GQP0014

GROUP 3

ASSIGNMENT 3:
CREATING A CITIZEN SCIENCE PROJECT

SUBMITTED TO:
DR. CHUA KAH HENG

NAME MATRIC NUMBER IC

LEE XIM ER U2103996 010710-04-0250

POON WEN YAR U2003225 990219-05-5184

YAH TIAN LING 22003451 031215-01-1236

MAK CUI SHAN U2104153/1 000111-08-1414

WONG WEI YU U2002785 000509-08-0921

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 Table of Content

No Page

1 Turnitin Report 3

2 Introduction
● Provide a title for the citizen science project
● Provide an introduction about the citizen science project you
choose

3 Body
● Objective of the project
● Target population/group
● Ways to engage the general public in your project to collect the
data needed
● Contribution of the project towards the advancement of
sustainable future

4 Conclusion
● Conclude the citizen science project and brief personal
opinions/comments

5 References

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1.0 Introduction
The framework for achieving a better, more sustainable future for everybody is found
in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). They deal with issues like poverty, inequality,
climate change, environmental degradation, peace, and justice, as well as other worldwide
problems we confront. For this project, our title is “Let’s take action to stop climate change
NOW”. Obviously, we will focus mostly on the issues related to climate change that relates
to the 13th SDG, which is climate action. The purpose of SDG 13 is to take urgent action to
combat climate change and its impacts. Everyone is aware that Malaysia, our beloved nation,
is currently one of the East Asian nations with the most rapid economic growth. Malaysia is
often said to sacrifice its environment in its bid for urbanisation and agriculture.

Indubitably, climate change has become a serious issue in Malaysia due to the emission
of greenhouse gases and carbon dioxide from an increasing variety of sources, including
industrial manufacturing, power generation, transportation, and open burning activities. This
could have detrimental effects on the environment, the economy, and society. For example,
according to various reports, Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah, and Sarawak's surface average
temperatures are rising by 0.14°C to 0.25°C per decade; even during the monsoon season,
annual rainfall increases significantly, causing annual floods; and the sea level is rising by
about 3.3 mm east of Malaysia and 5.0 mm west of Malaysia. These are the severe effects of
climate change that could cause fatalities among people and substantial economic losses since
if a flood occurs, some economic activity may be halted and infrastructure damage
necessitates significant financial resources for restoration. Moreover, people are forced to
leave their homes and normal life is disturbed. As carbon dioxide and greenhouse gases are
the main contributors to climate change, we need to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide
emissions being released by human activities around the world to limit climate change.

In this paper, we will be explaining the objective of our citizen science project, our
targeted population or group, ways to approach them to get data, and lastly how can this
paper contribute towards the advancement of a sustainable future. For instance, one of our
goals is to comprehend how important it is to lower the emissions of carbon dioxide, which
traps heat. The residents of Malaysia's most polluted cities are the group we are aiming our
citizen science project at. We believe that through this citizen science project, we can raise
public awareness while also advancing and developing new ideas and technology.

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2.0 Objectives
Our climate is changing before our very eyes. Many people question whether we will
be able to change it. The good news is that, despite the many obstacles in our way, we can
still halt climate change and address the global warming catastrophe. Our objectives of this
citizen science project with the title “The Current State of Climate Changes Awareness and
Implementation in Malaysia” are:

1. To reduce carbon gas emissions.

The main gases that trap heat in the atmosphere and warm the Earth are carbon gases
like carbon dioxide and methane. As previously mentioned, climate change causes rising sea
levels, rising temperatures, and increased annual precipitation. If this problem worsens in the
near future, it might also have an indirect impact on food production through its impacts on
crop development mechanisms. For instance, the occurrence of floods early in the rice
growing season could cut yields by up to 60%, while the occurrence of a drought could make
it impossible to grow cocoa, rubber, or palm oil. Therefore, it is obvious that reducing carbon
gas emissions is necessary to stop these horrifying impacts.

2. Importance to reduce carbon gases emission.

In actuality, environmental, economic, and social repercussions will all be impacted
by climate change. From a social standpoint, it will have a detrimental effect on people's
health and labour productivity. As one illustration, urban heat islands (UHI) cause haze
pollution events, which can irritate the eyes and even lead to chronic respiratory conditions
like asthma. Additionally, droughts brought on by climate change may make it hard to grow
palm oil, rubber, or cocoa. This has a considerable economic effect as Malaysia is a major
producer of rubber and palm oil. It is crucial to reduce emissions of carbon gases by all
means in order to meet SDG 13’s requirements.

