The debate surrounding Malaysia’s bauxite mining industry is nearing a fever pitch.  National bauxite exports have exploded from around 100,000 tons in 2013 to over 2.5 million last year to what could be more than 20 million for 2015.  Legal and illegal mining operations have sprung up everywhere, spreading carcinogenic…

After months of suffering from intense industrial pollution, the residents of Pahang – Malaysia’s unofficial bauxite mining capital – could be looking at some relief.  The Malaysian Federal Government agreed on November 16 to suggest a temporary suspension of bauxite exports from Pahang. In order to carry on with the…

Malaysia’s recent boom of poorly-regulated bauxite mining has resulted in what could easily be considered an environmental disaster.  Created during bauxite extraction, red dust laden with heavy metals and radioactive elements is washing into rivers, bogging up fields and blanketing cities with a rust-colored layer of fallen sediment. Already, doctors…

Residents of Bukit Goh, a city near Kuantan in Eastern Peninsular Malaysia, were given a jolt of excitement late last year when bauxite mining companies offered them between RM300,000 and RM800,000 (US$72,000 – $193,000) for every four hectares of their land that contained bauxite.  After mulling it over, about 200…

After years of unregulated bauxite mining activity in the Malaysian state of Pahang, scientific surveys have proven without a doubt that the pollution worrying residents and causing them to fall ill is beyond acceptable levels. The findings – which will support public outcry for the regulation or scale-down of bauxite…

Asian Metal, a business that provides advice on pricing and trading activity to mining companies, recently visited a number of mines in Malaysia.  Reports from the visits reveal a truly astounding export quantity of bauxite and suggest potential changes to bauxite mining in Malaysia that could make it even worse…

There’s a storm of controversy surrounding Malaysia’s recent rise as a major bauxite producer.  Bauxite mining has become a very profitable industry for the struggling country, but the pollution it creates is poisoning Malaysian citizens and ecosystems. About RM750 million (US$170.6 mil) has so far been generated from bauxite mining…

Illegal bauxite mining is quickly degrading life of all kinds in Malaysia.  The country’s people, environment, and potential for development are all suffering from a rush of poorly regulated mining operations – but despite promises to shut down mines, politicians have not been taking action. Pahang, a populous state in…

In the past year, Malaysia has emerged as one of the world’s leading producers of bauxite, the raw ore used to create aluminum.  The discovery and feverish exploitation of bauxite in Malaysia (a reaction to Indonesia’s drop-out as a supplier to bauxite-hungry China) has been a boon to the nation’s…

Illegal bauxite mining in Malaysia has been causing an uproar of late, as the unregulated practices and resulting pollution pose dire risks to human, animal and environmental health.  The bauxite-rich state of Pahang has been hit particularly hard by mining pollution, but the state’s Environment Department (DoE) is misleading the…