We must fight harder for our planet

TODAY is Earth Day. On this day every year, we reflect on the state of our planet, and all too often, we find it worse than the year before. From the ongoing genocide and ecocide waged on the Palestinians to a surge in anti-environmental policies in the United States, our Earth is facing one of its darkest chapters.

The exit of the US from the Paris Agreement and President Donald Trump’s determination to expand fossil fuel use with his mantra “drill, baby, drill” will only lead the world to more climate calamities.  

We have to step up and continue our efforts at the global level in addressing these challenges, in alliance with other like-minded nations while respecting the principles of equity and common but differentiated responsibilities between developed and developing countries.

On the home front, much more remains to be done. On climate, greater priority and attention must be given to building our climate resilience. State and local governments must integrate climate change adaptation efforts into planning across all sectors, paying particular attention to ensuring food production, water security, and healthcare.

While much focus is on energy transition, not enough attention is being given to efforts to build resilience to climate change.

Our forests continue to be under threat of conversion.

The government’s oft-repeated claim that 55% of the country’s land area is still under forest cover should be justified with actual data.

Based on data published in the Compendium of Environment Statistics 2018, Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM) analysed that 50% of the forest cover, or 27% of our country’s land area, has been permanently reserved as production forests, chiefly for logging with a significant portion designated for conversion into monoculture plantations (pic).

As of today, the National Forestry (Amendment) Act 2022 (Act A1667) has only come into force in Perlis (on April 1, 2023) and the Federal Territories of Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya and Labuan (on Feb 1, 2025).

One of the most significant aspects of the amended Act is the introduction of a new section (11) pertaining to the excision of a permanent reserved forest (PRF).

The amendment allows for such excision to take place subject to the conduct of a public inquiry (siasatan awam) in accordance with rules that are to be drawn up subsequently by the state.

We are also witnessing the rise of state governments and companies pushing carbon-credit projects in the forests. Concerns abound as to the environmental integrity of such carbon projects, in particular over whether the local communities and indigenous peoples in the area have been properly consulted.

Unsustainable projects nationwide also need to be stopped.

These include reclamation projects that are not only expensive but also destroy invaluable fishery resources and marine biodiversity irreversibly.

It is past the time we realise that Mother Earth is at her limit, and if we continue to ignore the warning signs we’ve been seeing, the price we pay will be costly.  

In line with the theme of this year’s Earth Day, “Our Power, Our Planet”, as Malaysian citizens, we must remember that each of us holds the power to create change.

Every action counts – whether it’s signing petitions, spreading awareness, contacting your Member of Parliament, or demanding accountability of governments and corporations.

Today, and every day, let us commit to protecting the planet and standing with each other, in hope and in action, for a more just and sustainable world.

MEENAKSHI RAMAN

President

Sahabat Alam Malaysia