Malaysia Can Learn From Eco-Model City Kitakyushu

By Azlina Aziz KUALA LUMPUR, March 5 (Bernama) -- The city of Kitakyushu, located in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan, has much to offer in the way of solutions for the growing environmental problems and towards sustainable development in Asian countries and cities. Once Japan's capital of steel and chemical industries, Kitakyushu today is a much cleaner city, thanks to a variety of environmental policies and measures that have helped it overcome severe environmental pollution in the past. What is more interesting is that it expects to continue to engage in international cooperation and business in order to capitalise on its accumulated technologies and know-how in sustainable development to solve Asian cities’ environmental problems. Malaysia could also very well benefit from this, as it is swiftly moving towards, and is almost certain to attain, developed nation status by 2020. The country has achieved much success beginning as an agricultural nation with a world leading position in the production of rubber and palm oil, and its later economic growth led by major industries, including services, manufacturing, construction and mining. Nevertheless, in its aspirations to become a developed country, Malaysia is and should be also looking towards gaining success and development in tandem, and with emphasis on the people's well-being index. Other countries in Asia and indeed the entire world are already clamouring for clean and green energy, which apparently will be the future trend of development. With green energy becoming a louder "battle cry" in many countries in the quest for new and cleaner forms of technology to combat pollution and to achieve climate change goals, the offer to share knowledge from the city of Kitakyushu seems timely. “Using our experience in overcoming our own pollution issues and expertise in city planning that takes into consideration both the environment and the economy, we want to continue sharing this knowledge with Asian cities and the world,” said Kenji Kitahashi, the Mayor of Kitakyushu. Through engaging in international cooperation and business across Asia, Kitakyushu is able to provide packaged environmental policies and actions that integrate the environment, economy and society, he said during a courtesy call with Asean journalists visiting Japan recently on the invitation of the country's Foreign Affairs Ministry. A city-to-city environmental cooperation network has been established and many projects are being implemented. Some outcomes of cooperation -- including substanstial improvement in Dalian, China; a "green sister city" agreement with Surabaya, Indonesia; and a water supply improvement project in Phnom Penh, Cambodia -- are contributing to sustainable development in Asia. The mayor said Kitakyushu, located between Tokyo and Shanghai, has also been pioneering the creation of an environmentally-friendly and low-carbon society through efforts such as drastically reducing greenhouse gas emissions. “Goals have been set for reducing carbon dioxide emissions city-wide by 50 per cent and throughout Asia by 150 per cent by 2050,” he said. In July 2011, The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) selected Kitakyushu, from being one of the most polluted cities in Japan in the 1960’s to a green growth model city, for its activities and achievements in international environmental cooperation and the city’s Eco-Town Project. -- BERNAMA