Environmental issues in Brunei
With a score of 63.57, Brunei comes in at number 53 out of 180 nations in the Environmental Performance Index (EPI). In some EPI areas, including as water and sanitation, heavy metals, air quality, and biodiversity and habitat, Brunei scores better than the average score for Asia and the Pacific. But there is still opportunity for improvement, particularly in terms of ecosystem health, such as air pollution, climate and energy, forests, fisheries and water resources. In Brunei, addressing climate change and enhancing ecosystem vitality, environmental health, and catastrophe resilience all have the potential to spur innovation and job growth in the green economy. Climate change The government's initiative in the Sustainable Development Program began in 1991. Since that time, environmental awareness among Bruneians has increased, and the country's regional and global environmental activities have gained traction. One such is Brunei's participation in the Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs), a global effort to address environmental problems. Notable agreements include Brunei's participation in the Kyoto Protocol in 2009, the Paris Agreement in 2015, and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in 2007. Finding state-level solutions to address climate change vulnerabilities that could affect Brunei's future development is the country's current challenge. Brunei has been making investments since 2007 to realize the Brunei Vision 2035. Due to its geographical location and lengthy coastline, Brunei is exposed to a number of environmental problems. Alarmingly, due to the rise in sea level and a steady rise in temperature, the frequency of flash floods has recently increased. Some low-lying areas, including those in the Belait and Tutong districts, experienced flooding in August 2021 as a result of the unpredictability of the weather. Deforestation 92% of Brunei's geographical area was covered by trees in 2010, totaling 529 kha. It lost of tree cover in 2021, which is the same as of CO2 emissions. Brunei lost 14.8 kha of humid primary forest between 2002 and 2021, accounting for 52% of the country's overall loss of tree cover during that time. The total area of Brunei's primary humid forest shrunk by 3.4% over this time. Around 6.3% of the total land area's forest area was lost between 1990 and 2016. According to the World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA) published by the United Nations Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC), information on endangered species in Brunei as of 2017 is available. The third-largest island in the world, Borneo, which is shared by Malaysia, Kalimantan in Indonesia, and Brunei, is predicted to lose roughly 220,000 km sq. of forest between 2010 and 2030, or almost 30% of its total land area. The Glasgow Leaders' Declaration on Forests and Land Use was endorsed by Brunei and more than 110 other nations at the 26th session of the United Nations Conference on Climate Change (COP26). Brunei has joined the effort by endorsing the declaration in order to, among other things, facilitate trade and development policies that do not promote deforestation and land degradation, reduce vulnerability, build resilience, and improve