January-February , 2021 | @ green

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Disclaimer : The contents of this publication aim to inform and educate the public on issues , developments and news regarding Green energy , environment and forest , both locally and globally . The information contained in this publication is for general information only , and readers should always seek independent , professional advice and consultation where appropriate . Whilst every care has been taken to ensure that the content is correct , the publisher and editors of @ green will not be held liable for any loss or damage resulting from reliance upon any information in this publication , including products and services advertised . Unauthorised reproduction of this publication is strictly prohibited , in whole or in part , without the written consent by the publisher . Statements and opinions expressed by writers , contributors and advertisers are not necessarily those of the editors or publisher . p25-27

Don ’ t even think about it

Kedah REE mining venture raises environmental and health concerns

p28

Save our elephants

Rampant illegal logging giving rise to human-beast conflicts

p29

Menraq to the fore

Orang Asli forest patrol makes giant leaps in saving Malayan Tiger

p30

Making Malaysian agriculture truly sustainable

Agriculture needs to be made more appealing

@ green Says …

nations in Southeast Asia and was supposed to have been a developed nation by 2020 .

But Malaysia is on course to double its absolute CO2 emissions from 2005 to 2030 . ( Interestingly , the official goal is formulated as a 45 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emission ( GHG ) intensity ).

But Malaysia already belongs to the top 13 per cent highest greenhouse gas emitters per capita ( 2012 ) when including the emissions from land-use change and forestry .

This brings the GHG emission of Malaysia up to 14.8 tonnes CO2e per capita , which is only slightly lower than the United States ’ emission ( 18.6 tonnes CO2e per capita ).

This is the comparison with some other countries in Southeast Asia :

• indonesia : 8.0 tonnes CO2e per capita

• Thailand : 5.6 tonnes CO2e per capita

• Vietnam : 2.8 tonnes CO2e per capita With climate change identified as an existential threat to humanity , Malaysia needs to buck up and show regional leadership . If Malaysia , as one of the wealthiest countries in Southeast Asia , does not show leadership with real climate change commitments and action , it gives poorer countries a free pass of doing nothing .

There are plenty of low-hanging fruits within the field of energy efficiency that remain un-plucked . This would be an excellent place to start for Malaysia - also economically , as the investment return for energy efficiency is attractive . Consider these :

• Malaysia still has fossil fuel energy subsidies , especially for natural gas / electricity production . According to the IMF 2013 data , the Malaysian fossil fuel subsidies , including externalities ( mostly health impacts on the Malaysian population from air pollution ) amounts to RM88 billion / year . In other words , fossil fuels costs are artificially low , which skews the playing field , making it harder for environment-friendly solutions to be competitive .

• Malaysia does not have any carbon tax or plans , if memory serves right , to implement carbon taxation . This means that it is free to pollute the atmosphere with greenhouse gasses even though climate change by the UN has been identified as an existential threat to humanity .

• The 2019 paper “ A Proposal for Carbon Priceand-Rebate ( CPR ) in Malaysia ” by Darshan Joshi from the Penang Institute , proposes a gradual carbon tax to be implemented in Malaysia . Studies show the carbon tax in Malaysia should be RM120 per tonne CO2 equivalents ( tCO2e ) to compensate for society ’ s costs .

Darshan also argues that taxation should be made such that the B40 families gain financially from the implementation of carbon taxation . The Malaysian government can earn about RM5 billion per year , which can fully cover Malaysia ’ s climate funding . p20

p21 p21 Building blocks for Malaysia 5.0

Humans must be trained to excel at something which will remain out of AI reach for at least some time to come

p22 House on fire

We are not doing any favour by giving significant subsidies to fossil fuels

p23 Environment-friendly mobility

Use of fossil fuel for electric power generation and transport are the ‘ worst offenders ’ for carbon emissions

p24 Hype v Substance

Sustainability : an early career working definition p24