Ecological Civilization: Building a Shared Future for All Life on Earth

International Laws
1. Convention on Biological Diversity
2. United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD)
3. United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)
4. Cartagena Protocol
5. Nagoya Protocol

CBD
1. Conservation of Biological Diversity
2. Sustainable use of the components of biodiversity and its components
3. Fair and equitable sharing of benefits in the use of genetic resources

Cartagena Protocol
To protect biological diversity from the potential risks posed by living modified
organisms (LMOs) resulting from modern biotechnology- established a procedure for
ensuring that countries are provided with the information necessary to make informed
decisions before agreeing to the import of such organisms into their territory

Paris Climate Accord

To limit warming to below 2 degrees Celsius and as close as possible to 1.5 degrees
above pre-industrial levels. To achieve that, the world needs to cut fossil fuel production by
roughly 6% per year between 2020 and 2030. Yet current projections show an annual increase
of 2% (CNN, February 2021).
In 2018, the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) estimated the
carbon budget to be around 420 gigatons (billion tons) of CO2 for a two-in-three chance of
limiting warming to 1.5 degrees. The world produced roughly 34 gigatons of CO2 last year,
which means the remaining carbon budget could last for just over six years, unless emissions
start declining fast.

Basel Convention
Basel Convention was designed to reduce the movements of hazardous waste between
nations, and specifically to prevent transfer of hazardous waste from developed to less
developed countries. It does not, however, address the movement of radioactive waste.
Two years ago, more than 180 countries agreed to ban hard-to-recycle plastic waste
trade in an attempt to stop rich countries dumping trash in the developing world, where it
often ends up polluting the local environment and the ocean.
 Signatory countries can now only trade plastic waste if it meets certain
low-contamination criteria - which means it is clean, sorted and easy-to-recycle - or if the
exporting country gets prior consent from the importing country.
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Organisations/ Bodies
1. Department of Biosafety
Since Malaysia is privy to the Cartagena Protocol all field trials of LMOs for the purpose of
research and development must obtain a Certificate of Approval from the National Biosafety
Board
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Domestic Issues (in alphabetical order)

Agriculture Activities

1. Land Clearing Activities by Fire

Background:
Fire in Sarawak tends to be confined to plantations and is mostly started by agricultural
activities in adjoining farms. Fire occurrences in the natural forest are minimal. (WWF,2002)

Efforts:
● National Forestry Act
○ To streamline and standardise management of forests in Malaysia
○ Implementation by the Forestry Dept
○ Section 81 prohibits the use of fire for removing timber from permanent forest
reserves unless specially authorised
○ Section 82- no person shall kindle, keep or carry any fire, or leave any fire
burning, within a permanent forest reserve in such a manner as to endanger the
forest reserves
○ Efficacy: Low as its legislative authority is restricted to forest reserves under
the administration of the Department of Forestry, while many forest fires start
outside the boundaries of permanent forest reserves.
● Environmental Quality Act
○ Addresses problems related to open burning to support Zero Burning Policy
○ Efficacy: High as
1. Expanded the power of investigation and enforcement of various
agencies including the fire fighting and police services, and officers from
the Ministry of Health and local councils/municipalities
 2. Abolished the Department of Environment’s powers to issue
contravention licences for burning but instead provided a specific list of
authorised prescribed activities for open burning (15 with limited
hectares allowed ranging from only 2-20) i.e. effectively banned open
burning on vast plantation areas
3. A complete ban on burning on any peat soil area
➔ Since the implementation of the act, the number of fire occurrences in
the plantation areas has reduced significantly, because the companies
are deterred by the high fines and because of the monitoring by
government agencies, particularly through air surveillance
● Zero Burning Policy
○ Ban open burning in 1998- deliberate open burning can result in a maximum
penalty of RM 0.5 million.
○ Land clearing for oil palm cultivation used to be undertaken by the clean
clearing method, which included burning and re-burning of biomass but it does
not only pollute the air but is also costly
○ A financial and economic analysis of various zero burning techniques of land
clearing for oil palm cultivation indicated that the techniques are
environmentally friendly, cost effective, bring higher returns, and savings in
fertilizer input from nutrient recycling and soil preservation
● Initiatives to make use of residues by agencies in order to minimise fire risk
○ Sarawak Timber Association- initiative to use oil palm residues for MDF
(Medium Density Fibreboard).

