We’re by the pool in the Malaysian sunshine. But we’re not here to sunbathe – we’re talking all things sustainability in a country with challenges both familiar and foreign to Western Europe.

Jan’s ‘academic granddaughter’ Dr Ann Marie Sidhu is a chartered accountant who works with business and government in Malaysia on the challenges of meeting the Sustainable Development Goals.

We discuss what Government and industry in Malaysia need to do to achieve the SDGs – especially energy transition in an economy where the petrochemical industry is dominant – how an emerging economy deals with regulations around sustainability, the potential for green financing, and how the underprivileged in society – the Bottom 40 – might be affected by changes.

Ann Marie reveals the attitudes of the companies she works with towards sustainability, how SMEs are acting, and what help small firms need in seeing value in enacting sustainability.

And as the word ‘sustainability’ is plastered on posters and banners across capital city Kuala Lumpur (KL), we talk about the need for sustainability education in Malaysian schools and universities, and the biodiversity considerations for a country that is still developing and reliant upon palm oil as a major export.

Plus, the effects of climate change on the monsoon season and flooding in major cities such as KL; how Malaysian companies react to EU and other overseas regulation; the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM!) and its effects; and Malaysia’s leading role in Islamic finance, and how this complements the SDG principles.

Episode Transcript