3. To understand better ways to reduce carbon footprint.

There are many methods for lowering carbon footprints. The most common solutions
involve using public transit or carpooling because driving generates a lot of carbon dioxide,
which contributes to global warming. The development of technology has also led to the
creation of cars that are propelled by solar or electric motors. It is important to promote the
use of cars like these that don't operate by burning fossil fuels, which produce greenhouse

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gases. Creating green buildings is a less popular method of reducing carbon footprint. It goes
without saying that a green building uses less energy overall, whether it's due to energy-
efficient equipment, passive heating and cooling, or environmentally friendly construction
methods. By doing this, a building's overall carbon footprint can be greatly reduced, and it
may even become more environmentally friendly. There are various strategies to reduce
carbon footprints, but the most important thing is to increase public awareness of the need for
sustainability. Students can be educated sustainably, or sceptics can be persuaded by using
facts from scientific studies. Only then can people have a broader perspective and be
cognizant of switching to these sustainable methods.

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3.0 Target population/group

The target population is the full set of units for whom survey results will be used to
draw conclusions. Thus, the target population denotes the units to whom the survey's findings
are intended to be generalised. It is undeniable that the emissions of pollutants into the air can
result in changes to the climate and the emission of the pollutants normally comes from cars,
factories, homes and others. Therefore, the targeted population in this citizens science project
is the citizens who lived in the most air polluted cities in Malaysia as well as the citizens who
lived in the city that suffered from the most serious traffic congestion problem in Malaysia.

According to the Air Quality Index (AQI) ranking, it is stated that Klang, Selangor is
the most polluted city in Malaysia. The air pollution level in Klang, Selangor is the highest in
Malaysia and it is extremely unhealthy for the citizens. Air pollution is mostly caused by
industrial operations connected to the production, trade, and consumption of products.
Industrial sectors always select the cheapest approach to release a huge quantity of carbon
monoxide, hydrocarbons, and chemicals into the air. This will significantly decrease the air
quality and cause air pollution. The pollutants that release into the air not only will cause
climate change but also will cause serious health problems to the citizens.

According to Universiti Teknologi Malaysia's Professor Muhammad Zaly Shah

Muhammad Hussein, the substantial rise in vehicle traffic on Kuala Lumpur's roadways may
result in the formation of an "urban heat island" effect, in which temperatures in the city are
higher than in the countryside and the problem was worsened by crowded buildings and
paved road surfaces. Moreover, vehicle-emitted gases such as carbon monoxide, sulphur
dioxide, and nitrogen dioxide will have long-term consequences on health and contribute to
climate change. When there is heavy traffic on highways with towering buildings, the diesel
exhaust emitted cannot disperse into the air and become trapped, resulting in the formation of
a heat bubble where the heat is being trapped in the locality and this will cause climate
change. (KL Traffic Jams Can Create Heat Bubbles, Says Expert, 2022)

According to research paper “Influence of urban air pollution on the population in the
Klang Valley, Malaysia: a spatial approach” , Malaysian air pollution is mostly generated by
point sources, especially industrial manufacturing and energy generation, as well as mobility
sources (motor vehicles) and open burning. The Klang Valley, located on Peninsular
Malaysia's southwest coast, is a rapidly rising urban area. Klang Valley is Malaysia's largest

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economic area, with growing industrialization, urbanisation, and infrastructural development,
all of which have significantly impacted air quality (Rahman et al. 2015b). Some companies
that have started their research and development in cleaner, greener technologies are also our
targeted group. Therefore, our project will collect the data and information from the industrial
sector or companies including their practices, challenges and suggestions. All this
information will help in the analysis, research and development purpose. Therefore, scientists
and relevant parties can use all the related information to build a better.

The air pollution is significantly worse in Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia and
its neighbouring state, Selangor. Therefore, the targeted population in this citizens science
project is the citizens who lived in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor. While Klang is a rapid
industrial development area, the targeted population in this project will be the professionals
and management personnel of companies in the industrial sector located in Klang.

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4.0 Ways to engage the general public in your project to collect the data needed

Data needed to manage for the project can be either quantitative or qualitative.
Quantitative facts represent numbers or statistical results you can easily compare. Qualitative
methods have nothing to do with numbers, instead, you focus on words, emotions and
feelings. The qualitative method is used in this science citizens project to engage the general
public in our project to collect the data needed. There are numerous approaches to grab the
audience's attention so the necessary variety of detail can be gathered.

