Two years after a moratorium on all bauxite mining was imposed in Pahang, local stockpiles have still not been cleared. Some 10 tons of bauxite still remains. In other words, the clear-up has been manifestly sluggish, even by local standards, to say the least. And so it goes. What seemed…
Microplastics may seem innocuous enough. They are barely visible plastic beads that are the size of sand grains. What harm could they do? Plenty. Microplastics have spread far and wide in the world’s oceans, entering food chains. Even table salt has been contaminated by these tiny pollutants. A myriad of…
Economic growth is a must for free and prosperous modern societies. Yet that growth must be in line with sound environmental principles because that is the only we can ensure that our planet will avoid becoming an environmental basket case and can begin to heal itself at last. Not only…
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…
HIV/Aids, malaria, tuberculosis. These deadly diseases continue to take horrible tolls on the lives of millions of people, especially in developing countries. Yet the combined death toll from these three diseases pales in comparison with the death toll caused by pollution. So say researchers who have published a study in…
Already more than half of the world’s population (54%) lives in towns and cities. That number, according to the UN, could well swell to two-thirds, or 66%, by 2050 when another 2.5 billion people will have been added to urban populations around the planet. The question, though, is just what…
Canada. Mention the country’s name, and many people can’t help but instantly picture vast stretches of unspoiled natural bounty with scenic mountains and meadows teeming with wildlife. That’s hardly a surprise. Canada is the second largest country in the world, after Russia, with a whopping 9.984 square kilometers of land…
A ban on bauxite mining has been in force in Kuantan for almost two years, yet the ravages of unregulated mining throughout 2015 still continue to be felt by several local farmers. A case in point is a poor yield of the area’s famed Besarah durian in this fruiting season….
Sarawak has long been beset by pollution. What to do? Clamp down harder on polluters. Or “declare war” on them, if you will. That’s according to he Bornean state’s Assistant Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture. “We need to declare war on irresponsible polluters,” stresses Lee Kim Shin. “We need to…
You know the feeling, that sinking feeling: you head down to a nearby beach for a bit of sunbathing, swimming or lying on the sand … only to find the beach overrun with other people and strewn with rubbish. We’ve all been there, yes. Wouldn’t it be great if we could make it…
Is there a place on Earth that hasn’t been contaminated by man-made pollution? There isn’t, it turns out. Take the Mariana Trench in the Pacific Ocean. At more than 10km deep, it is the lowest point on Earth. You would think that it was far enough from human activities to remain in…
Most Malaysians left their former forest homes a long time ago, but now many of them may want to return to forests – or rather, to urban simulacrums of imitation woods. Living in teeming modern urban jungles, many citizens may find themselves longing for a renewed proximity to more natural…
The ecological fallout from bauxite mining in the Malaysian state of Pahang has affected the east coast town of Kuantan in myriad ways. Its water sources have become polluted and its tourism industry, a vital source of revenue for locals, has taken a hit. But the worst may be yet to…
Malaysia regularly makes global headlines, but in recent times it hasn’t been to the country’s credit when it did so. First, a double whammy of tragedies in quick succession involving two Malaysia Airlines commercial flights cost several hundred lives and plunged the national carrier into a prolonged crisis. Next, the…
In reaction to rising concern over pollution caused by illegal Bauxite mining in Malaysia, the state of Pahang recently revoked the mineral ore licenses of 34 contractors. Home to 1.5 million people, Pahang is a highly populous area that is also rich in Bauxite. The heavy metal is extracted in…