Kuala Lumpur 13/02/2026 – Today, the Kuala Lumpur Net Zero Carbon Buildings Roadmap 2050 was officially launched, a landmark citywide plan drafted by NEAPOLI under C40 Cities’ UCAP Climate Action Implementation Programme with Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur (DBKL) and UK Government support.

The Roadmap quantifies the prize. By 2050, Kuala Lumpur can cut building energy use by up to 20% across all building types, while avoiding a business as usual increase of 36% to nearly 14,000 GWh a year. Taken together, this implies roughly 5.8 TWh a year of avoided electricity demand by 2050 versus business as usual (indicative, derived from the Roadmap’s stated BAU projection and reduction target). On carbon, the modelling indicates a total reduction potential of 11 million tonnes of CO₂ annually. That is broadly comparable to the annual emissions of around 2.4 million passenger cars, using standard conversion factors.

This launch also marks the close of C40 Cities’ UCAP Climate Action Implementation Programme in Kuala Lumpur. Over four years, with DBKL, the programme translated ambition into enforceable tools, market-ready guidance, and lasting delivery capacity, supported by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and the UK in Malaysia.

What the programme delivered

First, the Roadmap itself. It sets a clear direction for designing, constructing, and retrofitting low-carbon buildings, with staged targets that give the market time to adapt while tightening performance steadily.

Second, digital delivery through the LCBC 2.0 Web Portal. It digitises low-carbon building requirements and embeds sustainability directly into the planning and development workflow, improving consistency, speed, and transparency.

Third, stronger capability inside City Hall. The programme strengthened data, skills, and processes so climate action can be mainstreamed and sustained over decades.

Voices from the partnership

Ts. Azlan bin Abdullah, Senior Deputy Director of the City Planning Department for DBKL, said: “We are grateful for the partnership with C40 since 2017, from developing our KL Climate Action Plan 2050 until the execution of climate action through the UCAP CAI programme. The support in charting our long-term ambition, as well as capacity building to support mainstreaming of climate action, is appreciated. We look forward to continuing this momentum in making KL a sustainable and livable city for all.”

David Wallace, Deputy British High Commissioner to Malaysia, said: “The UK and Malaysia have a shared ambition of reaching net zero, and tackling climate change together is a well-established pillar of our bilateral relations. We are proud to support Kuala Lumpur’s efforts to make its climate plan a reality through new tools for more efficient energy use and planning, making the capital a more livable city for all. These tools are the final products from a seven-year climate action collaboration, beginning with KL setting its net-zero goal. The city is leading the way for Malaysia’s urban climate efforts.”