Earth Matters

How often do we stop to think about where our waste goes? I’d say very rarely, if not never. In one day alone, Malaysia produces 33,000 tonnes of Municipal Solid Waste, out of which only 10.5% is being recycled. On the 1st of September 2015, households in 7 states and 2 federal territories began compulsory waste separation of solid waste. Here today are Nithi Nesadurai, president of the Envi...

The Belum-Temengor forest complex in Perak has 130-million-year-old rainforests, with some of the world’s most threatened species. Now a group known as the Pulau Banding Foundation are carrying out their fourth scientific expedition to assess the area’s biodiversity. Joining us to discuss the expedition is Dato’ Dr Abdul Rashid Bin Ab Malik of the Pulau Banding Foundation along w...

For more than a decade, Bukit Kiara’s status as a forest reserve has remained ambiguous. And despite several public campaigns to save one of the city’s green lungs, residents and activists say construction and development still present a very real threat. Here to discuss the issue further are Tan Sri Salleh Mohd Nor, and Liew Khooi Cheng from Friends of Bukit Kiara and Yong Foo Chuen,...

By 2048, the world's oceans will no longer be able to provide people with seafood, according to the WWF. And 90 percent of global fish stocks are depleted. Hence the need to shift the trade towards responsibly caught fish, and find ways of making fish farms sustainable. Here to discuss the subject are Chitra Devi, Senior Sustainable Seafood Officer, and Victor Charlie Andin, Aquaculture Officer, W...

The December UN Climate Change conference in Paris offers a last chance to reach a deal that would keep global warming from reaching risky levels, says UN climate chief Christiana Figueres. But with greenhouse gasses projected to rise to more than 4 Celsius, can countries even make the necessary cuts? And how will the Paris talks succeed when previous conferences have failed to come up with any co...

Some of Malaysia’s remote Orang Asli villages are now lit up, thanks to a community-based group, Friends of Village Development or Tonibung. They use renewable energy from micro-hydro systems to generate electricity. The group also helps build other green energy programmes. So how far can these projects go towards making rural villages entirely self-sufficient? And what difference have these...

All over Malaysia, green grassroots projects are springing up. And they’re sometimes just a click away. The Negawatt Revolution, a Malaysian website, helps you reduce your energy and carbon emissions via a digital tracking system. And on a community-based level, ToniBung or Friends of Village Development, works with Orang Asli villages using sustainable means. We talk to them about how they...

Climate change is crushing bee populations, according to the journal That’s because their habitats have shrunk due to rising temperatures, threatening agricultural yields. Can sustainable engineering play a role in reversing the effects of climate change, thereby slowing the bees’ decline? And what will it take for these new, green technologies to be widely adopted? Science. Joini...

India has the second-worst air pollution levels in the world, according to The World Bank’s latest report. And that’s set to get worse as the country becomes more industrialized and more Indians move to big cities. Joining us on the phone is Sarath Guttikunda. He’s the director of an independent research group, Urban Emissions. Info and has helped build India’s first air qu...

Malaysia has come in second-last in a report published in May on environmental legislation. The Environmental Democracy Index ranks 70 countries, and is compiled by the U.S.-based World Resources Institute. Is this a sign that we are not doing enough to protect our environment? Or is the report intrinsically flawed? To explore these questions, I’m joined by Dr. Gary Theseira, Deputy Undersec...

With the recent announcement of the 11th Malaysia Plan, we dissect the key points of the environmental agenda under the blueprint with Yin Shao Loong, the Executive Director of Institut Rakyat and Dr. Hezri Adnan, the Program Director of the Technology, Innovation, Environment and Sustainability division at the Institute of Strategic and International Studies (ISIS) Malaysia. Our experts deba...

Unsustainable fishing and farming practices have severely impacted many of our most popular seafood choices. Without urgent measures we may be the last generation to catch food from the oceans. In conjunction with World’s Ocean Day, Chitra Devi, the Senior Sustainable Seafood Officer under WWF-Malaysia's Marine Programme joins us to discuss how consumers, businesses and industry players can...

