In 2010 the state of Melaka, located along the South-Western coast of the Malaysian Peninsular, established a vision to become a Green Technology City State, with a blueprint for actions up to 2020. This plan is part of the city’s commitment to contribute to the national government’s plan to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions intensity by 40% by 2020. Key for Melaka in reaching its target is a clear set of greenhouse gas emissions inventories. At a session in the Cities & Regions Pavilion at COP21 on 9 December, Melaka announced that it had, in collaboration with ICLEI, successfully developed its inventories.
Greenhouse gas emissions inventories have been produced for each of the four cities of Melaka State. The inventories cover a wide range of sectors, and have been established through a process that has made use of the HEAT+ tool, with ICLEI providing support in using the software and developing the climate action plan. Once the inventory has been released, the data will be shared on the carbonn Climate Registry (cCR) – the world’s leading reporting platform to enhance transparency, accountability and credibility of climate action of local and subnational governments.
The inventories will establish the baseline for Melaka’s further development. The state’s Green City plan has six main areas: water, renewable energy, transport, waste, culture & tourism, and urban forestry and agriculture. A wide range of initiatives are underway as part of the plan. These include the renovation of nine state government buildings to ensure energy efficiency, the development of a waste eco-park to encourage recycling clusters, the construction of a solar plant and the installation of smart meters in 400 houses. Melaka is planning further initiatives, including the rehabilitation of the Melaka River and the conversion of district buses from gasoline to electric power. It is also working on renewable energy for public lighting in partnership with private enterprises like Dong Energy and Phillipps.
The state was also selected to be part of the Indonesia-Malaysia-Thailand Growth Triangle (IMT-GT) Green City Initiative. This initiative encompasses 32 states and provinces, and more than 300 cities. Melaka is a leader in this initiative, serving as a champion to leverage investment from the Asia Development Bank (ADB). The IMT-CT helps Melaka develop in a holistic fashion, learning from other cities. It has also helped to connect Melaka with private sector partners; investment from these partners is projected to reach USD 1 billion by the end of 2016.
On 2-4 March 2016, Melaka will host the second ever Resilient Cities Asia-Pacific congress. The objective of the program is to create a space for local governments, institutions and communities to come together and discuss climate resilience in urban areas. The first congress was successfully held in Bangkok, Thailand in February 2015.