THE Selangor government is planning to build a net carbon-zero workforce by expanding the training modules offered by the Selangor Digital School (SDS).

The move will enable the state to achieve carbon neutrality and accelerate the incorporation of environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG), Menteri Besar Amirudin Shari said.

The SDS was established to address the shortage of digital talent in Selangor, working with Penjana Kapital Sdn Bhd, Selangor Information Technology and Digital Economy Corporation, The Hive Southeast Asia, EZT Group and Digital Marketing Consultancy.

Amirudin said the state government had also provided RM30 million in venture capital funds through Permodalan Negeri Selangor Bhd (PNSB) to accelerate the growth of Selangor start-ups, especially in the fields of net carbon-zero, circular economy and smart city.

“This will bring tremendous benefits to the public as we could rapidly decarbonise while cutting our household energy bills and reduce fuel subsidies,” he said in Kuala Lumpur today.

Amirudin pointed out that Malaysia has an abundance of potential in terms of developing other renewable energy sources such as solar power, biofuel and biomass.

“We are relieved to see that major Malaysian government-linked companies such as Petronas, Tenaga Nasional Bhd, Telekom Malaysia Bhd and FGV Holdings Bhd have started to venture into renewable energy fields, as well as investing in ESG-related start-ups,’’ he said.

Amirudin said environmental change due to the acceleration of urbanisation, leading to deadly heat waves, long droughts, heavy rainfall, flash floods, and forest fires, has taught the world the essence of resilience, sustainability and digitalisation.

“As cities are also one of the main drivers of economic growth of a country, these climate change disasters not only caused the loss of life as well as economic crises but also wreak havoc on food and energy supply.

“Implementing smart city initiatives seems to be the way forward as cities focus on utilising intelligent physical, social, economic and institutional infrastructure and digital tools to deliver quality service to its citizens and enhancing their quality of life,” he added. – Bernama, October 6, 2022.