KUCHING: Amendments to the State Land Code and Forestry Ordinance passed during the recent State Legislative Assembly (DUN) sitting are steps toward handling greenhouse gases that the state wants to trade on to increase its revenue.
This, said Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg, is part of efforts by the Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) government to ensure that Sarawak is always at the forefront of development driven by the green and digital technologies.
“We are adding to and going beyond the development of road networks, public utilities and internet infrastructure throughout the state,” he said.
The GPS government, he assured, is also highly committed to ensuring Sarawak’s adaptability in various spheres as it makes it contributions to the global efforts in mitigating global climate change.
“In line with this, the amendment to the Forestry Ordinance provides a legal framework for managing carbon stocks stored in the state’s forest inventory.
“I am confident that this move will pave the way for our state to engage in carbon business or carbon trading that has the potential to provide revenue returns to Sarawak,” he said as part of his Gawai Dayak message.
Concerning the amendment to the State Land Code, he said it serves as a legal framework to enable Sarawak to utilise the carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology to help reduce or mitigate the impact of excess carbon dioxide in the air which is said to be causing global warming through.
“The usage of the earth’s core (perut bumi) to store gas produced by industries before it is released into the air will also contain opportunities for Sarawak benefit financially.
“I am confident that the measures introduced by the GPS government in the last five years to strengthen the state’s economy, including these latest measures, will further increase Sarawak’s revenue,” he said.