The first and most crucial step will be to form a specialised focus group. It is widely
used to gain an in-depth understanding of perceptions or opinions on climate change. It is a
blend of observations, interviews and surveys with a specific focus on a target audience,
which means gathering a sense of common identity, same interest entails bringing together
such a group of people who share a shared interest. To encourage individuals to participate
in a focus group, we can set up a booth at an event that will attract the same type of people
who are interested in joining our project, which will help the data-gathering process run more
smoothly. For example, a group of eight persons from the Klang Valley area gets together to
discuss the issue and share their views, ideas, facts, and insights.

Besides, feedback on a survey or study approach is another topic of interest for the
general population. A feedback form is essential for understanding what the audience
received from an interaction. The follow-up questionnaires will aid in determining the degree
of satisfaction. A survey can be administered to an individual or in a group setting. We can
conduct surveys physically and online. We may advertise a post with a google form link on
media networks such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and others to attract people to fill in
the form for data collection. To attract different groups of people, we can distribute google
form links through WhatsApp according to the group. For example, university groups consist
of people between the ages of 20 to 24. In another way, we can distribute the survey form
physically in some of the areas such as Klang.

Last but not least, observation is an essential tool for engaging the general public. The
observation approach is based on ethnographic research that tries to investigate the
viewpoints of the population under investigation in the setting of the participants themselves.
It is a means of gathering information without asking questions. As a result, it is more
subjective, allowing the researcher to include their point of view in the data. The observations

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of the study respondents are more complete, precise, and reliable, resulting in more valid and
dependable study conclusions. For example, a researcher from the Klang Valley area can
guarantee that the information collected from the observations comes from the group to be
researched and is not indicative of the group that has been selected.

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5.0 Contribution of The Project Towards The Advancement Of Sustainable Future

Data is important for scientists, businesses and even the government to make
improvements and decisions. The future remains unknown and uncertain, we can only make
judgments and predictions about it. Data collected from our project is one way for us to
make better predictions and know about the solutions to solve the climate change issue and
create a more sustainable future in Malaysia. Moreover, the process of collecting their data, it
also increases the awareness of the public on climate change issues.

In short, we can categorise these contributions into mainly two:

(1) increasing the awareness of the public, collecting data on the current situation in Malaysia

(2) using this data for future prospects including the improvement and development of new
concept and technologies

Increase the awareness

First, the article is to let the readers have a comprehensive understanding of climate
changes, which includes what climate changes is, the factors, impact and importance for us to
understand it. Climate changes will bring effect towards all three ESG which are
environmental, economic, and social impacts. One of the factors that cause climate changes is
due to the high emission of carbon dioxide and greenhouse gases. We have also
recommended some of the solutions which can reduce the emission of these gases.

Even though the government plays an important role in the sustainable development
of countries. We can never achieve without the cooperation of each individual, thus everyone
should play their own role in contributing to the world as a whole. For example, help to
increase awareness by letting more people know this. Share sustainability-related articles on
your social media, learn more about sustainability and let your family, friends and people
around you. Other than that, be a role model to everyone such as inviting your friend to
carpool to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. According to sustainable transportation by Cool
California organisation, a carbon footprint of up to 2,000 pounds can be reduced annually by
carpooling strategy. (Cool California, n.d. )

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 Malaysia targets to be a carbon-neutral country by 2050. (Syafiqah Salim, 2021). This
may seem far away from us. However, we have to take step by step, first reducing it and
eventually there will be a day when we will achieve Malaysia's goal of achieving zero carbon
countries. Moreover, the Malaysian government is also highly committed to this, not just talk.
A news report by New Straits times. (2022, June 5) mentioned that our Prime Minister Datuk
Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said that they will collaborate with other countries with similar
visions and will enact climate change-related legislation to achieve this carbon neutrality by
2050. Thus, public awareness plays an important role in implementing these policies and
initiatives.

Contribute to the sustainability development and technologies

Next, technology plays a vital role in building a sustainable future. And our project
can gather the information that can help with analysis, research and development purposes.
Many of the organisations have realised the limitation on using fossil fuel which not only
impacts the environment but it will gradually be used up. Thus, many of these companies
have started their research and development in cleaner, greener technologies. (Energy Watch,
2021) These companies will be part of our target companies, and we will gather more
information on their practice and limitations. Scientists and relevant parties can make use of
this information and build a better sustainable future.

