Malaysia

Addressing climate change in Malaysia: a critical perspective on carbon pricing

In order to lower the carbon emissions that lead to global warming, Malaysia is considering the deployment of market-based carbon pricing policies such as carbon trading and a carbon tax. This paper, which is based on a memorandum submitted to the Malaysian government, presents a critical assessment of these policies …

Ridleys at risk

even as forest officials and environmentalists in Orissa heaved a sigh of relief with the news of the first batch of 3,000 Olive Ridley turtles crawling onto the beach near the Rishikulya river mouth, fishing trawlers are set to turn killer machines again. For though the use of turtle excluder …

malaysia

A recent study of foodstuff from an ex-tin mining area in Bidor, Malaysia, has revealed high levels of potentially toxic elements (ptes) that could be carcinogenic. The study was conducted by the University Kebangsaan Malaysia, Forest Research Institute of Malaysia (frim) and the Mineral Research Centre. It has been discovered …

Logjam

Unquiet woods With the ban and without access to forest revenue, Northeast economy is in doldrums THERE is an unusual quietness in the forests of India's northeast, arguably the country's best timberlands and one of the world's biodiversity hotspots. Brought about by the Supreme Court's blanket ban on tree felling …

The verdict

THE ban comes at a time when the region's economy is in an inertia and is desperate for an economic miracle. The post-ban realisation of the economic potential of forests and the apex court's instruction to measure the sustainability of forests comes as a reminder of the development model that …

At the crossroads

Ban blessing Some people in the region regard the ban as a blessing in disguise. Though the situation was difficult initially, they have ventured into other sources of income. In Tirap district, many people once involved in timber trade have now switched to tea cultivation. Says Mithi: "We are promoting …

The accused

Reinforcing laws The court acted methodically. First, it asked states to define forests. Interestingly, a clear definition of forests is not given in the existing legal instruments - Forest Conservation Act (FCA), 1980, Forest Conservation (Amendment) Act, 1988, and the Indian Forest Act, 1927. Under Section 2 of the FCA …

MALAYSIA

Toxic waste dumped in the southern state of Johor has sparked off environmental and health fears. The waste was reportedly brought in from Singapore by illegal dumping syndicates. Samples of the waste material have been collected to determine the level of toxicity. Initial investigations suggest that most of the waste …

Trade truce

the choice of venue was clever and the September 11 attack on the World Trade Center added to the security paranoia. The result was that it combined to give trade negotiators somewhat of a breather when they met in Doha, Qatar, for the fourth ministerial conference of the World Trade …

Public health over profits

However, the Doha declaration does not take a decision on whether countries with insufficient or no manufacturing capacities in the pharmaceutical sector will be allowed to import generic drugs to deal with a health crisis. Instead, it calls upon the trips council to

Fair farming

agriculture remains the biggest source of inequity in the world trading system. Unlike telecom, financial, and legal services, farming practices in the North have stoutly resisted the logic of market forces. Farming in the North thrives on prodigious subsidies and price support systems combined with coddling protection through high tariffs …

Pragmatic investment

Attempts by a few developing countries, including India and Malaysia, to keep investment out of the Doha declaration failed. The declaration calls for

Can green mean free?

Developing countries also fear the huge costs associated with greener technologies, which will be unbearable by their domestic industries. It could make their goods uncompetitive in western markets. This unequivocal opposition to greening of trade is what brings the motley crew of poor countries together. “If there’s one thing that …

WTO: a mock battle

This fortnight the Indian delegation to the ministerial meeting of the World Trade Organisation (wto) in Doha is going to stand out as the champion of the Third World, defending the poor of the world against the "rich man's organisation" in the words of our minister of commerce, Murasoli Maran. …

INVASIVE THREAT

Environmentalists have warned that a popular carnivorous freshwater turtle species imported to Sri Lanka is posing a serious threat to the country's indigenous fish species and aquatic animals. The turtle, known as the red eared slider (Trachymis scripta), is classified under the world's worst invasive species by the International Conservation …

MALAYSIA

Many parts of Malaysia have been engulfed by a thick smog resulting from forest fires in neighbouring Indonesia, where trees are burned to clear land for cultivation. Though the Malaysian government has admitted that air quality readings are at unhealthy levels in many areas, it has refused to reveal data …

A PEOPLE`S VERDICT

The Sarawak high court in Malaysia has set a precedent by favouring indigenous farmers over industrial developers. The court redefined the meaning of indigenous lands and ruled that the Borneo Paper and Pulp Plantation (BPP), a joint venture company, could no longer destroy the rainforest in Rumah Nor village of …

Smart pack

Released barely three months ago, the solar power pack, produced by Solardyne Corporation, a private corporation, and weighing less than 11 kilogrammes provides the users with 120 watt-hour power a day. It has multiple uses and can be operated and transported by a single person says a report on the …

MALAYSIA

The Malaysian government has decided to revive the construction of the Bakun dam. Environmentalists say that this decision could destroy the world's last great tropical rainforests. The construction of the 2,400-megawatt Bakun hydroelectric dam in the forest area of Sarawak state was abandoned in 1997 as it threatened the habitat …

MALAYSIA

A scrapyard in the southern Johor state of Malaysia was recently burnt by angry villagers. The villagers alleged that government officials had failed to take any action against Sun Enterprise, the scrapyard, that was found to be polluting the environment. They said the company had been burning their wastes in …

CAMBODIA

The Cambodian government has alleged that a Malaysian company is illegally logging in the country's hardwood forest. The accusations have been made on the basis of aerial inspections and onsite visits. The activities of Grand Atlantic Timber International, the company, have threatened the existence of commercially valuable trees, government officials …

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