Partnership key in addressing climate change

The panelist for the ‘Responding to Climate Change: The need for New Partnerships and Alliances’ dialogue. – AZROL AZMI

PARTNERSHIP with the younger generation is the most essential alliance in addressing climate change as they adhere to the meaning of conservation implemented in the educational system which is proven to be beneficial for future generations to come.

However, failure to do so would betray the children of tomorrow.

These were the key points highlighted during a dialogue on ‘Responding to Climate Change: The need for New Partnerships and Alliances’ in accordance with the National Environment Conference (NEC) 2013 initiated by Asia Inc Forum yesterday.

The panel of speakers included the Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources (MIPR), Hjh Normah Suria Hayati binti Pehin Jawatan Dalam Seri Maharaja Dato Seri Utama (Dr) Hj Awg Mohd Jamil Al-Sufri; British High Commissioner to Brunei Darussalam, Rob Fenn; and Executive Director, Greenpeace Southeast Asia from the Philippines, Von Hernandez.

Moderating the session, Borneo Bulletin senior journalist Danial Norjidi posed the question on the importance of forging new partnerships to fight global warming.

The permanent secretary said that bridging the generation gap between parents and children is essential, which the government has difficulties executing.

“We have to get our children to understand the meaning of conservation because it is them who will inherit the benefits and should not repeat the mistakes of this generation,” she said.

Hjh Normah believes that the partnership should start from school. “First we need to get students involved and make them understand all about climate change,” she said. The MIPR and the Ministry of Education are working on incorporating topics on addressing climate change in school such as the important of forest conservation. She welcomed Non-Government Organisations (NGOs) to come forward to build new partnerships with the MIPR in combating global warming by pitching ideas to further maintain the Heart of Borneo initiatives.

“We value our partnerships among countries under the HoB, namely Brunei, Indonesia and Malaysia, but I urge NGOs to come to our HoB Centre located at the ministry or interact with us through our social media portal, such as our Facebook page,” said the permanent secretary.

Rob Fenn supported the Brunei initiatives in building a green economy alongside its economic mainstay which is oil and gas. “Initiatives like the Heart of Borneo, Sungei Ingei zoological survey, sustainable forestry, responsible agriculture and fisheries management, and research alliances in Energy, Biodiversity and other clusters are creating a new brand for Brunei.

“This brand fits perfectly with the Sultanate’s spiritual side. In the era of global Climate Change, a brand like that will command more attention – which can translate into foreign investment and high-tech or low carbon jobs for future generations of Bruneians.”

He cited the alliance between scientists using their expertise in studying ecology.

“No nation nowadays does cutting-edge research all by itself. Universiti Brunei Darussalam’s (UBD) search for research allies shows the Sultanate is on the right track. The presence of the Vice Chancellor of Loughborough University at UBD’s ‘Brunei Dialogue’ this week underlines how British universities are natural partners for Brunei-based researchers,” he said.

Von Hernandez highlighted several key issues for NGOs in combating climate change and ways to forge closer partnerships with government bodies. Prior to the session, he addressed the 250-strong audience on “Climate Change: Is Southeast Asia Up to the Challenge?”

Source: Borneo Bulletin 

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Awareness of the Environmental Problems

(example)

The environment means the surroundings in which people, animals and plants develop and exist. There are a lot of problems that are connected with the environment. Ecology is a branch of biology which investigates the relationship between living beings and their environment. With each person's understanding and awareness solutions are created.

The most serious ecological problems of today are the pollution of air, water and soil, the destruction of ecosystem, disappearance of many species of animals and plants, the weather changes, acid rains, the warming up of the Earth’s surface, the destruction of tropical rain forests and the breaking of the ozone layer. Most of this damage (which accelerates faster and faster) has not been caused by natural catastrophes such as earthquake, floods or tornadoes but by man himself and his technical progress.

Pollution If you hear the word environmental pollution you think of factories, plants, cars and buses. The growing number of cars on roads and highways contribute much to the air pollution.

Factories produce large quantities of carbon dioxide, radioactive particles, sulphur and nitrogen, which get into the air. Some of them in combination with water make sulphuric acid in the clouds. These dangerous clouds are then blown by the winds and later fall as acid rain.

Acid rains kill trees, and then they get into the soil and make it infertile. The polluted rain water is carried to the rivers and all life disappears from them. Factories directly increase water pollution because many of them are built near rivers into which they put their chemical waste. This causes the disappearance of many typical animals, birds and plants of the region.

Also farmers pollute the soil using a lot of pesticides and fertilizers. This pollution can also poison groundwater.

We need air to breathe, water to drink and food to eat, while the population continues to grow.

It’s a very sad fact that everywhere you go you can find a huge amount of rubbish, in the streets, in the parks, in the grass and flower-beds, in the woods. People throw litter away for examples cigarette stubs, bottles, cans, tins, batteries, plastic bags. This litter spreads with the wind.