Challenges:
● Most of the documented fires were caused by negligence or misuse of fire in land
clearing activities (WWF, 2002)
● Issue of NCR (Native Customary Right) land whereby villagers are allowed to use fire for
their traditional farming within their NCR land (around 300,000 hectares in Malaysia).
Plus no strong documentation thus anyone can claim their land as an NCR land

2. Reduction on Forest Coverage due to Agriculture Activities in Cameron Highlands

Background:
In 2015, there was an almost 3% reduction in forest coverage in Cameron Highlands,
and the land use for agriculture activities has increased (Weebers and Idris).

Efforts:
 ● National Forestry Act 1984, development on forest within the private lot is legal while
development on reserve lot such as reserve forest that belongs to the government
property is illegal and is considered as land encroachment
● Local District Plan or Rancangan Tempatan Daerah (RTD) were developed by Cameron
Highlands District Council to address the environmental issues in Cameron Highlands
○ Section 18 (1) of the Town and Country Planning Act 1976- “no person shall use
or develop any land or building unless according to the Local Plan”
● Farm Accreditation Scheme or Skim Amalan Ladang Baik (SALM) was introduced in
2002 to promote Good Agriculture Practices (GAP) and to ensure the safety and quality
of vegetables produce among the farmers
● Malaysian Organic Scheme Certification (MyORGANIC)

Challenges:
● Inefficient law enforcement have cause many illegal land clearings, which trespass the
forest reserve and riverbank areas, and unsustainable developing methods such as
○ Farming on steep slopes
○ Installation of irrigation pipes on the road sideways and in the slope
○ Excessive usage of pesticides and fertilizers
● National Audit Report 2012:
○ Intensive land clearing and deforestation for agricultural activities where most
were operated illegally
● Only 16% of the farmers in Cameron Highlands applied Integrated Pest Management
(IPM) such as sticky traps and crop rotation while others used chemical pest control.
● SALM gained low participation from the local farmers as the majority of them have
small-scale production for the domestic market only. This results in higher risk of pest
infestation. Other factors include low promotional campaigns, limited support and
infrastructure, low financial capital capacity, and economic constraints
● There are only 13 certified organic farmers out of 2200 farmers in Cameron Highlands
due to lack of capital, labour shortage, lack of training by DOA and other agencies and
lack of marketing of the organic-based products

Solutions:
● Malaysian Certificate Scheme for Good Agricultural Practice (MyGAP) was introduced
in 2013 to replace SALM. Participation is voluntary and the services provided for
certification is free. To receive this accreditation, farmers must fulfill 17 requirements
including practices compatible with soil conservation and proper waste disposal plan
● Pesticides Board where pesticides used must be legally registered under the board
 3. Water Pollution
Background:
In March 2012, Kuala Terla Water Treatment Plant (WTP) was temporarily shut down
because of illegal farming and the use of excessive pesticides and fertilizers that caused
hundreds of fishes in the stream to die. The main issues of river pollution in Cameron
Highlands are sedimentation and siltation seen through the physical characterization of the
river water which is brown or milk-tea in color

Forest and protected areas management

1. Introduction of Malaysian Forestry Policy
a. The policy outlines a clear direction for the forestry sector in facing new
challenges at domestic and international levels
b. The policy is a shared policy between the federal and the state government in
order to play an active role as conservation agents and drivers of the country’s
socio-economic development
2. Forest facts in Malaysia
a. Of the total forested areas in Malaysia, only 1.7 per cent are degraded forest
areas. Since 2016, a total of 1,859 hectares of degraded areas have been
reforested with an allocation of RM152.82 million
b. various special financial instruments were created including the National
Conservation Trust Fund for Natural Resources, Forest Development Trust
Fund under the state governments in Peninsular Malaysia and the latest, the
Malaysia Forest Fund (MFF) which was established in 2020.
c. Based on the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) report, Malaysia is
among 25 developing countries which have high forest cover and low
deforestation activities.
d. Malaysia has pledged its commitment to mainstream biodiversity management
in national development during the Earth Summit in 1992, Rio de Janeiro.

