SYNOPSIS

Climate change effects that scientists had predicted in the past are now occurring: loss of sea ice, accelerated sea level rise, more frequent and more intense heat waves, drought in some regions, as well as tropical storms. Besides the direct damages to the ecosystems by wildfires, more carbon dioxide (CO2) is released in the atmosphere. As a greenhouse gas, CO2 traps heat in the Earth’s lower atmosphere which in turn causes the rise in global temperatures. At the 2015 Paris Agreement, the world leaders pledged to keep a global temperature rise this century to well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. However, in early 2018, World Meteorological Organization (WMO) reported that the average global surface temperature in 2017 was already 1.1 degrees Celsius above the levels. Meanwhile, NASA scientists reported that the warming in the last 60 years is attributed to human activities. As a country whose economy is significantly dependent on the oil & gas and oil palm sectors, Malaysia will soon face sustainability crisis in terms of energy, food and water sufficiency and security if our climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies are not well executed.

This talk aims to raise awareness on several key issues and shares some thoughts on:

• What are Malaysia’s challenges and unique advantages in terms of climate change?
• How should we prepare ourselves in terms of climate change mitigation and adaption strategy?
• What are the readily-available and possible opportunities?
• What human capital should our country have and invest in in order to benefit from these opportunities?

As a curious engineer, Mr Chiew actively explores the technological solutions that can help humankind and the environment to adapt and mitigate the effects of climate change, especially in the sectors which he is familiar with, i.e. oil & gas and oil palm plantation.


BIODATA OF SPEAKER
                    
A chemical engineer by training,  Mr Chiew Teck Wee has over 20 years of experience in environmental consultancy and project management. Mr Chiew received his degree from University of Malaya and later completed MSc in Environmental Technology at Imperial College London. He is registered with the Department of Environment (DOE) as Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Consultant, and also a SGS-certified Lead Environmental Auditor.

Mr Chiew has provided consultancy, training and solutions on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions estimation, accounting and reporting, particularly to the oil & gas industry in Malaysia. Through his involvement in environmental sustainability works with the forestry and oil palm plantation sectors, he has travelled widely in the region, witnessed the impacts of climate change and saw possible opportunities. In brief, his work involves environmental compliance, due diligence, risk assessments and sustainability.

Geographically, he has carried out environmental projects and studies in the Southeast Asia region, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Sudan. Mr Chiew is the Managing Director and Founder of Riverstone Environmental Sdn Bhd.