Smog mostly from the exhaust fumes, for example carbon dioxide. CO2 is a very poisonous gas, which can destroy the ozone layer that surrounds the world’s atmosphere. The huge amount of CO2 causes the greenhouse effect. The atmosphere becomes warmer and warmer, the Ice of the Poles is melting, the levels of the seas are rising, and deserts are spreading out. This is a global effect that causes incalculable natural disasters.

Trees produce oxygen. If you cut down a tree you should plant a new one. They help clear the air. The ozon-layer around the world is getting very thin. Over the Atlantic there’s an ozon-hole. In summer the UV radiation is very high in this region. I think environmental protection is very important for everybody. Our earth is endangered by humans, and can only be saved us, humans.

Greenhouse effect: In the last 100 years the Earth’s surface has warmed up by more than half a degree, this change could cause rising the sea levels by up to one and half meters by the year 2030. The Greenhouse effect is caused by polluted atmosphere which was polluted by carbon dioxide from fossil fuels and chlorofluorocarbons.

The best protection is to stop producing these gases and destroying the rain forests. It is worth replacing old power plants with nuclear power which reduce the damage. However nuclear power has its disadvantages, in this case there are alternative sources of energy : hydropower, solar power, geothermal etc.

Ozone Hole The ozone gap is thinning at a rapid speed. It is a layer which protects us from dangerous UV rays, these could damage our life on the Earth.

Possible effects of the sun’s UV rays:

Eyes: cataracts and blindness

Skin: premature aging, skin cancer and wrinkling

Immune system: they brake down the immune system

Crops: they could interrupt the process of photosynthesis

Sea life: growth of plankton which are a vital part of the food chain in the world’s oceans. The areas of largest ozone hole are Antarctica, South America, Australia, New Zealand.

Source: http://www.starlark.com/Environmental_Awareness.html

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Malaysia established Green Court to handle environmental cases

Read the title and one thing comes to mind:  Our very own polluted rivers in the Palm Oil heavily planted east of Sabah.

If you've been following the coverage on Daily Express the last couple of month or so, you will remember that palm oil factories are the biggest culprits in polluting the river. Is it a crime to, say, pollute the river? Or is it an offence to cut down the Trig Hill in Tawau to dig out stones to develop the area? I don't know. But we have the environmental enforcement agencies and we have the relevant acts.

I feel that we have enough enactment and we have enough officers to do the job. If that is the case, the more critical innovation in Environmental Law enforcement is not more money and personnel but a  committed court!

Thailand and Indonesia have such courts so why can't we. The establishment of Green Court will show our commitment towards protecting the environment and wildlife. According to the Chief Justice, the courts would address cases, such as:

• wildlife crime
• pollution
• illegal logging and fishing, and 
• land clearing

So, there. We are well covered. It is up to us to implement the necessary.

Let the green stays green. Let the tree grows!

Source: http://www.thegreenmechanics.com

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Immediate Measures Needed to Conserve Environment

Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister Tan Sri Bernard Dompok said environmental conservation efforts must be carried out fast due to the environmental crisis that is increasingly worrying.

People all over the world, including in Malaysia are feeling the effects of climate change said Dompok. The effects including frequent droughts and flooding, weather changes, rising sea water levels, and frequent vector-borne disease outbreaks have caused many loss. Dompok urges everybody to play their part in ensuring sustainable use of natural resources by protecting and conserving the environment. Public awareness on the importance of greening and preserving the environment should be taken proactively.

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Dr Maximus: Give accurate info on environmental issues

KOTA MARUDU: The media, formal and informal, have a responsibility to disseminate accurate information on environment issues which affect everybody.

Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Datuk Seri Dr Maximus Ongkili said the media, including social media which had a wide audience reach, must be accurate as wrong and misleading information could create a misinformed society.

The public, he pointed out, should also seek clarification and verify information with the authorities and experts as some information over the Internet was deliberately inaccurate to play on the people’s sentiment and opinion.

“This includes the issue of the Lynas rare earth plant in Gebeng. Some crucial facts have been twisted by certain quarters through the use of the Internet and social media,” Dr Maximus said when closing the three- day Camp and Environment Education Programme held in conjunction with the World Forestry Day and Earth Day celebrations.

The event, held at the Mangrove Recreational Park at the Kota Marudu Forestry Complex included a camp participated by students from 11 schools in Kota Marudu and nearby Pitas, Kudat and Kota Belud.

It was organised by the state Forestry Department, Tourism Culture and Environment Ministry and Department of Environment.

Dr Maximus also said that efforts to conserve and protect the environment and nature must be a responsibility shouldered jointly by the government, NGOs, the people and the media.

Government agencies should disseminate to the public what they had done to conserve the environment so as to increase public awareness as well as public participation in protecting the Earth.

“They can maximise the use of the social media to disseminate this information, including through modern information technology such as websites, Twitter, blogs,” he said, adding that to date, Sabah had managed to preserve 60% of its land area as forest land. (PR)

Source: http://www.newsabahtimes.com.my/nstweb/fullstory/58103

Green Sabah says: Accurate information on environmental issue is vital. Through this information, the public will be more aware of what is happening with our environment. Inaccurate information will not only caused misunderstanding but will lead to more problems. 

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