Rail Mobility in Asia - Construction Industry Development Board ...

4 Utama Cover StoryCIDB News JUNE 06.2013EcoBuildSoutheast AsiaConference &Exhibition17-19 September 2013Putra World TradeCentre (PWTC)The Energy Commission’s DiamondBuilding, PutrajayaEcobuild SoutheastAsia 2013:Bringing Green to the Built EnvironmentThe current climate change in theworld had heightened interests insustainable development from allfacets of society. The constructionindustry had been identified as themain culprit for causing environmentaldegradation. As an industry, it is amajor consumer of natural resourcesand energy and one of the highestproducer of waste as well as themajor source of CO2 emissions, andpollution. The construction industryin general consumes as much as 40percent of energy, 12 percent of itswater and contributes towards 40percent of the waste that are sent tothe landfill.Nonetheless, construction remainsa critical component of nationaldevelopment. Projects whichcontributes to the socio-economicwell-being of a country, will requirean increase in construction activitiesnationwide – to build homes,commercial centres and infrastructure.To address this emerging concern, itis timely and highly appropriate forSoutheast Asia, as a region, to embarkon the green agenda in constructionto ensure that construction of builtenvironment is conducted in a waythat sustains the environment and itscapacity to nourish its inhabitants.Considering the rapid economicprogress experienced by countriesin Southeast Asia, it is very timely forCIDB and UBM Malaysia to bring theEcoBuild Conference and Exhibitionto the region this year. According toInternational Monetary Fund Report,by 2014, the economic developmentof the five ASEAN economies ofIndonesia, Thailand, Philippines,Malaysia and Vietnam, will outpace therest of the world. By 2020, SoutheastAsia is expected to be among theworld’s 10 largest economies andfourth largest in Asia. This economicprosperity coupled with a shift in thesocio-economical climate has ledto increased urbanization, resultingin an increasing pressure on criticalresources.According to CIDB Chief Executive Dato’ SriIr Dr Judin Abd Karim, Ecobuild Southeast Asia2013 becomes a platform for industry playersand policy makers from the region to spread theknowledge, skills and technology for sustainableconstruction.To address these pressures, thegovernments in the region arebolstering spending on infrastructureand have prioritized sustainabledevelopment; introducing numerousgreen incentives to lower carbonemissions.With this in mind, CIDB partners withUBM Malaysia in bringing Ecobuildconference and exhbition for the firsttime in Southeast Asia on September17 to 19 at the Putra World TradeCentre, Kuala Lumpur.According to CIDB Chief ExecutiveDato’ Sri Ir Dr Judin Abd Karim,Ecobuild Southeast Asia 2013becomes a platform for industryplayers and policy makers from theregion to spread the knowledge,skills and technology for sustainableconstruction.EcoBuild is the world’s biggest eventfor sustainable design, constructionand the built environment. Originatedin the UK, The UK EcoBuild 2012 sawthe participation of more than 57,000visitors and more than 1,500 exhibitors.With this success, UBM will, for the firsttime, bring EcoBuild to Southeast Asia.It is definitely an event worth waitingfor in Malaysia for the industry.