standard (EMGS) certification.
Chief executive officer Shamsul Bahar Mohd Nor said the move was in line with the nation’s aspiration to drive the energy efficiency agenda towards achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.
“Climate change and global warming are the main challenges faced by the society in this century.
“Beginning with the industrial revolution, humans have carried out rampant burning of fossil fuels to produce heat and electricity,” he said during the EMGS certification award ceremony under the ASEAN Energy Management Scheme (AEMAS) here on Tuesday (May 17).
Citing a United Nations report, he said the earth’s temperature has increased by one-degree Celsius since the 19th century.
“If the earth’s temperature rises by more than 1.5 degrees Celcius, there would be many adverse implications such as global warming that will lead to unpredictable weather with extreme storms, more frequent heavy rainfall and prolonged drought,” he said.
Hence, Shamsul Bahar said early mitigation efforts are needed to address climate change, including energy efficiency initiatives that begin with management to reduce energy consumption and conserve natural resources.
“Initiatives to improve energy efficiency performance would not only contribute towards savings in operational cost but also reflect on the awareness and commitment of an organisation in an effort to reduce its operational impact on the environment,” he noted.
MGTC is the country’s coordinator appointed for the implementation of the AEMAS programme in Malaysia.
AEMAS covers two sub-programmes — Energy Manager Training Course and EMGS certification.
“MGTC plays its role to promote the AEMAS programme, producing local trainers and evaluators, as well as implementing evaluation for energy and organisation managers,” he added.
Shamsul Bahar hopes these efforts will help attract more organisations, especially in the private and industrial sectors in securing the EMGS certification.
During the ceremony, a total of 128 companies were awarded the EMGS certification.
Twenty-seven organisations bagged the 1-Star certification, 44 firms received the 2-Star certification and 57 companies secured the highest 3-Star certification.
Among the 3-Star recipients were the National Heart Institute in Kuala Lumpur and hospitals in Sik (Kedah), Alor Gajah (Melaka), Balik Pulau (Penang), as well as Segamat and Tangkak in Johor.
The Health Ministry has supported the AEMAS programme, especially EMGS certification, through the involvement of almost all health facilities under the government.
Source : The Edge Market