Malaysia, as many developing countries, has the job of finding a balance between fast economic development and environmental protection. It has been shown that the country's wealth of nature resources which include all from rainforest to palm oil plantations have been a major booster to economic development.
Malaysia, as many developing countries, has the job of finding a balance between fast economic development and environmental protection. It has been shown that the country's wealth of nature resources which include all from rainforest to palm oil plantations have been a major booster to economic development. But, at the same time, there has been a great damage to the environment. Pertaining to this, Malaysia is making preparations so that it will be among the top players in the green energy and sustainability sector in the region and will have to deal with issues such as deforestation, pollution, and fossil fuel dependence. Thus, this article comes into examining the environmental challenges that Malaysia is witnessing, and the government's efforts to promote the green initiatives, and the freedom of the potential pathways for a sustainable future.
Among the numerous environmental problems Malaysia is experiencing, one of the main ones is deforestation, which is mainly being led by agriculture and especially palm oil production. Palm oil is a very important cash crop in Malaysia and the country is the second-largest producer of palm oil in the world with Indonesia being the first. Despite the fact that the industry is on a fast lane to the realization of the economic benefits of the diverse areas of the economy, the extensive disappearance of the tropical rainforest is witnessed. Therefore, between 2001 and 2019, 29% of the forest was lost and as a result of the deforestation, Malaysia lost 8.59 million hectares of forest area (Hansen et al., 2013). Henceforth, there has been a loss of biodiversity especially the endangered species such as the Malayan tiger and orangutans (Butler & Laurances, 2008). Last, but not least, deforestation has increased the level of carbon emissions and thus, the climate change globally (Koh & Wilcove, 2007). As a response to these challenges, Malaysia has introduced sustainability measures such as the Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil (MSPO) certification which promotes more eco-friendly practices within the industry (Jalil & Baharuddin, 2019). The government has further pledged that it will maintain half of the country’s land as forested area (Sodhi et al., 2010). While these steps are very positive, there is still the problem of the enforcement and also the need to strike a balance between economic growth and conservation.
Pollution is a major environmental problem in Malaysia as well, with the change in the structure of cities and the increase in the use of industry, which result in the lowering of the air and water quality. The annual haze crisis often caused by forest fires from neighboring countries, compounded by local air pollution sources like vehicle emissions and industrial activities remains a recurring problem. As Latif et al. (2018), air quality in Malaysian cities is regularly endangered by particulate matter, leading to health issues and economic problems. Malaysia’s rivers and coastal waters are still threatened by water pollution, which is caused by industrial effluents, agricultural runoffs, and untreated sewage. Rivers, which are the primary source of drinking water, are increasingly contaminated by heavy metals and chemicals (Zainudin, 2010). As of 2020, only 48% of monitored rivers were classified as clean, with 10% deemed severely polluted (Department of Environment, Malaysia, 2020). Besides, the infrastructure of Malaysia’s waste management is in constant struggle to catch up with the growing volume of solid waste produced by urban populations. Illegal dumping and open burning are still prevalent, even though efforts are being made to improve waste segregation and recycling. In addition to Agamuthu and Fauziah (2011), only a small percentage of the country's waste is recycled and the rest is disposed of in landfills, thereby polluting the environment.
Despite this, coal and natural gas are the most used energy sources for electricity in Malaysia with
90% coverage (Energy Commission, Malaysia, 2020). While Malaysia is a net energy exporter, even so, the domestic use of non-renewable energy sources becomes one of the causes of greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution (Chandran & Gossling, 2013). So though Malaysia declared its intention of reducing carbon emissions intensity by 45 by 2030 compared to 2005 (Government of Malaysia, 2015), renewable energy has still not attained its pace. The government has for instance the Large Scale Solar (LSS) and Feed-in Tariff (FiT) programs primarily the solar energy initiatives, but the underutilized wind, biomass and the rest (Oh et al., 2018) remain having little relevance.
The Malaysian administration has already understood that a future-proof development system is needed and has introduced thus many policies supporting the transition. The Green Technology Master Plan 2017–2030 therefore lays more emphasis on the development of green technology in the energy, transport, and manufacturing sectors (Ministry of Energy, Green Technology, and Water Malaysia, 2017). Along with Malaysia's pledge, this program is related to the Paris Agreement and the demands defined in Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) for reducing carbon emissions (Nizam & Karim, 2019). The National Policy on Climate Change commits Malaysia to sustainable development through encouraged climate-resilient processes in all sectors as is clearly outlined (Hamid et al., 2011). Moreover, MRT programs, like the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) system in Kuala Lumpur, are part of alternative transport measures which are alternatives to relying on solely the bicycles in the countryside but rather cleaner public transport options – such as buses (Soh et al., 2018). Furthermore, Malaysia is trying very hard to follow a circular economy that wants to eliminate waste of resources. The Waste-to-Wealth initiative focuses on converting waste materials into valuable products, such as biofuels and compost, reducing the reliance on landfills and lowering greenhouse gas emissions (Ng & Song, 2020).
Malaysia’s green future depends on its ability to accelerate the adoption of renewable energy, strengthen environmental policies, and increase public participation in sustainability efforts. However, it requires various drivers such as incentives for solar power expansion, the construction of new facilities, and establishing necessary infrastructure in the country. Moreover, palm oil industry practices that are environmentally sustainable in nature are going to be important in the cropping of Malaysia's biodiversity and destroying rainforest. International collaboration and eco-certification schemes, such as the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), can help ensure that the agriculture expansion is managed responsibly (Laurance et al., 2010). Consistent education and awareness programs will ensure a stronger and more positive mind shift toward sustainable consumption and production. A good beginning includes the No Plastic Bag Campaign and nationwide recycling programs, but the Malaysians need to do more to make environmental stewardship part of their culture (Aziz et al., 2018).
Malaysia is currently at a critical point in its environmental transition. Although considerable progress has been made in the country’s environmental policy and projects, the deforestation, pollution, and reliance on fossil fuels continue to create problems that need to be dealt with. To secure a sustainable future, all sectors of society will need to come together and act as one by prioritising renewable energy, promoting sustainable agriculture, and improving environmental governance. In this way, Malaysia can continue its economic development while ensuring a green future for the next generations.
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