Earth Matters

They are organising #PowerShiftMsia, a pow wow that will bring together 200 young and passionate "climate leaders" to build a movement intent on seeing the interconnected issues of climate, environmental and social justice be given the level of attention it deserves by government with the appropriate sense of urgency. 

Adrian Yeo, the Organiser and Neville Yapp, a coordinator with Land Empowerment Animals People (LEAP) joined us to share more.

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An engineer by profession and an entrepreneur by passion, Ali Raza Randhawa founded his company PAK-Energy Solution, with the aim of turning cow manure into gold.

Targetting villagers and farmers living in the rural areas of Pakistan, the company hopes to turn farm waste into gas and fertilizer with portable and domestic natural gas digester. We find out more.

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Malaysia's aquaculture industry is expected to produce 800,000 tonnes of fish in 4 years time. Do we have what it takes to meet the demands? Dr. Natrah Fatin Mohd Ikhsan explains.

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There are now perhaps less than 10 Sumatran rhinos left in Malaysia and less than 100 in Indonesia. We speak to wild-life conservationist Adilla Jamaludin to find out more about the dire situation, what prompted her to champion the Sumatran rhinos and The Rhino Cup - a charity polo tournament to aid Sumatran rhinos.

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The Peruvian government is drawing flak over its decision to continue with the expansion of the controversial Camisea natural gas project onto land inhabited by uncontacted indigenous tribes.

Survival International claims that Peru and the six companies that make up the Camisea consortium have violated United Nations guidelines that protect the land of uncontacted tribes and prohibit the granting of land rights to develop natural resources.

We find out more from Rebecca Spooner, a campaigner with Survival International.

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The idea of smart cities has become the latest hot topic in the tech industry. By 2050, it is estimated that 70% of the world's population will live in cities. However, cities cover just 2% of the Earth's surface yet consume about 75% of the world's resources. Given that more of the world's population now live in cities than in rural areas, it's clear they are key to tackling climate change and reducing resource use. 

Here to tell us more about smart cities and how we can develop more of them is Sir Edward Lister from the Mayor of London's office, Deputy Mayor of Policy and Planning

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The demand for vegetable oil derived from oil palm is rapidly expanding. Appromiately 90% of world production takes place in Indonesia and Malaysia. Unfortanately, around 10% of palm oil plantations in Southeast Asia are on peat soils, which until recently were covered by peat swamp forests. The drainage of these carbon-rich organic soils for plantations is causing massive greenhouse gas emissions. 

Faizal Parish, Director of the Global Environent Centre, tells us more. 

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Many countries, including Malaysia, have alluded to the importance of green economy as the way forward for development. But how committed is Malaysia in developing our nation to be a green economy? 

Yasmin Rasyid, the Chairman of Malaysian Environmental NGOs (MENGO) and Mohamed Shah Redza Hussein, the Executive Director of the Malaysian Nature Society join Meera Sivasothy to discuss the commitment needed by all Malaysians towards addressing environmental concerns in Malaysia, in our quest to become a green economy. 

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World Tapir Day was established to raise awareness about the only four species of tapir that still exist on the planet today. As large herbivores, tapirs are invariably the first species affected by human encroachment into their territory, and are now classified as endangered. 

The Malaysian Nature Society (MNS) are set to celebrate these gentle creatures in a big way this weekend. Meera Sivasothy speaks to Andrew Sebastian of the MNS to find out more. 

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Between the 3rd to the 15th of March 2013, the 16th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (CoP16) to CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) will take place in Bangkok, Thailand. There are proposals for increased protection for African elephants, polar bears, West African manatees, manta rays and sharks.

Dr. Ronald I. Orenstein, a zoologist, lawyer, wildlife conservationist, naturalist and birder, who has written extensively on a wide variety of ecology and conservation issues, will be attending the conference, and he gives us a general overview of CITES and the upcoming conference.

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