Logging

1. Log jam

Tourism

1. Agro-tourism
Background:
 The policy of encouraging agro-tourism has led to environmental problems in
Cameron Highlands

Solutions:
● Local District Plan or Rancangan Tempatan Daerah (RTD) were developed by Cameron
Highlands District Council to address the environmental issues in Cameron Highlands
and to develop it as sustainable highland tourism area
○ Section 18 (1) of the Town and Country Planning Act 1976- “no person shall use
or develop any land or building unless according to the Local Plan

Penang Reclamation Project (main reference here)

1. Penang South Reclamation (PSR) Project
a. It is a reclamation for 3 artificial islands 7 times the size of George Town located
at the south of Penang Island
b. PSR is assumed to solve rising property prices and shortage of quality affordable
housing. It is also planned for the Bayan Lepas Industrial Zone expansion and to
reduce development pressure in George Town
c. Impacts of the PSR Project
i. Channel dredging will cause a total loss of coastal mudflat and plankton
rich area
ii. The route to the dumping site for dredged materials from the coastal
area of South Penang is a popular ground for fishermen and recreational
fishing activities. The constant movement of barges will present collision
risk between the work vessels and fishermen/angler boats, especially at
night.
iii. There is a potential reduction in environmental services obtainable from
coral areas due to increase in total suspended sediment, sedimentation
and erosion, thus resulting in some loss in the amount of resources
important to support marine life.
2. Responds to the PSR
a. Criticism from Nurul Izzah, see also here
b. Criticism from PKR leader
c. Criticism from former minister
3. Other mega reclamation projects in Malaysia
a. Malacca
i. Project termination
 ii. Melaka Gateway developer fails to challenge state's directive to halt
project
iii. Reclaiming the sea from the Melaka Gateway

b. Langkawi
i. Review, scrap the Langkawi reclamation project
ii. Langkasuka - A proposed artificial islands project in Langkawi
c. Johor
4. Additional reads
a. Redefining Development and the Hidden Cost of Land Reclamation in Penang
b. The case study on Penang South Island Reclamation Megaproject
c. Evaluating the Penang South Reclamation (PSR) Project According to the United
Nations' Sustainable Development Goals

Waste Management

Intro:
Poor waste management can harm biodiversity both directly (e.g. the consumption of
plastic microbeads by marine wildlife) and indirectly (e.g. landfill sites, which provide ideal
conditions for bacteria that produce methane – a potent greenhouse gas that contributes to
climate change).
Unmanaged waste in our environment can also affect human health, particularly in
developing countries where people rely directly on healthy, functioning environments for survival
(and where waste is not well managed, due to resource and technology limitations).

Types:
➔ Non-degradable waste enters the food chain, potentially causing illness, disease or death
➔ Organic waste is implicated in disease, pest outbreaks and contamination of water and
soils
➔ Toxic waste

1. Domestic waste management

Background:
The legislative instrument for the management of hazardous wastes in Malaysia is the
Environmental Quality (Scheduled Wastes) Regulations 1989 which control the generation,
transportation and disposal of wastes through a notification and licensing system for facilities.
Other Legal framework:
● The Environmental Environmental Quality Act 1974 was amended to include a Section
34B on the control of Shipment and Disposal of Scheduled Wastes; “Prohibition against
placing, deposit, etc. of scheduled wastes” which covers both land and water
○ Control of export import and transit of scheduled wastes
○ Penalties for illegal trafficking increased up to RM 500,000.00 or five years
imprisonment or both.
● 1998, Customs (Prohibition Export) Order 1998 and Customs (Prohibition Import) Order
1998 were enforced.

