Angkatan Koperasi Kebangsaan Malaysia Berhad (Angkasa) and Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) have forged a collaboration to increase the awareness of the younger generation on climate change and the importance of preserving the environment.

The memorandum of agreement (MoA) signed for a period of two years starting this month will, among other things, would focus on research, in addition to efforts to plant a million trees through Angkasa’s ‘Greening Malaysia: CSR Coopcare 1 Million Trees’ programme.

Angkasa president Datuk Seri Abdul Fattah Abdullah said the study included the effects of human activities, the short and long-term impacts of climate change and mitigation measures to reduce the impact of climate change.

"The publication of reports and articles in journals by UKM through this study will be a reference for the implementation of awareness programmes and environmental preservation activities by cooperative members and Malaysians in general," he said.

He said this in his speech before the signing of the MoA with UKM deputy vice-chancellor (research and innovation affairs) Prof Datuk Dr Wan Kamal Mujani.

Abdul Fattah said Angkasa was confident that the cooperation with UKM would help the government's efforts to encourage and cultivate the spirit of loving the environment among youths to protect natural resources and increase green cover through continuous tree planting.

Commenting further on the effort to plant a million trees, Abdul Fattah said it was Angkasa's commitment to support the government's policy in greening the country through the initiative of planting 100 million trees by 2025.

He said the MoA signed today was a continuation of a successful collaboration forged in 2021 involving efforts to conserve degraded forests in Compartment 19, Sungai Lalang Forest Reserve, Semenyih, which developed an education and learning module entitled 'A Million Trees, A Mountain of Hope' which was used by 2,481 school cooperatives throughout Malaysia.

Meanwhile, Wan Kamal said cooperation with Angkasa was the best way to foster awareness of environmental sustainability among the younger generation.

"The study that will be published through the collaboration can measure the extent to which young people, especially students, are aware of the environment," he said.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency