The Natural Resources and Environment Board (NREB) and Bursa Carbon Exchange (BCX), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Bursa Malaysia Berhad today formalised a Memorandum of Collaboration (MoC) to jointly explore the development of the Sarawak Carbon Registry.
The signing took place during the NREB Excellence and Service Awards Night 2025, a ceremony held to honour the dedication, commitment and outstanding service of NREB officers. The event was graced by the Right Honourable Premier of Sarawak, Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri (Dr) Abang Haji Abdul Rahman Zohari bin Tun Datuk Abang Haji Openg, who is also the Chairman of NREB.
The MoC was signed by Datu Jack anak Liam, Controller of Environmental Quality, Sarawak and Dato’ Fad’l Mohamed, Chief Executive Officer of Bursa Malaysia, witnessed by the Premier.
Strengthening Sarawak’s Climate Governance
The collaboration marks a significant step in Sarawak’s journey to establish a robust carbon management framework and promote sustainable development. Under the twoyear collaboration, both parties will:
- Review the purposes and understand the objectives of the Sarawak Carbon Registry;
- Organise capacity building programmes and technical meetings with relevant experts; • Explore potential high-level design of the Sarawak Carbon Registry; and
- Develop a structured action plan for implementation.
The Sarawak Carbon Registry will be developed in line with the Environment (Reduction of Greenhouse Gases Emission) Ordinance, 2023, which empowers NREB to regulate greenhouse gas emissions and encourage low-carbon strategies across sectors.
In his speech, Datu Jack anak Liam highlighted the importance of the initiative as part of Sarawak’s broader sustainability goals:
“Recognising the urgency of climate change, Sarawak took a bold step with the enactment of the Environment (Reduction of Greenhouse Gases Emission) Ordinance, 2023. This landmark Ordinance empowers NREB to regulate greenhouse gas emissions, encourage industries to adopt low-carbon strategies, and accelerate the State’s transition towards clean and renewable energy.”
He added, “This collaboration supports our mandate under the Ordinance, which tasks NREB to develop and administer the Sarawak Carbon Registry. By partnering with Bursa Carbon Exchange, given their vast experience with international carbon registries, Sarawak will be well-positioned to establish a credible and transparent carbon market ecosystem.”
Dato’ Fad’l Mohamed, Chief Executive Officer of Bursa Malaysia, welcomed the collaboration with NREB:
"Bursa Malaysia launched BCX almost 3 years ago as the world’s first Shariah-compliant carbon exchange. Today, BCX has expanded into a multi-environmental product exchange, offering both carbon credits and renewable energy certificates (RECs). With the expertise that BCX has built in operating the voluntary carbon market and working with international registries of carbon credits and RECs, Bursa Malaysia is well positioned to help Sarawak to leverage its natural assets and innovation capacity to generate highquality carbon credits and unlock new economic value.
He added, “Bursa Malaysia continues to be at the forefront of advancing Malaysia’s sustainability journey, through various market development efforts and engagement with policymakers. This collaboration with NREB further demonstrates our commitment to supporting Sarawak’s climate ambitions by enhancing capacity-building and developing a robust carbon market ecosystem.”
Recognising Dedication and Excellence
The NREB Excellence and Service Awards Night 2025 also celebrated the exemplary dedication of NREB personnel. A total of 32 officers received the Pingat Bakti NREB for over 20 years of loyal service, while 18 officers were honoured with the Anugerah Perkhidmatan Cemerlang (APC) for outstanding performance in 2024.
In his closing remarks, Datu Jack reaffirmed NREB’s long-term direction:
“The journey ahead will be both challenging and inspiring. NREB pledges to continue strengthening environmental governance and enforcement, embracing digitalisation of services and advancing both the circular and green economy. Above all, we will mobilise collective efforts across all sectors of society towards achieving net zero emissions by 2050.”
