Page 9 - GreenRE_Sustainable Real Estate Book

Heartiest congratulations to GreenRE on your 10th Anniversary! Realising its major impact on the environment, the government intends to green
Malaysia’s built environment to achieve 1,750 green buildings by 2030 from the
The Government of Malaysia applauds your dedication and remarkable contributions
to the nation. As one of Malaysia’s leading green building certification bodies, 550 recorded in 2020, as outlined in the Green Technology Masterplan 2017-
you have been a steadfast champion of urban sustainability. 2030.
The Government hence appreciates GreenRE’s efforts to organise talks,
GreenRE forging ahead awareness campaigns and training programmes to spur awareness among

With a history and track record that predates the establishment of the United stakeholders and to communicate the long-term benefits of green buildings.
Nation’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals, GreenRE has become an established Certainly, education at all levels of society will be crucial in the quest for greater
authority in the real estate industry. You have guided developers and building sustainability.
owners towards creating green and sustainable buildings.
To increase the momentum of green technology adaptation in buildings, we
The recent Covid-19 pandemic has increased our appreciation of how precious realise also that finance is a key driving force. Recently, Bank Negara Malaysia
our natural environment is. Those difficult times should be a wake-up call for us (BNM) issued the Climate Change and Principle-based Taxonomy (CCPT), a
to rededicate ourselves to our obligation to safeguard, preserve and revive our guidance document to address the urgency in preparing the financial sector to
planet’s natural ecosystems for future generations. This cannot be put off with support the transition to sustainability by channelling capital and funds towards
climate change becoming both an undeniable reality and existential threat. activities that support climate and environmental objectives through their green
Conscious of these challenges, the Government of Malaysia is determined to financing, investment and advisory activities.
ensure that all our initiatives, policies and programmes transform and grow the Additionally, Budget 2023 offers many incentives to spur green initiatives. We
nation sustainably, in a less carbon intensive manner. This is in tandem with our commend GreenRE for working closely with banks to leverage these incentives
efforts to continue nation-building efforts by providing quality and sustainable to accelerate the transformation of private-owned buildings towards low-carbon
living environment. and low-waste paradigms.
It has been a great pleasure to witness the untiring efforts of GreenRE over the Conclusion
past decade, with substantial achievements such as over 300 million square
feet of real estate successfully green-rated in various real estate sub-sectors, GreenRE has played a significant role in reshaping Malaysia’s built environment.
including buildings for NGOs and educational institutions. I am confident It has helped developers and private owners reduce their energy use and carbon
that there will be better things to come as GreenRE’s journey converges with emissions to achieve their goals and priorities. However, this should be just the
Malaysia’s – to create low-carbon cities with climate-smart buildings that beginning.
reduces GHG emissions and efficiently manages resources, solid waste, water, A-whole-of-nation effort is required to lessen our carbon footprint, reduce
and energy. waste and optimise energy usage. The transition needs to be market-driven by
people gaining extra commercial value, and making sure the adoption strategies
Towards a greener built environment pay for themselves. Neither the private sector’s role nor responsibilities can be
Malaysia has committed in our Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) minimised.
to reduce economy-wide carbon intensity (against GDP) by 45% by 2030,
compared to 2005 levels. Guided by this target, the Government will be Moving forward, it is imperative for industry and government to work together
focusing our climate change mitigation strategies on the most critical sectors to achieve better environmental outcomes, as GreenRE has demonstrated it is
and sub-sectors of the economy, and we are conscious that the real estate and possible. Congratulations GreenRE, and we look forward to a fruitful journey
construction sectors deserve special attention. towards a greener Malaysia!