Can Kuala Lumpur Achieve Carbon Neutrality by 2050?

Malaysia has committed to reducing the GHG emissions intensity of GDP by 45% by 2030 compared to 2005 levels and has announced the ambitious goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 in the Twelfth Malaysia Plan. Kuala Lumpur, the capital city and economic hub of Malaysia, is leading efforts to mitigate climate change amidst rapid economic growth. Kuala Lumpur City Hall (KLCH) has set a target to reduce GHG emission intensity by up to 70% by 2030. This paper aims to extrapolate GHG emissions projections until 2050, considering current initiatives, and concurrently explore alternative decarbonization pathways using the Extended Snapshot (ExSS) modelling approach. Two scenarios were formulated: Scenario 1 (S1) represents Business-as-Usual (BAU), while Scenario 2 (S2) depicts Counter Measure (CM). The modelling results indicate Kuala Lumpur has the potential to significantly reduce its GHG emission intensity compared to the 2010 levels by up to 92% by 2050 (equivalent to an absolute reduction of 57,594 ktCO₂eq from the 2050 BAU scenario). The commercial sector demonstrates the most substantial decrease in absolute GHG emissions in the 2050 CM scenario compared to 2050 BAU projection. This upward trend in emission reductions aligns well with both national and city-level goals, as Kuala Lumpur is on track to become a low-carbon city by 2030, aiming to be carbon-neutral ready by 2040 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.