The main objectives of the research are to review sustainable urban development and the implementation and planning of low carbon cities in Malaysia. Malaysia embarked on an aggressive approach to sustainable development with the introduction of the New Economic Policy (NEP) in 1970. The implementation of the New Economic Model (NEM) in 2009 further strengthened sustainable development to achieve three key goals: high income, inclusivity, and sustainability. It is aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and sustainable urban development. Malaysia embarked on a goal to reduce CO2 emissions by 40% in 2005 and 45% by 2030. To achieve this goal, several policies and plans have been planned and implemented, such as the National Green Technology Policy (2010), the Renewable Energy Act (2011), the National Energy Efficiency Action Plan (NEEAP) (2015), the Low Carbon Cities Framework (LCCF) (2011), the Green Technology Application for the Development of Low Carbon Cities (GTALCC) (2016), and the National Low Carbon Cities Masterplan (NLCCM) (2021).
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In 1950, only 30% of the world’s population lived in urban areas. Then, the total population increased to 55% in 2018 (United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, 2018). By 2050, two-thirds of the global population will live in cities, with Asia and Africa accounting for 90% of the urban population growth. Urban populations continue to grow and have greater material prosperity, leading to an increase in consumption of resources and energy, as well as waste generation. 70% of cities are affected by climate change, while nearly all cities are at risk. The average temperature is predicted to rise between 1.2°C and 1.6°C by 2050 (Lee, 2019).
The total population in Malaysia is 32.7 million in 2021. Of that number, 77.3% of the population lives in urban areas (Department of Statistics Malaysia, 2021). 13 cities in Malaysia with high population densities. These include Kuala Lumpur, Seberang Perai (Penang), Kajang (Selangor), Klang (Selangor), Subang Jaya, (Selangor) Georgetown (Penang), Ipoh (Perak), Petaling Jaya (Selangor), Kuching (Sarawak), Selayang (Selangor), Shah Alam (Selangor), Iskandar Puteri (Johor), Seremban (Negeri Sembilan), Johor Bahru (Johor). Also, the majority of Malaysia's factories are located in industrial zones that are spread across the country but are particularly abundant in states such as Selangor, Penang and Johor (Crowe, n.d).
Malaysia embarked on the journey of sustainable development in the 1970s with the introduction of the New Economic Policy (NEP), which aimed to eradicate poverty and restructure societal imbalances. Malaysia formulated its New Economic Model (NEM) in 2009, which solidified its commitment to pursue sustainable development based on three principles: high income, inclusivity, and sustainability. These three elements reflect the three elements of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (the 2030 Agenda), encompassing economic, social, and environmental components. It is critical to note that the Eleventh Malaysia Plan (11MP) is aligned with most of the global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) (Economic Planning Unit, 2017).
According to Somasundram et al. (2018), air pollution is one of the five most worrying challenges of urban society. Air pollution has become a significant problem in Malaysia due to industrialisation. As a result of industrial growth, many harmful particles have permeated into the atmosphere. Industrial expansion has turned the quality of air from healthy to worse (Usmani et al., 2020). A review of air pollution in Malaysia conducted by Afroz et al. (2003) discussed that the air pollutants mainly involved Carbon monoxide (CO), Sulphur Dioxide (SO2), Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2), Ozone (O3), and Suspended Particulate Matter (SPM). Most of the pollution in urban and industrial areas has been caused by land transportation and industrial emissions. In addition, another reason that causes pollution in Malaysia and occurs almost every year is open burning sources. In 2019, the total amount of carbon monoxide emissions was 2.24 million metric tons (Müller, 2021)
A city is a complex system comprised of various aspects such as industry, environment, economy, infrastructure and multi-layered governance. In order for a city to move to a low carbon city, these elements must take part in low carbon transformation (Wu et al., 2021). Sustainable urban development has an important role to play to reduce carbon emissions. Cities in Malaysia are in dilemma to decouple its economic growth and carbon emissions, or risk being locked into unsustainable development pathways (Green Technology Application For The Development of Low Carbon Cities, 2019).
The main objectives of the research are to review sustainable urban development, and the implementation and planning of low carbon cities in Malaysia.