At Copenhagen last December, the Prime Minister of Malaysia, Datuk Seri Najib Razak, pledged a 40 percent cut in carbon dioxide intensity by 2020. By moving forward on coal energy, Malaysia would make meeting this goal even more difficult, since coal is the most carbon intensive of the fossil fuels.

Kammen says that the choice between coal and renewable energy doesn't have to be an either-or choice: either cheap or expensive, either job creation or job loss.

"The people of Sabah are keenly aware of the need for jobs, and of their incredible natural resource base. Renewable energy supports that positive development, and a coal project in the region fights that positive, clean, growth," he says.

Sabah, its people, and its policymakers are facing a decision similar to many places of the world: How do we move ahead on energy? Kammen says that if Sabah chooses renewable energy over traditional fossil fuels it could help spark a clean-energy revolution.

"Economies in all parts of the world can look carefully at their resources, develop partnerships, and build a clean-energy, job-creating path that protects the natural legacy of each state and province, and our shared global legacy to leave the world a better place for our children," said Kammen. "So far, our society, globally, has not lived up to that charge," he explains, adding that "Sabah can take a stand, profit from the choice, and chart a new path." THE END

Source: Policy Innovations