Earth Matters

The ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Association (AIPA) took place last month in June. Joining us on the show today to tell us more about what was the outcome of the meeting and Asean’s climate change approach is Wong Chen, Member of Parliament for Subang. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Climate Reality Project was founded by former US Vice President Al Gore to move forward the conversation on climate change and turn awareness into action globally. But what is the state of the so-called climate crisis today? And how does human activity contribute to that issue? In today’s show, my guest answers those questions and we go back to basics and try to understand the science be...

The Climate Reality Project was founded by former US Vice President Al Gore to move forward the conversation on climate change and turn awareness into action globally. But what is the state of the so-called climate crisis today? And how does human activity contribute to that issue? In today’s show, my guest answers those questions and we go back to basics and try to understand the science be...

"People, planet, and profit" is the popular description of the triple bottom line that should be adopted by companies who are striving to be sustainable in their business practices. As the impact of climate change is increasingly felt, Corporate Social Responsibility actions appears to be taking on a deeper hue of green, and focusing more on the planet. While averting a humanitarian and planetary...

Water is a critical ingredient to our social and economic needs. However, rapid development and urbanization in Malaysia is resulting in a steady increase in water supply demand for agricultural, industrial and domestic needs. This imposes pressure on our water resources. On today’s show, we look at sustainable water management and how prepared are we to tackle water security and potential w...

"People, planet, and profit" is the popular description of the triple bottom line that should be adopted by companies who are striving to be sustainable in their business practices. As the impact of climate change is increasingly felt, Corporate Social Responsibility actions appears to be taking on a deeper hue of green, and focusing more on the planet. While averting a humanitarian and planetary...

Zero Waste Malaysia is back for the second year. Sue Yee, Co-founder of Zero Waste Malaysia joins us on the show today to talk about the aim for this year’s event and their Regional Zero Waste Movement. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Said to be the world’s most heavily-trafficked wild mammal, it's estimated that more than 100,000 pangolins are poached from the wild every year. They are in demand for both their meat and their scales, believed in some Asian countries to have medicinal properties, and they are also used in traditional African bush medicine. Are they facing a bleak future? We explore this and more with Dr Ch...

From adventure activities to community service, Raleigh KL runs expeditions in various locations around the world with the purpose of promoting youth development by participating in adventure (outdoor activities), community and environmental projects. Joining us on the show today to tell us more are Carrot Ho, president of Raleigh KL and Loo Shen Quang, expedition officer of Raleigh KL. See omnyst...

Most, if not all of us depend on the use of plastics daily. But once they have served their use, we throw them away. So, imagine industrialized countries doing just that to Southeast Asia - dumping plastic waste to certain parts of this region and transforming those places into toxic dumpsites. That is what a recent research has exposed about the global trade of “recyclable” plastics....

As the fasting month comes to an end and with Raya around the corner, we look back and reflect on what we could have done better when it comes to food wastage. On today’s show, we discuss how we can eat and prepare our food responsibly this festive season with Fadly Bakhtiar from Ecoknights. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Christine Milne was a former Senator for Tasmania and leader of the Australian Greens, and is considered one of Australia’s most experienced environmental and community activists, with more than thirty years of front line activism . “Clean, Green and Clever” sums up the policy frameworks she pursued during her career in the Australian Parliament, which was focused on driving acti...

Just last month, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said that "our effort to become a developed nation will not be achieved or recognised if all we can see are tall skyscrapers, but our rivers are polluted, forests are barren and the air we breathe is polluted." Almost a year since taking power, has the Pakatan Harapan government placed more importance on protecting our country’s natural resources, bio...

The Earthworm Foundation was formerly known as The Forest Trust, and has 20 years of experience in finding solutions to the major social and environmental problems that our world is facing today. We find out more about the foundation and the work they do from Bastien Sachet, the CEO of Earthworm Foundation, and Quek Karl Yen, the Regional Lead of the foundation. See omnystudio.com/listener for pri...

The Klang Valley City Nature Challenge is a 4-day bioblitz style international competition between cities, to engage as many people as possible to document as much urban wildlife as possible. Today on Earth Day , we find out more about this challenge from Tan Kai Ren and Nurul Fitrah Marican, from the University of Malaya's The Rimba Project , who are part of the organising committee for this chal...

The greater Ulu Muda is a 160,000-hectare forest located in east Kedah. Rich in biodiversity, it's also a main source of raw water for South Kedah and Penang. Despite its undeniable importance, the Ulu Muda forest remains unprotected, despite calls that the whole area be given permanent protection by declaring it a state park. Helping us understand the importance of Ulu Muda to our daily lives and...

There has been heated debate over the radioactive waste produced at the Lynas Advanced Materials Plant (LAMP) in Kuantan, which is owned by Lynas Corporation, Ltd. an Australian rare-earths mining company. Lynas insists that it abides by international safety standards and industry practices, and that critics have ignored the science in the matter. Together with guest host and science journalist Dr...

Sampah-Menyampah has been going from strength to strength since it was launched back in 2017, helping to get us all moving towards a cleaner, healthier, unpolluted, and community-spirited Malaysia. Carolyn Joan Lau, the co-founder of the Sampah, Menyampah! joins us to give us updates on the movement and also to fill us in on all the events lined up at this year's Sampah, Menyampah and Friends' Ear...

The Mulu rainforest, which is part of the Gunung Mulu National Park, is Sarawak’s only UNESCO World Heritage Site, but an oil palm plantation is encroaching into this land. The Penan and Berawan/Tering communities – local communities that live in the area – protested against the development, fearing it would threaten their livelihood and the biodiversity of the area. We speak to...

With a call to #Connect2Earth, the theme for this year's Earth Hour celebration aims to spark conversations on nature and the unique diversity of life we share our home with. It was also World Water Day and International Day of Forests last week, so in light of these significant days, we discuss issues regarding fresh water supply and biodiversity loss in Malaysia, and highlight the link between f...

The gazettement of the Kuala Lumpur City Plan (KLCP) 2020 by Federal Territories Minister YB Khalid Abdul Samad late last October, was met with dismay by many stakeholders. The gazetted plan was neither the 2008 draft local plan nor the 2013 revised plan, but a “2015” version that had not gone through the processes and procedures required, as stipulated under the Federal Territory Plan...

In Malaysia, it's estimated that an average of 37,000 tonnes of waste is generated every day, with most of it piled up at landfills. Although we're always encouraged to recycle as much as we can, only five per cent of the garbage produced in this country ends up being recycled. If you're confused about what can actually go into recycling bin, we're here to help with this simple 101 on what you can...

A new spider species - Birupes simoroxigorum - was described in the February issue of The Journal of the British Tarantula Society, by arachnologists Ray Gabriel and Danniella Sherwood. The species is native to Sarawak, and the three European collectors who provided the specimens to the arachnologists are said to have captured the animals in the forests of Sarawak, and transported them to Europe....

There was a lot of dismay, to put it mildly, that the Kuala Lumpur City Plan (KLCP) 2020 was gazetted last year on Oct 30th, without first getting the feedback of various stakeholders. The gazetted plan was neither the 2008 draft local plan nor the 2013 revised plan, but the gazetted local plan was a “2015” version. What does all of this mean? Joining us to explain all are Datuk P. Gun...

Palm oil is the most widely used vegetable oil in the world, and this ubiquitous ingredient is found in almost everything, from ice cream and toothpaste to feedstock for biofuel. A highly profitable industry, the ever-growing demand for palm oil has however also drawn scrutiny and ire for among other things, the destruction of rainforests in Indonesia and Malaysia to support its expansion. So what...