Sabah Hosts F-Gases Workshop to Strengthen Malaysia’s Climate Reporting Commitments

8 August 2025

KOTA KINABALU: In a strategic move to advance Malaysia’s climate action efforts, the Sabah Climate Change Action Council, through its Secretariat, the Sabah Forestry Department , in collaboration with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability (NRES) and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), hosted a key workshop focused on fluorinated gases (F-gases) emissions.

The workshop, held in Kota Kinabalu, brought together a wide range of stakeholders from both government and the private sector, aiming to build capacity in support of Malaysia’s national climate change reporting under the Enhanced Transparency Framework (ETF) of the Paris Agreement.

The primary objective was to raise awareness of Malaysia’s climate reporting obligations and to highlight the role of F-gases within the national greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory.

The session also served as a platform to foster dialogue and cooperation with stakeholders in Sabah, recognising the critical importance of managing F-gases in efforts to reduce overall emissions.

This initiative forms part of a broader cooperation agreement between the governments of Malaysia and Japan, designed to strengthen institutional and technical capacities in preparing Malaysia’s Biennial Transparency Reports (BTRs) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

A total of 27 organisations participated in the workshop, reflecting strong multi-sectoral engagement. Key government agencies represented included the Ministry of Industrial Development and Entrepreneurship (MIDE) and the Environment Protection Department (EPD).

The private sector was also prominently involved, with participants from the cooling, refrigeration, and industrial sectors, including representatives of major shopping malls, hotel groups, and industry bodies such as the Federation of Sabah Industries.

The diversity of participants highlights the collaborative effort required across all sectors to manage and reduce emissions from F-gases effectively, a group of potent greenhouse gases commonly used in air conditioning, refrigeration, and various industrial applications.

The workshop marks another important milestone in Malaysia’s ongoing efforts to meet its international climate obligations, while promoting local engagement and technical readiness to address complex emission challenges at state and national levels.