Efforts:
● Shutdown of 218 illegal plastic recycling factories between 2019 and 2020 for not
complying with regulations

2. Import and export of hazardous wastes

Background:
Malaysia became the leading destination for the world’s plastic trash after China
banned imports in 2018. After China backed out, Vietnam and Malaysia became some of the
biggest plastic waste importers in Asia. Imports skyrocketed from 20,000 tonnes per month at
the beginning of 2017 to 110,000 tonnes per month in early 2018.
In terms of export, waste generators are allowed to export waste for recycling, recovery
or treatment provided with written approval are obtained from the importing state.
Malaysia has shown resistance to importing. For instance in 2019, Malaysia returned
around 4,000 tons of plastic waste.

Efforts:
● Since discovering that 13 countries including the UK, Canada, China and Saudi Arabia,
had sent non recyclable waste to the country in 2018 and 2019, Malaysia has been
sending it back. The waste had been labelled as recyclable plastic but included CDs,
cables, contaminated milk cartons and electronics.
● In 2020, returned 150 shipping containers of illegally imported plastic waste to their
countries of origin, including the UK, US and France
● Collaborative efforts between Malaysia and international governments resulted in the
repatriation of 150 containers, totalling in 3,737 metric tonnes of illegal plastic waste
(about 1/3 as heavy as the Eiffel Tower)
● Closed 200 illegal recycling units
● View to clamp down on imports in the future
Challenges:
● Malaysia couldn’t cope with the quantity and much of the plastic was burnt in the open,
causing adverse health effects
● Wastes enter Malaysia illegally, under the guise of ‘recyclable scraps’,

Solutions:
● Exporting countries must take responsibility for their wastes including contributing to
the measures and shouldering all costs necessary to remove their wastes dumped in
countries like Malaysia
○ When plastics are exported from one country to another they can bring with
them a wide range of hazardous chemicals
○ Improper storage and treatment can later release these chemicals into the local
environment
● Conduct due diligence prior to the exportation of plastic waste in order to ensure and
strengthen the transparency of plastic usage, disposal and recycling systems globally
● Stronger regulations are needed to drastically reduce the production of unnecessary
single-use plastic packaging by multinationals like Nestle, so waste does not need to be
exported in the first place
● Enforce Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) (producers are given a significant
responsibility for the treatment or disposal of post-consumer products) in the
production of plastics by regulating corporations that produce unnecessary single-use
packaging for products, requiring them to track products from cradle to grave

3. International conflicts
USA, March 2021:
Malaysia returned a container of plastic trash en route from the United States as it
violates new U.N. rules governing hazardous waste under the Basel Convention. The shipment
did not meet the criterias under the Basel Convention (clean, sorted and easy-to-recycle) nor
did the US have prior approval from Malaysia.
The United States, which produces more plastic waste per capita than any other
country, is the only major nation not to have ratified the Basel Convention and is not bound by
its rules. However, under the treaty, Malaysia cannot accept prohibited plastic waste from the
United States.

Water Security and Policy (main reference)

Overview
 1. Rapid development in Malaysia invites more people and industries to town and
consequently increases total demand for clean water supply. The need for new
township has ended up in land clearance and deforestation which affect catchment
areas and natural water flow; while illegal settlements by the river increases the
number of polluted rivers.

