10 Questions, No Answers

Many things have been bugging (not to be confused with buggering) me in recent weeks. Many questions and not surprisingly, no answers. So I thought I post them here and see anyone of you out there can shed some light.

Q1 : Should we start cloning the rhinoceros to prevent it from going extinct ?

Q2 : Why the Minister of Environment is always someone from Sarawak ?

Q3: Should the Dept of Environment’s name be changed to Dept of Pollution Control or something else to better reflect its actual jurisdiction ?

Q4: Is the Environmental Quality Council really necessary / is it actually adding value ?

Q5 : Is (i) environmental awareness really low in Malaysia  or (ii) awareness is high but people do not know how to act ?

Q6 : Are plastic bags really bad ? I don’t think so. If people throw them irresponsibly, why blame the plastic bags ?

Q7 : Should Malaysia start imposing carbon tax for all modes of travel ? Will you be willing to pay ? Will the rest of Malaysia be willing to pay ?

Q8 : Is climate change is getting a grossly exaggerated share of attention ? After all, we do have many equally pressing issues.

Q9 : Ali G once said that marine pollution is caused by the millions of fish and crabs shitting in the water (just imagine how much a blue whale might poop).  What do you say ?

Q10 : Would the total forest cover in the country drop below 50% by year 2020 ?

The person who provides the best answer to any of the above 10 questions will get a big ripe banana – courtesy of the Planet of the Monyets.


Added later
Q9 is a trick question. The best answer wins two bananas.
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A bunch of morons

It has been said that the definition of stupidity is “doing the same thing and expecting different results”. I have a definition for moronity (not sure if the word exists) “doing something good today, wiping it out tomorrow”.

I am talking about replanting of forests and mangroves in the country.

The government is spending lots of money rehabilitating forests. The government is spending lots of money replanting mangroves. NGOs and the private sector are also spending time and money planting trees all over the place. Tun Jeanne Abdullah and her husband (can’t remember his name) seem to appear in the papers every weekend, planting trees at all sorts of places. School kids are being encouraged to plant trees.

On the other hand, we are also clearing our forests and mangroves. Our mangroves are particularly in bad shape – we are losing them bit by bit, mostly for aquaculture and coastal reclamation. We are losing our forests bit by bit – mostly for agriculture (in Sabah and Sarawak) and government-funded projects (in Peninsular Malaysia). State governments are continuously alienating inland forests and mangroves. The trend of planting rubber tress in forest reserves is gaining momentum.


The whole thing doesn’t make a lot of sense.  Mangroves are being cleared in Johor and being replanted in Selangor. Good forests in Pahang and Johor are being cleared and new trees are being planted in KL and Melaka. In Sabah, I know WWF is actively replanting trees inthe Kinabatangan floodplains - but at the same time, the state government allows good forests not too far away to be cleared for oil palm .

May be one of you can tell me why people (NGOs, government agencies, school kids) should bother planting trees and mangroves – when others are allowed (and in some cases even encouraged) to clear forests and mangroves.

1Malaysia, many morons.

Pahang lawmaker wants RM 2 billion for saving forest

This article appeared in the Malaysian Insider 16 November 2009

KUANTAN, Nov 16 – The Pahang state government was today urged to ask for RM2 billion from the federal government as compensation for the state government gazetting water catchment areas for the country.

Datuk Md Sohaimi Mohamed Shah (BN-Sungai Lembing), when debating the 2010 Pahang state budget, said the amount is seen as appropriate given the state government’s sacrifice in gazetting 972,839 hectares of forest land as water catchment areas in the interest of the nation.

“If we ask for a lower amount, we’ll get still less, so we ask for RM2 billion,” he said when debating the Pahang state budget.

On Nov 13, when debating the 2010 Budget, Menteri Besar Pahang Datuk Seri Adnan Yaakob said a large part of Pahang’s 3.6 million hectares was reserved for Taman Negara, Wildlife Reserve, water catchment areas and lake and river reserve.

He said the state government had asked the federal government for RM280 million a year as compensation for its sacrifice in gazetting the forest water catchment area but the federal government was not ready to consider the request.

“If all of Pahang’s forests are destroyed, it would not just affect the state’s water supply but also that of Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, Terengganu, Kelantan and Perak as the water of the main rivers in these states are from the water catchment areas in Pahang,” he said. (POTM says this is not true)

To date, he said, the state government had gazetted 972,839ha of forest as water catchment areas with all logging banned. He equated this to a sacrifice of potential commercial returns of over RM28.1 billion. (POTM says this amount is exaggerated)

Md Sohaimi said the state government had taken positive action in efforts to preserve the precious forest in the interest of the country and gazetted the land as per the needs and policy of the federal government.

