Nurture a little ecowarrior

In celebration of World Environment Day today, we present books that could spark a green interest among young minds.

AS we celebrate another World Environment Day today, you might like to know that Malaysia is recognised as one of 12 megadiverse countries in the world.

Megadiverse countries are those that harbour the majority of Earth’s species and high numbers of endemic species. This classification shows how a small number of countries holds a large portion of global diversity and so have a disproportionate responsibility in conserving and managing natural heritage sustainably.

Even though this country only has 0.2% of the world’s landmass, it contains around 20% of the world’s animal species. This makes Malaysia one of the richest countries in the world in terms of biodiversity per unit area, second only to Indonesia in South-East Asia.

Yet, in a 2010 study by Science magazine, Malaysia was named the eight worst country in the world for plastic waste. Our South-East Asian neighbours fared no better, with Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam among the top five of the same list.

The new Environment Ministry, slated to be set up at the end of this month, will have a lot to do in terms of raising awareness and educating Malaysians on matters like climate change, plastic pollution, deforestation, and energy systems as well as systemic problems that exacerbate these environmental issues, like greed, corruption and short-sighted corporate goals that place profit over sustainability.

What can we, as ordinary citizens and families, do to help?

As parents of children who will grow up to become future policy makers, we need to expose our kids early to environmental conservation and sustainability issues. Don’t worry if you are enthusiastic but not an expert. There are lots of great books written for children on this subject matter that you can turn to, and even learn from yourself.