This article first appeared in The Edge Malaysia Weekly on January 15, 2024 - January 21, 2024

The Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) faced the crucial task of fulfilling Malaysia’s commitment to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which required accurate ambient greenhouse gas (GHG) readings. The challenge lay in not only meeting the environmental commitment but also doing so in a way that did not compromise cost savings.

In 2021, a routine meeting led by the National Disaster Management Agency provided a fortuitous opportunity for MetMalaysia when Edotco Group Sdn Bhd — the tower services unit of Axiata Group Bhd — was invited to spotlight the capabilities of its communication towers beyond their primary function of transmitting communication signals.

Without delay, the company seized the chance to highlight the versatility and multi-faceted capabilities of its towers, says Noreen Sabrina Mohd Noor, Edotco’s group head of corporate brand communications.

“Edotco has about 6,000 towers in Malaysia, and among the many useful functions of the towers is disaster monitoring. That was when we met MetMalaysia, and they told us about their need to monitor GHG in three locations for the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) report,” says Noreen.

In August 2021, Malaysia revised its NDC, committing to a 45% reduction in economy-wide carbon intensity against GDP by 2030, compared to 2005 levels. This was the first modification to the country’s NDCs since its initial submission in 2015, reflecting a 10% increase in ambition.

“But there were a number of criteria that must be met for the monitoring device to capture accurate readings. We went through our database to check for suitable towers,” she says.

Gases monitored are carbon dioxide, methane and carbon monoxide. Air sampling inlets for these gases must be positioned at sufficient heights to minimise the impact of local terrain and human activity on collected samples, shares Dr Ahmad Fairudz Jamaluddin, director of the Atmospheric Science and Cloud Seeding Division at MetMalaysia.

Adequate space at the tower base was also required for a cabin housing monitoring equipment, says Ahmad Fairudz. Edotco then identified towers at Gunung Brinchang in Cameron Highlands, Pahang; Gunung Raya in Langkawi, Kedah; and Sabangkoi in Sarikei, Sarawak, to host the GHG monitoring systems based on these requirements.

The GHG monitoring device located at Gunung Raya can be used to monitor transboundary emissions from the Andaman Sea and so on, says Ahmad Fairudz. “The main objective of this is to obtain accurate scientific calculations because we want to prevent [estimations]. Malaysia contributes about 0.7% to global GHG emissions. MetMalaysia intends to know for sure what is causing changes in our weather pattern.”

He adds that “every time we face extreme weather conditions such as intense thunderstorms or heat waves, we need to know for sure that these are results of changes in atmospheric temperature or other factors.

It is easy to say that climate change is the reason for extreme weather changes “but we need to have data to prove that in Malaysia there is an increase in temperature and that is the reason extreme weather incidents are becoming more intense”.

Before this collaboration, MetMalaysia only had one GHG collection facility in Danum Valley in Lahad Datu, Sabah. The GHG reading there is done manually, as opposed to the system fitted to Edotco’s towers, where the data has been collected in real time since November last year.

However, MetMalaysia has been manually collecting GHG samples, also known as flask sampling once a week, since 2003, from its facility in Danum Valley. The sample is then sent to the National Institute for Environmental Studies (NIES) in Japan.

“At the NIES laboratory, they have the equipment to identify the type of carbon in the air. We continue using the system today because only with that measurement can we know whether the carbon collected is anthropogenic carbon or not,” Ahmad Fairudz says.

“The current method cannot yet detect the type of carbon. So, in 2024, we plan to install an automatic black carbon analyser that will be able to detect the type of carbon like what NIES does. Installing the analyser will take about two years to complete, and it will help us differentiate between anthropogenic and natural carbon.”

If it were not for Edotco’s offerings, MetMalaysia would not have been able to get the budget to complete this project on its own because each tower costs between RM500,000 and RM1 million, he says.

“The data collected through this collaboration will be crucial in supporting climate change research, leading to more accurate climate simulations. This data will also be invaluable for Malaysia’s reporting to the UNFCCC, contributing to our nation’s global environmental responsibilities.”

At Gunung Raya, three telecommunication companies are using three different towers in one location, Noreen points out. She observes that not only is it an inefficient use of resources, it increases their environmental footprint.

“As an independent tower company, Edotco inherently adopts an environmentally friendly approach to sharing telecommunications infrastructure. Our advocacy for equipment colocation, as opposed to single-operator structures, actively advances an eco-conscious approach within the industry,” she says.

“Instead of every telecommunication company building their own towers, they can place their devices on our 4,000 towers across the country. This is not something that we advocate for in Malaysia only. Edotco is present in nine countries in Southeast Asia and South Asia, and we have 58,000 towers dispersed throughout these regions.”

As part of its commitment to achieving its sustainability goals and its national duty, Edotco has extended the use of its facilities rent-free, adds Noreen.

In countries like Sri Lanka, where the company powers smart street multi-purpose lamp pole structures, Edotco is in talks with the enforcement agencies to install surveillance cameras for civilian safety purposes, she says. “Whether it is a case for disaster management, environmental monitoring or even EV [electric vehicle] charging, we can do it from these existing infrastructures.”

Looking ahead, Noreen says that the company is open to exploring new collaboration opportunities that can leverage its network of 6,000 towers across Malaysia to respond more effectively and mitigate the impact of natural disasters. 

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