By Sherry Koh
Change the climate, save the future
Environmental crises are all around us. We are already experiencing and seeing the changes. Global warming, hazardous waste, air pollution and resource depletion are just a few of the many mounting worries.
According to Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Douglas Unggah Embas, Malaysia's average temperature has risen by 1.1 degree Celsius in the past 50 years, consistent with the warming of global temperature. This resulted in changes in the rainfall patterns, causing more floods. The latest finding also showed that the sea level was also on the increase, at the rate of 1.25mm a year.
Greenest Person on the Planet, Matthias Gelber
Oh, carbon! Global warming is due to the continuous rise of greenhouse gas emissions such as carbon dioxide into the earth's atmosphere. Many green-related jargons have been associated with this word - carbon. One of the most used terms is arguably carbon footprint, which is directly linked to each and every one of us.
Co-founder of Maleki GmbH and Greenest Person on the Planet 2008 award winner Matthias Gelber explains,“Carbon footprint is translating all of our activities that have an environmental impact into a total figure equivalent to the amount of CO2 (carbon dioxide) that we are responsible for. When you switch on the kettle in the morning to get hot water, you consume electricity. That electricity shows up on your monthly meter. The electricity in kilowatt hours. So we are trying to get a gauge of our own responsibility as an individual about how much carbon dioxide equivalent one emits. When you burn fuel in your car, that generates CO2 emissions and other emissions. And we try and calculate from all of that the equivalent amount of carbon dioxide emission, so that we have one currency.
“When we talk about money, we talk in Ringgit. When we talk about environmental impact and global warming, we try and use CO2 as the currency - kilograms or tons of CO2. So carbon footprint is the total accumulated amount of CO2 in kilogram or tonnes that you are responsible for an individual. That’s your personal carbon footprint,” Gelber explains.
Another must-know jargon is carbon-neutral. Carbon-neutral means that no carbon dioxide is emitted into the atmosphere or strategies are employed to absorb the carbon dioxide. According to REHDA’s Green Solutions Conference 2010 carbon consultant Bernard Sagaiyaraj, the event would have emitted about 50 tons of CO2e (Carbon Dioxide equivalent), if it wasn’t carbon-neutral. “Carbon-impact reduction strategies can range from reducing the number of event participants and getting them to join the conference via some form of videoconferencing. Another strategy would be to remove beef, lamb and dairy products from the menu and another strategy could be the increase in room temperature by a few degrees and request participants to dress lightly,” says Sagaiyaraj.
Prime Minister announced that Malaysia has agreed to reduce its CO2 emissions by up to 40% by year 2020.
The number 40 At the moment, the number 40 seems to be attached to a few ‘green statistics. During the recent United Nations Climate Change Conference 2009 (COP 15) at Copenhagen, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak announced that Malaysia has agreed to reduce its carbon dioxide emissions by up to 40 percent by year 2020 compared with 2005 levels.
According to co-founder of Maleki GmbH and Greenest Person on the Planet 2008 award winner Matthias Gelber, about up to 40 percent of energy consumption, 40 percent of CO2 (carbon dioxide) emission and up to 40 percent of solid waste are directly or indirectly related to our Malaysian property industry, which means that the industry will be instrumental towards positive change.
Limit use of non-renewable resources As clichéd as it sounds, less is indeed more when it comes to mitigating climate change. Many people are switching from plastic bags to more environmental-friendly types of bags. That’s one positive step, but the one thing that interviews with the REHDA’s Green Solutions Conference speakers and leaders have revealed is the importance of reducing the usage of non-renewable sources of energy such as coal, petroleum and natural gas (also known as fossil fuels) as the burning of these resources is one of the main contributors to climate change. Non-renewable resources refer to natural resources that cannot be regenerated or reused, while renewable energy can be derived from replenishable resources such as solar, hydro, wave, wind and geothermal heat.
Currently, electricity generation in Malaysia is still largely dependent on fossil fuels. They account for around 85 percent of total electricity generation in the country, while renewable resources make up only approximately one percent.
Tan: We need to make the transition fast whilst we still have the energy resources such as oil and gas..."
According to renewable energy advisor to the Energy, Green Technology and Water Ministry Ahmad Hadri Haris, the target is to increase the usage of renewable energy to at least nine percent of total electricity generation in Malaysia by 2020.
Chairman of Malaysian Institute of Architects (PAM) sustainability committee Ar Dr Tan Loke Mun explains how the property sector can do its part. “We need to make the transition fast whilst we still have energy resources such as oil and gas, and before the window of opportunity closes on us. Population growth and urban development continues. So it is imperative for developers to start to think about how the end-users are going to enjoy, sustain, maintain and thrive in an era of higher costs,” says Tan.
Gelber echoes Tan’s views as he said that Malaysians are having it easy as energy rates are subsidised by the Government. “The challenge now is how the Malaysian Government can increase the rates but minimise the problems on the social impact. Surprisingly, the most energy efficient countries in the world are the ones who are the biggest energy consumers,” Gelber said after delivering a talk at a conference in Penang in March.
Incentives The Government has introduced the Green Building tax incentive in last year’s budget, whereby tax exemption is given on the incremental costs incurred on buildings which obtain Green Building Index (GBI) certificate.
PricewaterhouseCoopers Taxation Services Sdn Bhd (PwC) senior executive director Margaret Lee shares, “Currently, there are no tax incentives given to the general public on purchase of energy-efficient assets. The Government can encourage households to purchase energy-saving devices such as solar panels, by granting incentives in the form of personal relief to them.”
Think long term Building new green homes or ‘greening’ existing homes might cost quite a bit more, but we have to bear in mind the long-term savings. In a recent interview with inventor of bioclimatic skyscrapers and principal of award-winning architect firm T. R. Hamzah and Yeang, Datuk Ken Yeang said that his Solaris project in Singapore is a Green Mark Platinum building. In the Solaris building, Yeang said that the energy and water savings is SGD700,000 a year.
Pomeroy: "Going green isn't a short term thing, and needs to be considered long term to maximise social, economic and environmental benefits."
Green Mark was launched by Singapore’s Building and Construction Authority (BCA). It is a green building rating system to evaluate a building for its environmental impact and performance. Malaysia’s equivalent would be the Green Building Index (GBI).
Another notable individual who is also an advocate of sustainable building design is award-winning Singapore-based architect Jason Pomeroy. He is a director at Broadway Malyan Singapore and will be speaking at the REHDA Green Solutions Conference 2010. Pomeroy is the consultant for the Sime Darby Idea House which is located within Sime Darby’s Denai Alam township in Shah Alam. The house is set to be the first carbon-neutral residence in Southeast Asia.
Pomeroy truly believes in the benefits of going green. He says, “Going green isn't a short term thing, and needs to be considered long term to maximise the social, economic and environmental benefits. Just as one does not invest in a stock with the view to immediate selling the next day, so too should we be considering sustainability for the long term. If we don't, the economic and environmental consequences will be catastrophic for our children.”
A sustainable future Going green is no longer an option. Safe to say, it is an eventual must. As resources deplete (or are unnecessarily wasted), electricity and water costs will increase. When homes and buildings require more energy for cooling and lighting, more resources will be used. Hence, the importance of taking into consideration a building or home’s orientation, its design and material used to build it.