After the information has been gathered from our target companies, the data can be
used to reform the policies and reconstruct the charging point of electric vehicles in order to
increase the usage of electric vehicles. According to TechNode Global, they said “ Malaysia
government’s target installation up to 10,000 public charging stations for electric vehicles
(EVs) in the country by 2025 under the Low Carbon Mobility Blueprint 2021-2030 is on
track, with around 700 charging stations nationwide having been set up so far, according to
the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI).” Therefore, the data that has been
collected such as the efficiency of electric vehicles in reducing carbon emissions can help the
Low Carbon Mobility Blueprint 2021-2030 to be successfully implemented.

The use of electric vehicles is important to maintain the sustainability of our future.
This is because environmental issues such as climate change had been worsened over the
years and it had brought a huge impact on human social life until human activities are unable
to be carried through electric vehicles will be the most important way to reduce the carbon

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emission because the green resource such as solar power that provides electricity to the
electric vehicle can be an alternative way in reducing carbon emission. Therefore, using
electric vehicles to reduce carbon emissions is important for us to increase usage and provide
more information about electric vehicles to the public in order to reduce misconceptions of
using electric vehicles.

Nonetheless, the citizen science project also provides opportunities for economic
growth in Malaysia. This is because increasing the use of electric vehicles can indirectly
increase job opportunities for the industry. For example, the job opportunities in the electric
vehicles industry such as technician for electric vehicles will increase the overall rate of
income of the population will increase by promoting the electric vehicles industry.

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6.0 Conclusion
In conclusion, it is clear that this citizen science project “Let’s take action to stop
climate change NOW” is important for the community to achieve a better, more sustainable
future. The data that has been collected throughout the research by interviews and surveys
can be used by scientists, businesses and even governments in order to make improvements
and decisions in solving the issue of climate change. In order to achieve the objectives of
reducing carbon emissions effectively, the data collection process can also help to raise
awareness among the respondent. The article raises awareness among the public by
increasing the understanding of what climate change is, the factors, impact and importance
for us to understand it.

Besides, the project also contributes to the innovation of technology in order to

maintain the sustainability of the future. By gathering the information that can help for
analysis, research and development purposes, the information can be used for authorities such
as the government, scientists or even private businesses in order to develop technologies such
as electric vehicles. The contribution of the project in raising awareness and increasing the
innovation for related authorities in developing technology is important to reduce carbon
emissions in order to reduce issues from climate change and create a more sustainable future.
In short, the data that has been collected from the interviews and surveys will be valuable for
developing a sustainable future by building knowledge about climate change among the
communities and increasing innovation in creating and managing green technology.

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References
Cool California. (n.d.). Sustainable Transportation | Cool California. Cool
California.org. Retrieved November 24, 2022, from
https://coolcalifornia.arb.ca.gov/sustainable_transportation

Energy Watch. (2021, November 22). Malaysia’s Leading Corporations Share How
Climate Governance is Shaping Businesses - Energy Watch:
https://www.energywatch.com.my/blog/2021/11/22/malaysias-leading-corporations-
share-how-climate-governance-is-shaping-their-businesses/

News Straits Times. (2022, June 5). M’sia reiterates commitment towards carbon
neutral target by 2050. https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2022/06/802505/msia-
reiterates-commitment-towards-carbon-neutral-target-2050-nsttv

Syafiqah Salim. (2021, September 27). 12MP: Malaysia committed to becoming

carbon-neutral nation by 2050, says PM. The Edge Markets.
https://www.theedgemarkets.com/article/12mp-malaysia-committed-becoming-
carbonneutral-nation-2050-says-pm

KL traffic jams can create heat bubbles, says expert. (2022, July 9). Freemalaysiatoday.
Retrieved December 13, 2022, from
https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2022/07/09/kl-traffic-jams-can-
create-heat-bubbles-says-expert/

Rahman SAR, Ismail SN, Raml MF, Latif MT, Zainal Abidin E, Praveena M (2015b) The
assessment of ambient air pollution trend in Klang Valley, Malaysia. World Environ
5(1):1–11. https://doi.org/10.5923/j.env.20150501.01

Malaysia Air Quality Index (AQI) and Air Pollution information | IQAir. (n.d.). Retrieved
December 13, 2022, from https://www.iqair.com/malaysia

Shafie, M. S. H. (2022, January 26). Influence of urban air pollution on the

population in the Klang Valley, Malaysia: a spatial approach - Ecological Processes.
SpringerOpen. https://ecologicalprocesses.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s13717-
021-00342-0

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