Earth Matters

In March 2022, a global commitment was made to negotiate a comprehensive plastics treaty, addressing the entire life cycle of plastic. Now at the end of 2023, countries are still grappling with disagreements, particularly from "low-ambition" nations disputing fundamental terms like "plastics" and "life cycle." Despite some progress, such as increased support for tackling harmful additives, the rec...

Born in 1823, Alfred Russel Wallace was a pioneering naturalist and biologist whose significant contributions to the field of natural history paralleled those of Charles Darwin. Wallace independently formulated the theory of evolution through natural selection, a concept he developed during his extensive explorations of the Malay Archipelago, and his groundbreaking work in the 19th century is said...

Methane is the second-largest contributor to global warming after Carbon Dioxide and reducing methane emissions is crucial due to its significant impact on short-term global warming. Recognising this importance is often hindered by unclear information, but scientists are working hard to increase awareness on the issue, as methane emission reductions are considered a readily achievable and cost-eff...

As November draws to a close, we look-back at some of the top environmental news from the month past with Law Yao Hua, the co-founder of environmental journalism portal Macaranga . This month, we discuss how Sarawak is officially the first state in the country to enact an anti-climate change law, and why this is a significant move in our country, before we turn our attention to some of the finding...

Tak Kenal Maka Tak Cinta is our ongoing tourism-themed series on Earth Matters, which aims to highlight lesser-known ecotourism spots right here in Malaysia. Done in collaboration with the Ecotourism & Conservation Society Malaysia (ECOMY), we want to take you back to the great outdoors, and experience the many off-the-beaten-track nature spots our country has to offer. This month, we're going...

It's been almost a year since the new coalition government under Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim took power. While the PM has focused on fighting corruption and the rising cost of living, how are his and his administration's Green credentials shaping up? We discuss this with Adam Farhan, the co-founder and director of RimbaWatch , while also noting what the government should focus on for t...

The Asia-Pacific Climate Week 2023 was one of the platforms for policymakers, practitioners, businesses and civil society to exchange on climate solutions, barriers to overcome and opportunities realised in different regions. The meeting was held last week in Johor Bahru, and we catch up with Kieran Li Nair from the Malaysian Youth Delegation (MYD), to hear her perspective of what went down during...

At last year’s COP27 summit in Egypt developing nations celebrated a victory when they secured an agreement on the Loss and Damage Fund – something that had been advocated for for decades. Following that, a transitional committee composed of members from developed and developing countries were tasked with discussing what this fund would look like - from who would pay into this fund to where it wou...

Did you know tigers were once found in Borneo? And that orangutans once roamed Selangor? What happened to them, in these areas? These are some of the questions Lim Tze Tshen aka Ah Tshen, a Vertebrate Palaeontologist and Zooarchaeologist tries to uncover, through his work. As a Vertebrate Palaeontologist, he researches animal fossils that have backbones, especially mammal species that can be found...

The Malaysian government launched the National Energy Transition Roadmap (NETR) this year, outlining Malaysia’s plans towards achieving a sustainable and inclusive energy system, that reduces our dependence on fossil fuels, and moves us towards a low carbon economy. However, organisations like Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM) have voiced concerns over some of the proposals in the roadmap, including hyd...

The first draft of the groundbreaking Global Plastics Treaty - a new law to address plastic pollution - will be negotiated from November 11-19, 2023. This is a crucial step in the global fight against plastic pollution, but what does this actually mean for us? We discuss what the Global Plastics Treaty is all about, and the major challenges that lie ahead in implementing such a significant treaty...

The good people from environmental journalism portal Macaranga return, for another roundup of top environmental news from the month past. Lots of big (and rather alarming) news from October 2023 - Kelantan authorities are seeking to make changes to forest classification - RimbaWatch reports that there is an "unprecedented proposal" to remove all environmentally sensitive areas (ESAs) in Kelantan f...

Tak Kenal Maka Tak Cinta is our ongoing tourism-themed series on Earth Matters, which aims to highlight lesser-known ecotourism spots right here in Malaysia. Done in collaboration with the Ecotourism & Conservation Society Malaysia (ECOMY), we want to take you back to the great outdoors, and experience the many off-the-beaten-track nature spots our country has to offer. Last time, we explored...

