THE Penang government, through the Penang Green Council (PGC), has launched the Penang Green Agenda (PGA) 2030 today.
Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow, who is also the PGC chairman, said PGA is a framework and roadmap for Penang to move forward as a state, powered by green economy by 2030.
“PGA started in 2017 and it took over three years to complete. It is aimed at implementing strategies to build a future-proof community in Penang to meet and adapt to forthcoming environmental challenges by 2030.
“The green agenda focuses on ten key areas which have been identified and highlighted by the people of Penang as being important issues now and in time to come.
“It is a crucial component in the Penang2030 vision which is to realise ‘A Family-Focused Green and Smart State that Inspires the Nation’,” Chow said in his speech during an online launching at the Penang Digital Library 2 (PDL 2) in Jalan Masjid Negeri today.
Among those present were state Welfare and Environment Committee chairman Phee Boon Poh, state Transport and Infrastructure Committee chairman Zairil Khir Johari and PGC general manager Josephine Tan Mei Ling.
According to Chow, 10 working groups from various backgrounds such as the public service, civil society, academia, professional bodies and businesses were invited during the three years’ span to give ideas and to share their professional expertise in 10 different focus areas throughout the process.
“Some of the suggestions have already been adopted, for instance, the forming of the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Taskforce, the new dedicated Disaster Management Unit, the preparation of Green Tourism concept and so on.
“This makes PGA the ultimate document for reference when we talk about a greener Penang.
“And these 10 reports are now completed, approved and fully endorsed by the Penang state government,” he said.
Chow said the state government welcomes everyone to access the PGA document at the PGC website (https://pgc.com.my/2020/) to understand the issues and challenges highlighted.
“We hope everyone can work together to create a more sustainable and resilient society.
“This is because the state government can’t merely be doing it on its own. The involvement of various stakeholders during the development and execution phases is equally important as PGA is formulated not for one but for all.
“Rome wasn’t built in a day. A new direction of growth with an emphasis on sustainability to address the challenge of climate change is equally important to safeguard lives, properties, jobs and our standard of living,” he added.
Chow also strongly urged all government departments to collaborate with each other as well as with the non-government entities to achieve the goals that have been set out in the PGA.
“We also welcome all state government departments and agencies to take the Penang Green Agenda report as a benchmark and reference point when drafting a new policy,” he added.
Chow added that PGC would, in the shortest time possible, form a coalition with government and non-governmental stakeholders to start the implementation process.
Meanwhile, Tan said to ensure PGA is comprehensive enough for Penang, it went through the three main stages.
“The three main stages are identifying environmental issues Penang needs to overcome, developing a roadmap towards resilience of issues per se and today, its launching and adoption in the coming future,” she said.
Tan said apart from PGA 2030, the PGC is also introducing the Climate Change Impact on Penang Report which outlines some analyses and assessments of global warming towards Penang.
“This report is a compilation of various studies done by both local and global researchers.
“What is special about this report is that it primarily focuses on climate change in Penang.
“It explores potential disasters along with its impact on natural resources and public health, which has serious socio-economic implications.
“To spur actions, the report has also attempted to link different government departments to the issues discussed throughout the report.
“This report will be published on our website in March,” she added.
After the launching, there was also an online forum discussing the environmental issues and the newly-launched Penang Green Agenda 2030.
Among the panellists were Phee, Zairil, PGA 2030 project manager cum moderator for the forum Dr Ng Shin Wei, electronic engineer and book writer cum PGA working group member Rexy Prakash Chacko and Think City’s Lead for the Environmental Resilience Community of Practice cum PGA working group member Sofia Castelo.
Story by Riadz Akmal
Pix by Law Suun Ting
Video by Alissala Thian