PETALING JAYA: The Petronas oil and gas (O&G) exploration project at the Langkasuka Basin near Penang island and Langkawi poses risks to marine biodiversity, fishing communities and the tourism industry, says environmental NGO RimbaWatch.
In a statement, RimbaWatch said reports had shown that oil spills can remain for years in the sediment and marine environment, causing long-term effects on marine biodiversity.
It also said that previous oil spill incidents saw fishing communities suffer losses to their weekly income and damage to fishing equipment.
“An oil spill in Tanjung Balau caused the fishing community to lose weekly incomes of RM400-500 and RM8,000 worth of damage to their fish traps,” it said.
The NGO also cited a report by the International Institute for Sustainable Development saying that the exploration project is incompatible with climate science and the 1.5C target of the Paris Agreement.
“The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change projects that if existing climate policies do not change to reflect the urgency of this threat, including policies related to using gas as a transition fuel, we are on a trajectory for 3.2C warming by 2100, which is more than double the 1.5C target.
“This will result in irreversible climate disasters at an unprecedented scale, including uninhabitable temperatures, major cities underwater, widespread water shortages and the extinction of a million species of plants and animals,” the NGO said.
The 1.5C threshold is the target established in the 2015 Paris Agreement, a treaty in which 195 nations pledged to tackle climate change. The agreement aims to limit global warming to “well below” 2C by 2100, and “pursue efforts” to keep warming within the safer limit of 1.5C.
In November last year, Petronas undertook a new offshore multi-client 2D seismic survey in the northern area of the Melaka Strait to explore and map the hydrocarbon potential in the open blocks of PM320 and PM321 of the Langkasuka Basin.
The national oil company said the survey would increase the pool of available seismic data and raise the probability of discovering hydrocarbon potential in the Langkasuka Basin.
The survey covers an area of over 38,000 sq km, and aims to acquire approximately 8,000km of new 2D seismic data, according to a statement by the company.
However, RimbaWatch cited another study that quantified the historical responsibility of 168 countries for climate breakdown, and said Malaysia had already exceeded its fair carbon budget based on past emissions.
The NGO cited a United Nations expert group report warning that “net-zero (carbon emissions target) is entirely incompatible with continued investment in fossil fuels”, and that companies cannot claim to be net-zero while continuing to build fossil fuel supply.
RimbaWatch also said the continued investments towards Petronas’s project might pose significant financial risks to O&G operators.
It urged the government to work with Petronas on a credible strategy for a transition towards net-zero emissions.
“We urge the prime minister, the natural resources and environmental sustainability ministry, and the energy transition and water transformation ministry to work together with Petronas to develop a credible transition strategy in accordance with international best practices on net-zero.
“This strategy should be committed to full transparency, accountability and a clear pathway towards the complete divestment of all existing and planned fossil fuel projects, including natural gas,” it said.
