Earth Matters

As November draws to a close, we look-back at some of the top environmental news from the month past with Law Yao Hua, the co-founder of environmental journalism portal Macaranga. This month, we discuss how Sarawak is officially the first state in the country to enact an anti-climate change law, and why this is a significant move in our country, before we turn our attention to some of the findings in the Auditor-General's Special Audit on Forest Management and Environmental Impact report, that was just tabled in Parliament on the 22nd of November 2023. Finally we look forward to Macaranga's first physical event happening in December, Semai & Tuai 2023.

Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons, 123RF

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Tak Kenal Maka Tak Cinta is our ongoing tourism-themed series on Earth Matters, which aims to highlight lesser-known ecotourism spots right here in Malaysia. Done in collaboration with the Ecotourism & Conservation Society Malaysia (ECOMY), we want to take you back to the great outdoors, and experience the many off-the-beaten-track nature spots our country has to offer. This month, we're going to Langkawi, a UNESCO Global Geopark - OK, not exactly an unknown gem, but Langkawi has been in the news a lot lately, with reports pointing to declining visitors to the Jewel of Kedah for various reasons. Many tourism players have bemoaned the negative publicity, and would like to remind Malaysians that the island has plenty to offer aside from duty free goods, including some amazing ecotourism adventures. From its amazing Famous Flying Five and 500+ species of butterflies to the beautiful Gunung Raya, the archipelago is a naturalist's delight, and we explore what nature lovers can find there with Andrew Sebastian, the Founder & Chief Executive Officer of ECOMY.

Listen to our previous episodes in the series:

Episode 1: Kuala Tahan

Episode 2: Pulau Bangau in Teluk Intan

Episode 3: Bukit Batu Putih in Port Dickson

Episode 4: The Sultan Iskandar Marine Park & More

Episode 5: Merapoh

Episode 6: Bukit Wang, Kedah

Episode 7: Kinabatangan River

Episode 8: Kundasang

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It's been almost a year since the new coalition government under Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim took power. While the PM has focused on fighting corruption and the rising cost of living, how are his and his administration's Green credentials shaping up? We discuss this with Adam Farhan, the co-founder and director of RimbaWatch, while also noting what the government should focus on for the next four years, when it comes to protecting our natural resources and environment.

Image Credit: Discovery Perak

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The Asia-Pacific Climate Week 2023 was one of the platforms for policymakers, practitioners, businesses and civil society to exchange on climate solutions, barriers to overcome and opportunities realised in different regions. The meeting was held last week in Johor Bahru, and we catch up with Kieran Li Nair from the Malaysian Youth Delegation (MYD), to hear her perspective of what went down during this most recent meeting.

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At last year’s COP27 summit in Egypt developing nations celebrated a victory when they secured an agreement on the Loss and Damage Fund – something that had been advocated for for decades. Following that, a transitional committee composed of members from developed and developing countries were tasked with discussing what this fund would look like - from who would pay into this fund to where it would be located - ahead of a final decision being made at COP28 in Nov/ Dec 2023. After what has been described as "lengthy and heated negotiations" a draft framework for a new UN fund to help nations recover from the “loss and damage” caused by climate change has been agreed upon, though with the US remaining isolated and expressing dissatisfaction at the draft. What were the points of contention? What is in the three-part package proposal, presented as a "take it or leave it" text by the Co-Chairs? We speak to Meenakshi Raman, the President of Sahabat Alam Malaysia, and Head of Programmes at the Third World Network (TWN) to find out more.

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Did you know tigers were once found in Borneo? And that orangutans once roamed Selangor? What happened to them, in these areas? These are some of the questions Lim Tze Tshen aka Ah Tshen, a Vertebrate Palaeontologist and Zooarchaeologist tries to uncover, through his work. As a Vertebrate Palaeontologist, he researches animal fossils that have backbones, especially mammal species that can be found in the limestone caves in Malaysia. As a zooarchaeologist, he does research on animal remains found in archaeology sites, such as the ones found in Niah Cave in Sarawak, which were left behind by collectors and hunters from the prehistoric community. In both of these fields, he focuses on how ancient animals responded to environmental changes and hunting activities in the past, and uses this information to understand and address the crisis of biodiversity loss in the present day. He joins us to share more about his work.

Image Credit: Ah Tshen

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The Malaysian government launched the National Energy Transition Roadmap (NETR) this year, outlining Malaysia’s plans towards achieving a sustainable and inclusive energy system, that reduces our dependence on fossil fuels, and moves us towards a low carbon economy. However, organisations like Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM) have voiced concerns over some of the proposals in the roadmap, including hydrogen, and Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) technologies, which they believe require more thorough assessments and debate, before being accepted as appropriate solutions. We unpack some of these new technologies heralded as the solution to our climate woes - specifically Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) and CCUS technologies - to discuss what it means, and whether it's "a greenwash to extend the life of fossil fuel assets, or a panacea to avert catastrophic climate change consequences" with Grant Hauber, who is a Strategic Energy Finance Adviser for Asia, at the Institute for Energy Economics & Financial Analysis. Grant also shares his findings based on two long-running Norwegian carbon capture and storage projects held up as the success stories of CCS, which he believes raises a cautionary tale about the technical and financial viability of the concept in the long run.

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The first draft of the groundbreaking Global Plastics Treaty - a new law to address plastic pollution - will be negotiated from November 11-19, 2023. This is a crucial step in the global fight against plastic pollution, but what does this actually mean for us? We discuss what the Global Plastics Treaty is all about, and the major challenges that lie ahead in implementing such a significant treaty with Shantini Guna Rajan, a Policy Lead, WWF-Malaysia.

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The good people from environmental journalism portal Macaranga return, for another roundup of top environmental news from the month past. Lots of big (and rather alarming) news from October 2023 - Kelantan authorities are seeking to make changes to forest classification - RimbaWatch reports that there is an "unprecedented proposal" to remove all environmentally sensitive areas (ESAs) in Kelantan from the Kelantan State Structure Plan, Local Plan and Special Area Plan. Then just last week, we heard from SPAN that seven of our dams are in critical condition, due to ageing structures, which could spell danger for our water security in the country. And finally, the Atomic Energy Licensing Board (LPTA) just updated the current terms and conditions of Lynas’ operating licence, including the permission to import raw materials containing naturally occurring radioactive materials, and to allow Cracking and Leaching activities to continue, subject to certain conditions. What does all of this mean? We've got Wong Siew Lyn and Law Yao Hua, the co-founders of Macaranga to help break it all down for us.

Image Credit: 123RF, Wikimedia Commons

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Tak Kenal Maka Tak Cinta is our ongoing tourism-themed series on Earth Matters, which aims to highlight lesser-known ecotourism spots right here in Malaysia. Done in collaboration with the Ecotourism & Conservation Society Malaysia (ECOMY), we want to take you back to the great outdoors, and experience the many off-the-beaten-track nature spots our country has to offer. Last time, we explored the Kinabatangan River, and now we're still in Sabah, but in Kundasang, which is located at the foot of Mount Kinabalu, Malaysia’s tallest mountain and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. But climbing the mountain isn't the only thing to do there, and Andrew Sebastian, the Founder & Chief Executive Officer of ECOMY is here to help us explore the many eco-adventures available in the area.

Listen to our previous episodes in the series:

Episode 1: Kuala Tahan

Episode 2: Pulau Bangau in Teluk Intan

Episode 3: Bukit Batu Putih in Port Dickson

Episode 4: The Sultan Iskandar Marine Park & More

Episode 5: Merapoh

Episode 6: Bukit Wang, Kedah

Episode 7: Kinabatangan River

Image Credit: 123RF

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.