Iskandar Malaysia secured its first-ever historic victory, becoming the national winner of the World Wide Fund for Nature’s (WWF) One Planet City Challenge on the 2023/24 cycle. This award recognises cities worldwide for their dedication towards tackling climate change and building a climate-resilient future.
Iskandar Malaysia’s win is a testament to its unwavering commitment to a low-carbon future. The city impressed the jury, a panel of global urban and sustainability specialists, with its comprehensive approach:
- Strong stakeholder engagement strategies, demonstrating strong commitment and participation from various sectors and institutions.
- Ambitious Climate Action Plan which explicitly aligns with the Sustainable Development Goals and sets solid greenhouse gases (GHG) emission targets reflecting a well-balanced approach.
- Demonstrated leadership beyond municipal boundaries in its collaboration with five local councils to create a regional plan that includes initiatives for mobility planning and improved public transportation.
One of Iskandar Malaysia’s noteworthy achievements is the vision that the Iskandar Regional Development Authority possesses. So much so that the authority developed its first Low Carbon Society Blueprint 2025 in 2012 and has continuously updated it, with the latest version—Low Carbon Society Blueprint 2030 Climate Action Plan (CAP)—released in 2022.
The Blueprint for a Low Carbon Society for Iskandar Malaysia 2030 – Climate Action Plan (LCSBPIM 2030 CAP) focuses on three policy pillars, which are Green Economy, Green Community, and Green Environment. The ambitious targets include:
- Reducing GHG emission intensity by 70% by 2030 and further towards net zero carbon by 2050.
- Achieve 15% renewable energy by 2030 through large-scale and rooftop solar installations.
- Increase the use of public transport to 35% by 2030 via the Electric Train Service (ETS) in 2025, and the Malaysia-Singapore Rapid Transit (RTS) link.
In addition, the authority has also set up the Ecolife Challenge (IMELC) together with Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), a student learning activity focusing on
Low-Carbon Society education for primary school students, to foster environmental awareness from a young age.
Besides that, Seberang Perai which was the national winner for 2022 was categorised within the premier category of “All Stars” where they competed with similar premier sustainable cities from around the world. Participating cities were judged against a comprehensive criterion, including ambitious climate targets, bold leadership, ability to meet upcoming challenges, and a holistic climate action plan that is future-proof and impactful.
Iskandar Malaysia’s victory in the One Planet City Challenge is a testament to its unwavering commitment to sustainability. Its continuous efforts to combat climate change should serve as an inspiration for other cities in Malaysia. Other than Iskandar Malaysia, WWF-Malaysia is proud to have different cities joining this cause, such as Petaling Jaya, Penang Island, Shah Alam, Hang Tuah Jaya, Seberang Prai, and Subang Jaya. For more information on the work WWF does on sustainable cities globally, please refer to https://wwf.panda.org/our_work/projects/one_planet_cities/one_planet_city_challen ge/