Earth Matters

In our roundup of environmental news for February 2021, Macaranga.org's Wong Siew Lyn fills us in on the 2020 winners of the 5th Asia Environmental Enforcement Awards which were just announced, and gives props to the two Malaysian federal agencies and the Royal Malaysia Police Taskforce that were among the winners, while discussing the implications of this international recognition. Looking forward to the months ahead, we take a look at the hot and dry season that is already upon us (and set to last until mid-April), and discuss how the upcoming months of hot weather might impact both us and the environment.

Image Source: UN Environment Programme, Shutterstock 

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Last year, local environmental portal Macaranga.org published four in-depth articles based on their investigation into forest-use changes in Peninsular Malaysia. Called Forest Files, the series explored issues such as forest-use policies, key drivers of forest loss and also how citizens could influence forest use. In our second of three interviews covering Macaranga's findings, we speak to Law Yao Hua, Co-Founder, Co-Editor and Writer at Macaranga.org, and also Siti Syaliza Mustapha, Senior Manager (Forest Management) at the Malaysian Timber Certification Council, about the role of the MTCC, which promotes the certification of forestry and timber products in Malaysia that meet international standards of practice, and whether this can promote sustainable logging and sustainable forestry.

Image source: Shutterstock

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Last year, local environmental portal Macaranga.org published four in-depth articles based on their investigation into forest-use changes in Peninsular Malaysia. Called Forest Files, the series explored issues such as forest-use policies, key drivers of forest loss and also how citizens could influence forest use. In our first of three interviews covering Macaranga's findings, we speak to Law Yao Hua, Co-Founder, Co-Editor and Writer at Macaranga.org, and also Adrian Yeo, who was formerly the Special Skills officer and advisor to the minister in charge of forestry under the Pakatan Harapan government, about issues such as who has the final say over what happens to our forests here in Peninsular Malaysia, what usually motivates state governments to gazette or excise forest area from Permanent Reserve Forests before looking at ways that the state and federal government can collaborate to improve the way forests are managed in Peninsula Malaysia.

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In his first day as President of the USA, Joe Biden overturned his twice-impeached predecessor's actions on the environment, by rejoining the Paris climate accord, cancelling the Keystone XL pipeline, revoking oil and gas development at national wildlife monuments, and directing agencies to review and reverse more than 100 actions on the environment by the previous administration. What more can we expect from the Biden administration, in terms of environmental justice? We speak to author and economist Rob Dietz, who co-authored the book “Enough is Enough: Building a Sustainable Economy in a World of Finite Resources” and who is the Program Director at the US-based Post Carbon Institute.

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In our first Earth Matters episode 2021, Wong Siew Lyn and Law Yao Hua, the co-founders of local journalism portal Macaranga.org join us to share environmental news from January. First, we discuss what the MCO2.0 and the nationwide emergency might mean for the environment, before turning to a discussion on the recent flooding, and whether logging was to blame for it. And finally, as we all stay home to stay safe, we look at which online seminar and classes we can busy ourselves with, in the coming days and weeks.

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Established in 1985, the South East Asia Rainforest Research Partnership (SEARRP) has worked towards the conservation, sustainable management and restoration of rainforests in Malaysia, particularly in Sabah. Through their work, they hope to address the major environmental issues facing the tropics: plantation development, habitat restoration, and climate change. A recent recipient of the Merdeka Award in the Environment category, we find out more about the work they do from Dr Glen Reynolds, the Director of SouthEast Asia Rainforest Research Partnership, who will also share how he hopes SEARRP will continue to train and mentor the next generation of scientists and conservation leaders, and inform policy and best practice at local, regional and global levels.

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It's estimated the average office worker uses 10,000 sheets of office paper, and about 500 disposable coffee cups every year. That's a lot of waste that can be easily reduced or even eliminated, and we haven't even taken into account the amount of disposable plastic and food waste that one generates per year! Last week, the folks from Zero Waste Malaysia joined us to share some tips to embark on the zero waste lifestyle at home, and on today's episode we want to focus on ways we can reduce waste at the office, with the ultimate goal of going zero-waste! Joining us to share simple and useful tips to start this journey are Khor Sue Yee, Marylyn Poh and Gedeon Lee, from Zero Waste Malaysia.

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New year, new you! Most people are looking forward to kicking off 2021 with new resolutions, and what better way to improve your health, simplify your lifestyle, save time and money in the long run, and lessen your carbon footprint, than by trying the zero waste lifestyle? Khor Sue Yee, Angie Elsie Roger and Gedeon Lee from Zero Waste Malaysia join us to discuss simple ways to build up healthy and eco-friendly habits, and to share their top tips for how we can start our zero waste journey at home. 

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In our final Earth Matters episode for the year, we look back at some of the major environment-related news from 2020, with Wong Siew Lyn and Law Yao Hua, the co-founders of local journalism portal Macaranga.org. First we discuss the huge impact of COVID-19 on conservation and ecotourism, before turning to a discussion on the repeated water cuts many of us faced in 2020, due to river pollution. Continuing on the theme of disruption, we also look at the impacts from the political changes in the country, which forced repeated postponing of long-anticipated amendments to forestry and wildlife legislation, and discuss why these processes need to be put in place ASAP. 

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Many developed countries exported their recyclable plastic in large amounts to other countries to process, Malaysia being one of them. Though we have since banned the import of plastic scrap, the official definition of plastic scraps remains vague, and the ban also did not halt unregulated or poorly regulated burning and dumping activities of plastic. It's no secret that the global plastic recycling market is in need of a major overhaul. What are the long-term effects of a broken recycling system, and what would an overhaul of this system look like? We discuss this and more with Mageswari Sangaralingam, a Senior Research Officer at the Consumers' Association of Penang, and a Freelance Researcher at Sahabat Alam Malaysia.

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