Durian farmer’s plight highlights thorny problem of climate change

 

The recent monsoon floods – a sign of a changing climate – wreaked havoc on Zain Maarof’s durian farm.

Global warming and climate change is more than a slogan but a real-life problem for durian farmer Zain Maarof. He had first-hand experience of the problem when monsoon floods destroyed or damaged his trees, causing huge losses to his business.

Zain devotes all his time to his durian crops, including the best clones such as Musang King, Black Thorn and Tupai King.

He said he chose the durian as his crop because of its popularity and marketability, which ensured good selling prices and a good return on investment.

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But climate change is causing anxiety to farmers by changing the harvest cycle, leading to many uncertainties ahead.

“The monsoon pattern has always allowed farmers to plan their planting better, in terms of crop type, irrigation, fertiliser, and management of research and development (R&D), but now the climate is unpredictable,” he said.

It is because of the plight of farmers such as Zain, and of Malaysians in general who must face up to the effects of global warming and climate change, that the national utility company Tenaga Nasional Berhad has embarked on its sustainability pathway.

TNB hopes to achieve net zero emissions by 2050 in a bold move towards decarbonisation and renewable energy goals. It has a commitment to reduce 35% of carbon emission intensity as well as 50% of its coal generation capacity by 2035.

Electricity and heat production worldwide are responsible for approximately 30% of greenhouse gas emissions.

The solar panel is aimed at creating a green energy future

TNB is enabling electricity consumers to reduce their carbon footprint through the Green Electricity Tariff (GET) launched in November.

Domestic, commercial, and industrial electricity users in Peninsular Malaysia can opt for the new GET programme and have an option to purchase low-carbon electricity supply without having to install their own solar rooftop or other means of renewable energy.

TNB says users have subscribed to 2.2 million megaWatt-hours this year, making up 49% of the GET quota.

TNB has also committed to stop investing in coal plants while pledging to ensure that revenue from coal generation plants does not exceed 25% of its total revenue.

TNB is also trying to encourage other companies to join the effort to achieve net zero emissions by 2050,

Its wholly-owned subsidiary GSPARX Sdn Bhd has been collaborating with several partners such as logistics firm DHL Malaysia, car rental company Socar and auto sales group Sime Darby Motors.

“GSPARX provides solar rooftop solutions, which has helped property owners — from occupants of terraced houses to those of factories — achieve anywhere between 50% to 85% in savings on electricity bills by generating their own renewable energy,” TNB said.

While corporate efforts are important, the real impact can be made only by working together with the government.

TNB is building a global solar manufacturing hub for Malaysia, raising national competitiveness through energy efficiency and making Malaysia the electric vehicle hub for Asean.

The company will remain supportive of the government’s green agenda and Malaysia’s commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emission intensity per GDP by 45% by 2030.

The company saw an improvement of 11.4% in FY2020, compared with the previous year in mitigation of 5.98 million tonnes of carbon dioxide.

“We attribute this to our consistent emission mitigation initiatives which include increasing our low carbon and renewable energy generation, energy efficiency measures and tree planting initiatives,” TNB said. - FMT