Lyna Mohamad
Day two of Climate Action Week of the Brunei Mid-Year Conference and Exhibition 2022 (Brunei MYCE 2022) continued with a seminar on clean energy at International Convention Centre (ICC) in Berakas.
Permanent Secretary (Infrastructure, Housing and Professional) at the Ministry of Development Ir Haji Amer Hishamuddin bin Pehin Orang Kaya Amar Pahlawan Dato Seri Setia Haji Zakaria attended the event as guest of honour.
The seminar was moderated by Assistant Professor at Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) Dr Rosnah bin Abdullah with panellists – Head of Sustainable Energy of the Department of Energy at the Prime Minister’s Office Noor Dina Zharina binti Haji Yahya; Head of Energy Transition of Brunei Shell Petroleum Sdn Bhd Shirley Sikun; Director of Centre for Innovative Engineering of Universiti Teknologi Brunei (UTB) Nawaf Hazim Saeid and Head of Strategy and Portfolio of Brunei LNG Sdn Bhd Md Fadhlullah Omarali.
Concerns raised by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (2018) report were among the matters touched in this session where human activities cause global temperature to rise approximately by one degree Celsius and with the current rate, global warming is likely to reach up to two degrees Celsius between 2030 and 2051.
Global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from fossil fuel combustions contribute significantly towards this warming and as a result, the Energy Transition Council (ETC), introduced during the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26), was aimed to make clean and sustainable power the most affordable and reliable option to accelerate clean energy transition, moving away from coal and other fossil fuels.
This session also discussed on Brunei’s recent efforts to minimise the usage of fossil fuels and the steps needed to take from communities and government agencies moving forward.
Following this, another seminar moderated by Associate Professor at UBD Professor Johan Willem Frederikk Slik focussed on nature-based solutions. The presenters were Principal Environmental Consultant of DHI Water and Environment, Singapore Dr Siti Maryam, Director of Forestry Department at the Ministry of Primary Resources and Tourism Noralinda binti Haji Ibrahim and UBD Faculty of Science Assistant Professor Dr Daniele Cicuzza.
It also highlighted how the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) defined nature-based solutions as actions to protect, sustainably manage and restore natural and modified ecosystems in ways that address societal challenges effectively and adaptively, benefitting both human well-being, and biodiversity.
The nature-based solutions provide the best land-based mechanism in terms of natural carbon sinks and reservoirs to keep track with the Paris Agreement goal of 1.5 degrees Celsius, and also mitigating the climate change impact on the coastal and marine ecosystems.
