From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Haze over
Kuala Lumpur in
2010 .
Malaysia faces several environmental issues .
Malaysia's environment possesses
megadiverse biological diversity , with globally significant
endemism and
biodiversity , but is threatened by several issues.
Deforestation is a major issue in the country that has led to many species becoming threatened with extinction. As a major economic sector,
palm oil production has had a substantial
environmental impact .
Air pollution is also a major issue, with the country one of the most affected countries by seasonal
Southeast Asian haze . The country is also affected by
climate change .
Issues
Climate change
Graph showing
temperature anomaly in Malaysia between 1901 and 2021.
Climate change is having a considerable impact in
Malaysia . Increasing temperatures are likely to greatly increase the number of
heatwaves occurring annually. Variations in
precipitation may increase the frequency of
droughts and
floods in various local areas.
Sea level rise may inundate some coastal areas. These impacts are expected to have numerous environmental and socioeconomic effects, exacerbating existing environmental issues and reinforcing
inequality .
Malaysia itself contributes emissions given its significant use of
coal and
natural gas . However, the use of
hydropower has expanded in the 21st century, and other potential energy sources such as
solar power and
biomass are being explored. The
government anticipates the need to adapt in areas such as health and coastal defences, and has ratified the
Paris Agreement .
Endangered species
Deforestation
This image reveals the overall extent of land-cover change throughout the region.
Deforestation in Malaysia is a major
environmental issue in the country. Between 1990 and 2010,
Malaysia
lost an estimated 8.6% of its
forest cover , or around 1,920,000 hectares (4,700,000 acres).
[4] Logging and land clearing, particularly for the
palm oil sector , have been significant contributors to Malaysia's
economy . However, as a
megadiverse country , efforts have been made to conserve
Malaysia's forests and reduce the rate of deforestation.
The following are notable projects contributing to deforestation:
Malaysia had a 2018
Forest Landscape Integrity Index mean score of 5.01/10, ranking it 111th globally out of 172 countries.
[9]
Pollution
Air pollution in Malaysia is a major issue, with the country one of the most affected by seasonal
Southeast Asian haze .
[10]
Reclamation
Coastal reclamation is damaging mangroves and turtle nesting sights.
Recycling and waste management
The country has numerous waste and recycling policies and initiatives but overall low rate of recycling and problems with violations and enforcement of such laws and policies.
Water
Controversial projects and policies
Environmental organisations
See also
References
^
"Elephant - WWF Malaysia" . www.wwf.org.my .
^
"About WWF-Malaysia - WWF Malaysia" . www.wwf.org.my .
^
a
b Clements, Reuben; Rayan, Darmaraj Mark; Ahmad Zafir, Abdul Wahab; Venkataraman, Arun; Alfred, Raymond; Payne, Junaidi; Ambu, Laurentius; Sharma, Dionysius Shankar Kumar (2010-04-01).
"Trio under threat: can we secure the future of rhinos, elephants and tigers in Malaysia?" . Biodiversity and Conservation . 19 (4): 1115–1136.
doi :
10.1007/s10531-009-9775-3 .
ISSN
1572-9710 .
S2CID
21913372 .
^
"Malaysia Forest Information and Data" . Rainforests.mongabay.com.
Archived from the original on 7 September 2004. Retrieved 19 May 2020 .
^ Japan, FoE.
"The Pahang-Selangor Raw Water Transfer Project in Malaysia (Kelau Dam)" . FoE Japan .
^
"Development Disasters – Japanese-Funded Dam Projects in Asia" (PDF) . 2016-03-03. Archived from
the original (PDF) on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2022-08-16 .
^
"Bukit Cherakah Forest Reserve, Malaysia Map with Wikipedia Places" . itouchmap.com . Retrieved 2022-08-16 .
^
"Agkillah Maniam, Ignorance is not bliss in conservation matters, The Malaysian Insider, 12 October 2014 3:01 PM, accessed 1/25/2015" . Archived from
the original on 3 January 2015. Retrieved 25 January 2015 .
^ Grantham, H. S.; Duncan, A.; Evans, T. D.; Jones, K. R.; Beyer, H. L.; Schuster, R.; Walston, J.; Ray, J. C.; Robinson, J. G.; Callow, M.; Clements, T.; Costa, H. M.; DeGemmis, A.; Elsen, P. R.; Ervin, J.; Franco, P.; Goldman, E.; Goetz, S.; Hansen, A.; Hofsvang, E.; Jantz, P.; Jupiter, S.; Kang, A.; Langhammer, P.; Laurance, W. F.; Lieberman, S.; Linkie, M.; Malhi, Y.; Maxwell, S.; Mendez, M.; Mittermeier, R.; Murray, N. J.; Possingham, H.; Radachowsky, J.; Saatchi, S.; Samper, C.; Silverman, J.; Shapiro, A.; Strassburg, B.; Stevens, T.; Stokes, E.; Taylor, R.; Tear, T.; Tizard, R.; Venter, O.; Visconti, P.; Wang, S.; Watson, J. E. M. (2020).
"Anthropogenic modification of forests means only 40% of remaining forests have high ecosystem integrity - Supplementary Material" . Nature Communications . 11 (1): 5978.
doi :
10.1038/s41467-020-19493-3 .
ISSN
2041-1723 .
PMC
7723057 .
PMID
33293507 .
^ Tacconi, Luca (July 2016).
"Preventing fires and haze in Southeast Asia" . Nature Climate Change . 6 (7): 640–643.
Bibcode :
2016NatCC...6..640T .
doi :
10.1038/nclimate3008 .
ISSN
1758-6798 .
^ Bradsher, Keith (2011-03-08).
"Mitsubishi Quietly Cleans Up Its Former Refinery" . The New York Times .
ISSN
0362-4331 . Retrieved 2022-08-16 .
^
"Pasir Gudang: How one quiet lorry sparked a toxic waste crisis" . BBC News . 2019-03-20. Retrieved 2022-08-16 .
^
"The Bakun Hydroelectric Project - Malaysia" . Archived from
the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 8 August 2011 .
^
"Selangor State Park Blog (TREES)" . Retrieved 4 August 2011 .
^
"Private sector forest plantation development in Peninsular Malaysia" . www.fao.org .
^
"Reserve land cleared for reforestation" . Archived from
the original on 19 October 2012. Retrieved 8 August 2011 .
^
"Don't Kill that Hill Campaign" . Archived from
the original on 30 January 2018. Retrieved 8 August 2011 .
^
"10 packages for Pan Borneo Highway project to be tendered this year, says works minister" . Malay Mail . 18 February 2016.
External links