Water stress events in Malaysia

1. In 1998, drought in Klang Valley and some states in the west coast of the Penin. Malaysia
dried up the dams and resulted in the longest water rationing of 150 days with 3.2
million residents affected
a. The dry spell was caused by the drought-inducing El-Nino phenomenon with
no rainfall in the catchment area between January and March 1998.
b. In 2014, another severe drought hit the west coast causing water level of major
dams to go below the critical level. The Selangor River dam for instance reached
40.53 percent in March compared to 53.38 percent in February
c. The two droughts were the result of El-Nino events which have been intensified
by climate change. It was forecasted that climate change will bring more
droughts in 2028, 2029, 2034, 2042, and 2044. This shows that more actions are
required to adapt the country to climate change in its development.
2. Water pollution
a. Water pollution is also a contributory factor to water disruption in Msia.
i. In 2016, foul smell pollution in Semenyih River caused the Semenyih
water treatment to shut down leading to a number of water disruptions
affecting 1.6 million users in Selangor and Putrajaya
ii. Bad odour from ammonium pollution was also the cause for 90 pct of
plant shut down in Johor while other polluters like wastewater,
detergents, oil spills, muddied flow due to flood, deforestation, and
quarrying have caused the shutting down of treatment plants and
disrupted water supply in other parts of the country.
3. Water Management Strategies in Msia
a. Raising the financial sustainability of the water services industry
i. Strengthening the tariff system
ii. Joint billing for water and sewage
b. Expanding network and treatment plant capacity through infrastructure
investment and use of efficient technology
i. Development of new treatment plants
ii. Increasing clean and treated water coverage
iii. Expand connected sewerage services in rural areas
 c. Increasing efficiency and productivity of water and sewerage services
i. Implement a holistic non-revenue water reduction program
ii. Update sewage treatment plants
d. Strengthening the regulatory framework of water services industry
i. Develop the National Sewerage Master Plan
ii. Establish water demand management master plan
iii. Promote waste to wealth initiatives for sewerage
4. National Water Resources Policy (NWRP) 2021
a. Aims to provide a new direction in the new water sector in line with increasing
competition for water
b. Was the first water specific policy on water resources. The policy focuses on
better coordination among water related agencies and stressed that “the
security and sustainability of water resources shall be made a national priority
to ensure adequate and safe water for all, through sustainable use, conservation
and effective management of water resources enabled by a mechanism of
shared partnership involving all stakeholders”
c. NWRP serves as a comprehensive guide for water resources allocations. It does
not specifically address water services matters but emphasizes on water
security and sustainability for human and environmental needs.

Foreign Policies (in alphabetical order)

1. GEF
The Coral Triangle Initiative:
● Links Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, Timor Leste, Papua New Guinea, and the
Solomon Islands, is a vital global marine resource as it is home to 76 percent of all coral
species and 37 percent of all reef species. It is also the spawning ground for six species
of turtles as well as endangered fish. An estimated 363 million people live within the
Coral Triangle’s boundaries. Unfortunately some 95% of reefs in the region are at risk
● GEF joined a broad partnership led by the six Coral Triangle countries to
○ Strengthen the governance of the Coral Triangle
○ Implement a regional action plan focusing on sustainable management of the
seascape including fishing
○ Establish a functioning, protected marine area
○ Strengthen resilience to climate change
● Successes
○ “A Model of Success” - World Economic Forum
○ Malaysia
■ Community education, reef monitoring, beach cleanups, alternative
livelihood projects and school presentations
■ Green Lifestyles project- anti-plastics, anti-fish bombing, mangrove
reforestation, composting and recycling
● 25% reduction in use of plastic bags, 40% increase in recycling
■ Shifted focus from fishing to weaving to reduce pressure which has
turned out to be more lucrative as it is not susceptible to weather
conditions

2. Oil production
a. Malaysia is the second largest oil and natural gas producer in SEA and the fifth
largest exporter of liquefied natural gas in the world therefore making the
energy industry an important growth sector for the economy.
3. Paris Agreement
a. Malaysia is a signatory of the Paris Agreement and the Kyoto Protocol
b. By 2030, Malaysia committed to reduce the production of greenhouse gases by
45 pct which has been stated in its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC)
4. Renewable Energy
a. Economically, Malaysia is showing a positive outlook for potential investors and
operators. Malaysia is ranked 12th in the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business
index, reflecting Malaysia welcoming market landscape