Although they get little attention, seagrasses are a vital part of the marine ecosystem and home to a diverse range of organisms. But seagrasses are in trouble: it’s estimated that 29% of the world’s seagrass meadows have died off in the past century, with 1.5% more disappearing each year. We get a Seagrass 101 crash course from Dr. Jillian Ooi, a marine biologist and Senior Lecturer f...

 The United Nations Climate Change Conference is set to be held in Paris this December and governments from over 190 nations across the globe must commit to an ambitious deal to rein in carbon emissions by then. Sir David King, former chief scientific adviser to the UK government and now the special representative for climate change, is busy travelling the world on a mission of climate diplom...

  The Malaysia Environmental Sustainability Youth Movement (MESYM), is a one-stop platform which hopes to provide the general public with everything one may need, to get involved in environmental work/ causes. Joining us to share how they connect the green dots for all are co-founders and co-general managers of MESYM, Dr. Jun-E Tan and Leonardo Losoviz. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy...

Suwanna Gauntlett is a founder of the Wildlife Alliance, a conservation group who are regarded as leaders in direct protection to forests and wildlife in the Southeast Asian tropical belt. She joins us to discuss her life's work and to share the strategies used by Wildlife Alliance to combat deforestation, wildlife extinction, climate change, and poverty. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy in...

Dubbed the Jungle-wallah of Langkawi, Irshad Mobarak gave up the corporate rat-race over 20 years ago, and became a self-taught naturalist whose knowledge was gleaned from years of trekking through Langkawi's jungles and mangroves. He joins us to discuss his life and work with Langkawi's natural resources and to fill us in on the new environmental NGO he is part of, the Ecotourism & Conservati...

We catch up with Andrew Sebastian, the Head of Communications at the Malaysian Nature Society, about the annual Raptor Watch event organised by the MNS, which highlights the phenomenal migration of birds of prey, otherwise known as raptors. Andrew will also fill us in on the MNS’s plans for their 75th anniversary this year. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

EcoKnights is a collective effort with a vision to raise a nation of ecologically conscious Malaysians that embrace and adopt sustainable lifestyles. Co-founder Yasmin Rasyid, who is also the President and Executive Director of EcoKnights, drops by to share more about the organisation's expanding quest, while also discussing the topic of sustainability in corporations.  See omnystudio.com/lis...

Dr Jane Goodall’s Roots & Shoots, which has local chapters in over 132 countries, has now added Malaysia to its fold.  With a focus on getting youths involved in making positive changes for animals, the environment and society, we find out the Malaysian chapter’s plans and projects for the near future from Jyunichi Washizaki, the project manager of Roots and Shoots Malaysia. S...

Associate Professor Dr. Lawal Bilal's research is in geospatial applications in environmental planning and management, particularly in flood forecasting and monitoring and urban planning. He joins us to discuss his research and work, and explores ways these methods can be applied in Malaysia, what with the recent devastating floods that hit our country. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy info...

Warm and humid, mangrove forests protect our coasts and serve as a nursery ground for much of our seafood. Sadly, we are fast losing these mangrove forests to commercial activities. We spoke to Dr. Dan Friess who studies mangrove ecosystems, to discuss the status and functions of mangrove forests in Southeast Asia. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Widespread deforestation, pollution, overfishing, changing weather patterns, poaching of wildlife - it's been a poor year for the environment in Malaysia. Andrew Sebastian, the Head of Communications at the Malaysian Nature Society, joins us to take a look back at the news that dominated the environment landscape in 2014 and the urgent need for action in the new year. See omnystudio.com/listener f...

One of the most endangered animal species anywhere in the world, the existence of the Sumatran rhinoceros is still critical. John Payne, the Executive Director of the Bornean Rhino Alliance (BORA), joins us to discuss what needs to be done to prevent the first extinction of a mammal species in Malaysia since 1932. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Mekong, one of world's great rivers which sustains the lives of 65 million people, is under dire threat from a cascade of hydroelectric dams. Journalist and filmmaker Tom Fawthrop has just released a documentary, The Great Gamble on the Mekong, which details how the construction of these dams in the Mekong region can affect the ecosystem. Tom joins us to discuss the need for an investigation i...