Malaysia’s Climate Plans Stop Short of Targeting Cars

Despite private vehicles being one of the biggest contributors to carbon emissions in Malaysia, experts say cars are unlikely to be directly targeted under national climate goals anytime soon, largely because Malaysians still depend heavily on them and public transport gaps remain unresolved.

Speaking to Free Malaysia Today (FMT), Climate Governance Malaysia director Gary Theseira said the government has so far taken a cautious approach towards cutting transport emissions, relying more on incentives than strict, legally binding targets.

“Mobility emissions are regarded as energy-related emissions, together with electricity generation. These emissions would be governed and reported under Malaysia’s nationally determined contributions,” Theseira told FMT, referring to Malaysia’s commitments under the Paris Agreement.

Instead of setting hard limits on private vehicle emissions, current policies focus on improving fuel efficiency standards, encouraging electric vehicle (EV) adoption among government agencies and government-linked companies (GLCs), and expanding EV charging infrastructure for public use.

According to Theseira, one major reason for this soft approach is concern over rising living costs, especially for middle- and lower-income households.

“The administration is cautious about any measures that could increase the cost of living, especially for middle- and lower-income families,” he said, pointing to public sensitivities highlighted during recent diesel subsidy reforms.

His comments follow a recent study by environmental group RimbaWatch, which estimated that new cars registered in Malaysia last year could collectively emit around 3.37 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO₂) annually. 

The estimate was based on official data showing that 825,514 petrol- and diesel-powered cars were registered in 2025 alone.

For many Malaysians, however, cars are no longer a luxury or lifestyle choice but they are a necessity. MY Mobility Vision executive director Rahman Hussin said this reality makes it difficult for policymakers to simply regulate car usage without addressing deeper transport issues.

“Cars have ceased to be a lifestyle choice and are now a necessity for families, given the continued inconvenience of public transportation,” Rahman told the daily news portal. 

He stressed that parents, in particular, cannot be “priced out” of car use when public transport still fails to provide reliable first- and last-mile connectivity.

“If we try to regulate emissions without solving this reality, we aren’t just fighting traffic; we are fighting the necessity of care,” he added.

Petaling Jaya MP Lee Chean Chung echoed these concerns, saying that while emissions-based systems make sense on paper, they remain politically sensitive.

“There is clear institutional and political hesitation within government and Parliament to adopt explicit transport emission targets, as such targets are often perceived to imply higher costs, limit vehicle age, and heighten fuel-price exposure,” Lee told FMT.

Lee added that this caution is reflected in how transport is currently treated under the proposed Climate Change Act. While the bill would mark a major step forward in Malaysia’s climate governance, he said it lacks clear sector-specific emission targets, mandatory modal-shift requirements, and fiscal alignment mechanisms.

As a result, much of the responsibility for reducing transport emissions is left to individual ministries, rather than being driven by a unified national framework.