Acidification makes Corals more Brittle. It may even Dissolve Them

Acidification makes Corals more Brittle. It may even Dissolve Them

The world’s corals, Malaysia’s own stunning reefs included, are facing a host of environmental challenges to their continued survival as a result of manmade global warming and other harmful human activities. These include rising water temperatures, invasive forms of fishing like blast fishing, mass tourism and plastic pollution. Then there…

Orang Asli villagers cry Foul over a new Hydroelectric Dam in Perak

Orang Asli villagers cry Foul over a new Hydroelectric Dam in Perak

Hydroelectric dams look good on paper. They are far cleaner sources of energy than fossil fuel-powered plants, which is certainly a big plus. The trouble, though, is that the construction and operation of hydroelectric dams can deal massive damage to local ecosystems. That is why Orang Asli activists calling themselves…

Microwaves are a Threat to the Climate

Microwaves are a Threat to the Climate

Microwave ovens are handy kitchen appliances. They help us cook up fast meals within a matter of minutes. Yet they aren’t as harmless to the environment as they may seem. According to a groundbreaking study by researchers at the University of Manchester, the millions and millions of microwaves in use…

Coral Reefs are getting KO’d by Climate Change

Coral Reefs are getting KO’d by Climate Change

Coral bleaching is bad news for fragile marine ecosystems. Mass bleaching of corals on a wide scale is worse news still. Yet bleaching en masse reefs around the seas are, according to scientists who have surveyed bleaching records of 100 reefs collected between 1980 and 2016 from around the tropics….

Turning CO2 into Plastics? Done

Turning CO2 into Plastics? Done

There is already so much excess CO2 in the planet’s atmosphere that it won’t be enough for us to stop our current carbon emissions from growing in future. To make a real impact on Earth’s climate for the better, we will need to start sucking large amounts of CO2 out…

Scientists are Growing Hardy new Corals in the Lab

Scientists are Growing Hardy new Corals in the Lab

Corals around the planet are in trouble. They are fragile creatures that are prone to suffer harm even from moderate changes in water temperatures, levels of salinity and degrees of acidity. Yet climate change has been battering the planet’s coral reefs, including those in the Pacific and in Malaysian waters,…

A Clean Malaysia Milestone: This is Our 1,000th Post

Clean Malaysia was launched in August 2015 with a simple mission: to provide a window for locals and foreigners alike into the wondrous world of Malaysia’s natural environments by highlighting what ails these environments and what can be done to heal them. Clean Malaysia has been a nonprofit passion project…

Our Smartphones are fuelling Climate Change

Our Smartphones are fuelling Climate Change

We love our smartphones and for good reason. They are handy little devices that can make life a whole lot easier. There is a bit of a problem, though: our devotion to our devices is harming the environment. There are billions of smartphones in use around the planet with millions…

Seeking to hold the Fossil Fuel Industry accountable for Climate Change

Seeking to hold the Fossil Fuel Industry accountable for Climate Change

The world’s first ever national inquiry into the responsibility of the fossil fuel industry for its negative impacts on human rights resulting from climate change is taking place today in the Philippines, just a single day after Human Rights Day on December 10. Leading oil companies, including ExxonMobil, Shell, BP,…

Global CO2 Emissions are on the Rise … Again

Global CO2 Emissions are on the Rise … Again

When it comes to tackling climate change, it seems to be a classic case of “one step forward, two steps back.” Just last year, for instance, scientists reported that at long last global CO2 emissions had flatlined, meaning that we’d stopped pumping more greenhouse gases into the atmosphere than before….

Corals may Succumb to Climate Change

Corals may Succumb to Climate Change

News alert: Most of coral reefs around the oceans will likely be gone by mid-century unless we cut back on our CO2 emissions. According to scientists who have studied corals and published their findings in the journal Science Advances, corals in cooler waters may be able to adapt to slightly…

This Year will be the Warmest on Record

This Year will be the Warmest on Record

Last year was the hottest on record, according to NASA. The culprit: our massive amount of greenhouse gas emissions that has been changing the planet’s climate inexorably for the worse. Now here comes more bad news: this year is set to become warmer still, according to the World Meteorological Organization…

‘Make Companies Pay’ for Adding to Climate Change

‘Make Companies Pay’ for Adding to Climate Change

He’s been dubbed “the father of climate change awareness,” and veteran NASA scientist James Hansen has an answer to how we can rein in our wanton CO2 emissions. The answer: we should sue the worst polluters to make them legally accountable for their actions. The American climate scientist calls them…

In its Fight against Floods, Penang needs to Stop Hillside Developments

In its Fight against Floods, Penang needs to Stop Hillside Developments

Large parts of Penang are prone to occasional flooding. Climate change makes weather patterns more erratic and exposes tropical islands like Penang to increased risks of severe flooding. There’s next to nothing people on Penang can do about climate change, which is a global phenomenon and needs a global response….