Malaysia recently conducted a mid-term review of its National Policy on Biological Diversity (NPBD) 2016 - 2025 , in response to the adoption of the Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) in December 2022. The new strategy was unveiled yesterday, the 24th of October 2023, and aims to fulfil global biodiversity targets by 2030. This is a crucial moment for Malaysia's dedication to conserving its natur...

Protecting coasts and oceans has multiple benefits for the environment, economy, society and culture, and in line with that, Malaysia is working hard to increase its biodiversity-rich coastal and marine protected areas (MPAs) by 2025. To date, Malaysia has protected only 5% of its ocean area, but the goal is to double that to protect at least 10% of its total land and marine areas, in line with th...

Themed “Economic Reforms, Empowering the People,” Budget 2024 was announced on the 13th of October 2023, by Malaysia's Prime Minister & Finance Minister, Dato' Seri Anwar Ibrahim. The Second Belanjawan MADANI has allocated RM393.8 billion - the highest budget ever tabled by any government in Malaysia’s history, with RM90 billion from the total allocated for development expenditure. We speak to...

KNOTs - or Knowledge: New Old Twists - is a social enterprise dedicated to promoting engaging and meaningful learning experiences for children, regardless of location. They do this through their Vanishing Classroom, which reintroduces outdoor and traditional learning methods to 21st-century students, and they encourage the utilisation of ecological ecosystems and outdoor environments. Their goal i...

Two years after filing a defamation lawsuit against Indigenous grassroots organisation SAVE Rivers — logging company Samling withdrew the case, with a joint agreement between both parties. Following the successful outcome for SAVE Rivers, we caught up with the organisation's chairman and founding member, Peter Kallang, to discuss the group's plans moving forward. See omnystudio.com/listener for pr...

Two years after filing a defamation lawsuit against Indigenous grassroots organisation SAVE Rivers , the logging company Samling withdrew the case with a joint agreement between both parties. Initially headed to the Miri High Court for trial on Monday, 18th September, the case was cancelled after a last minute settlement. We spoke to the lawyer representing SAVE RIVERS, Simon Siah, about the histo...

Many of us rejoiced at the birth of baby Axel, the first-ever gibbon born at a rehabilitation centre in Malaysia to rescued parents Ebony and Coley. For the first time after 10 years of operations, the Gibbon Conservation Society (GCS) of Malaysia finally has a family so close to being released back into the wild , but before that can happen, Ebony, Coley and Axel will be closely monitored to ensu...

WCS-Malaysia ’s main activities revolve around helping the Malaysian government in conducting biological monitoring and supporting protection efforts of wildlife such as tiger, elephant, orang-utan as well as sharks and rays. Wildlife conservationist Dr. Mark Rayan Darmaraj assumed the role of Country Director for WCS-Malaysia back in 2021, and continues to work on implementing conservation strate...

The co-founders of environmental journalism portal Macaranga , Law Yao Hua and Wong Siew Lyn, join us for a round-up of top environmental news from September 2023. This month, we look at big legal cases involving indigenous communities and their long-standing struggle for customary land rights in Malaysia, and how we expect to see even more legal suits concerning these issues playing out in the co...

Raised in Canada, residing in Malaysia, Anuar McAfee 's background is in the field of education, but he is also an avid photographer, birder, conservationist, and author of the bilingual bird guidebook, Birds of Terengganu . The Director of the International Centre at Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin (UniSZA), and a committee member of the Malaysian Nature Society's Kuala Terengganu branch, Anuar u...

Numbers vary, but most estimates state that there are about 4,000 tigers left in the wild - a far cry from their previous 100,000 population. The Eye on the Tiger exhibition is a photography exhibition featuring tigers, from over 30 of the world’s leading professional wildlife photographers. Presented by the Royal Albert Hall and Save Wild Tigers , the exhibition - which first premiered in 2018 -...

Rare earth mining is big business for countries with reserves, such as Malaysia, which has an estimated 16.1 billion tonnes of subterranean rare earth deposits. Rare earths are essential for green technology and climate goals, but their extraction and processing can cause environmental and social impacts. Malaysia aims to balance the economic benefits and environmental costs of rare earth mining,...