Environment must be in top ten

I WOULD like to personally congratulate the people of Malaysia and Pakatan Harapan’s team for their tremendous work and what must have been a huge amount of sacrifice in enabling a new era of political transformation.

But I was shocked that the environment was not identified as one of the 10 core cabinet portfolios in our country. Malaysia, after all, is recognised as one of the 12 mega-diverse countries in the world, boasting a rich biodiversity heritage.

Biodiversity, or biological diversity as it is more commonly known among the scientific community, encompasses all living things and the ecosystems in which they live. It is an intricate and interdependent web of life which humans are part of.

The role played by the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry (NRE) has always been an important one in our country, at least in my opinion, since its establishment in 2004.

Focusing on core areas including land development, minerals and geoscience, forestry, biodiversity, environment, water and climate change, the NRE has played a significant role in educating and engaging the masses on the importance of taking care of the environment as a shared responsibility.

It has executed a number of excellent initiatives and programmes. Some of these projects are done in collaboration with important stakeholders such as the United Nations.

It is also seen in many ways as the “authority” in providing guidance and assistance to industry when it comes to minimising environmental harm as a direct impact of their operations.

In recent years, there have been great concerns over global environmental issues. Human activities have contributed towards climate change that is affecting all facets of our life. The rise in temperature has been prevalent, with one of earth’s hottest temperatures recorded just last year. This was no doubt exacerbated by the greenhouse effect.

Among the environmental concerns that have been widely discussed in Malaysia are escalating carbon dioxide emissions from the transport sector, deforestation, open burning, excessive waste production and river pollution.

These issues have raised the need for greater ownership and what some would call “environmental citizenship”, a form of citizenship that prioritises and emphasises the importance of the environment and one that crosses national territorial borders.

It stresses the need to have citizens with greater awareness of the environment and try to maintain and preserve the earth by participating in “green” activities and saving our planet.

Environmental NGOs rejoiced when it was announced that environmental education will be embedded as a core part of the school curriculum in Malaysia in the next couple of years. This is no doubt a move in the right direction in terms of developing “environmental citizens”.

Malaysia has also been seen globally as a leader on the environmental front, having committed to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity and the Paris Agreement of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC). We have committed to 45% emissions reduction by 2030 in relation to our 2005 GDP.

The momentum has started and Malaysia has so much potential in demonstrating to our neighbouring countries that development and preservation can indeed go hand in hand. There is no reason to stop now.

Without the NRE, who will now be the sounding board for biodiversity and environmental issues? While there have been speculations about the restructuring of the NRE, the core functions of protecting biodiversity and the environment should be retained as integral components for a truly inclusive sustainable development.

DR RENARD SIEW Climate Reality Leader Kuala Lumpur