He said the RM2 billion was important to develop the state and meet the needs of the people. He also proposed that post of deputy state assembly speaker be revived. – Bernama

Planet of the Monyets says

1.    I (and many others) have argued in the past that the skewed federal-state government revenue sharing is the root cause of environmental degradation in this country. Federal government gets to keep almost all the money – forcing many state governments to rely on forests, water, land and mineral to top up their coffers.

2.    There is a need to put in place a mechanism whereby the state governments can be guaranteed of fixed grants according to the extent of forests that they protect (regardless of political affiliations). Otherwise there is simply no incentive for state government to protect their forests. Note : revenue for the sale of water is very small.

3.    Read my previous articles :

If I were the Minister of Natural resources and the Environment

3 Things that I want Najib to do

Palm oil boycott: NGOs won't be the ones suffering

I came across this interesting article in Malaysiakini recently and thought I should share it with you all.

Palm oil boycott: NGOs won't be the ones suffering

Tim Wilson, November 13, 2009

I refer to the letter NGOs not out to close down palm oil industry.

 

Chief Executive of Nature Alert, Sean Whyte, claimed that campaigns run by NGOs against the palm oil industry aren't seeking to 'put them out of business'. In Australia some NGOs have actively sought government regulation requiring separate labelling for palm oil on consumer products to aid boycotts.

Such a claim is easy to write, but doesn't reflect the reality of NGO campaigns that have sought to thwart consumption of the oil seed by promoting consumer boycotts for products that include palm oil.

The effect that these campaigns will have on the one million Indonesian and Malaysians who rely on growing palm oil for their livelihood are strangely absent.

In Whyte's letter he also questions whether it is 'unreasonable to assume ... some 20 years from now there could be little or no forest cover left in Malaysia and Indonesia?'.

The answer is an emphatic 'yes'.

While there is some deforestation caused by rogue farmers, the Stern review found that less than 20 percent of forest land cleared in Indonesia is associated with the industry, and it is only 30 percent in Malaysia.

The real cause of deforestation isn't palm oil - it is poverty.

Indonesian and Malaysian farmers, supported by their governments, grow palm oil because it is provides a sustainable livelihood for poor rural farmers and it provides that livelihood because it is a crop in demand.

In the absence of palm oil, the problem of poor rural communities wanting a sustainable livelihood doesn't disappear and farmers would reasonably switch to growing other crops.

The irony is that palm oil probably reduces the transfer of land from forest to agriculture because it has a yield potential of up to a factor of four of other comparative oil seeds.

So long as poor farmers are concerned about how they are going to feed their family, the environment is always going to come off second best. And history shows that wealthier societies can afford to invest and improve their environment.

This week, more than 1,800 delegates are attending the bi-annual palm oil industry conference, Pipoc 2009 in Malaysia to focus on the future of the industry.

Considering the theme of the conference is 'Palm oil – balancing ecologics with economics” it is pretty clear the industry has got the message that the NGOs don't intend to back down.

But attacking palm oil rather than poverty ignores the root cause of deforestation. And the consequences won't be borne by the NGOs or boycotting consumers who'll go without potato chips cooked with palm oil but the 40 per cent of smallholder palm oil growers who'll go without their livelihoods.

The writer is director, IP and Free Trade Unit, Institute of Public Affairs, Melbourne.

Planet of the Monyets says

1. 
   
   This is food for thought (for those of you who can think, that is).
   
   
   
2. 
   
   The author’s statement “the real cause of deforestation isn't palm oil - it is poverty” – may be very true in Indonesia but perhaps a bit far-fetched in Malaysia. Nevertheless, the author has many valid points.
   
3. 
   
   Another point to ponder upon. Let’s say we stop the expansion of oil palm and work on improving yields. We can perhaps squeeze out a little bit more from the existing crops. But the world population is not shrinking. The demand for vegetable oil will continue increasing. The biggest increases in demand will come from developing countries. How will the world meet this increasing demand for vegetable / cooking oil ? Do we tell the Africans, Indians, Chinese, Bangladeshis, etc to stop using cooking oil ?
   
4. 
   
   Note : The oil yield from an acre of oil palm is almost 10 times greater than that from an acre of soya.
   
   
   
   

Read my earlier article : 6000 tonnes of shit

Cost of inaction = $500 billion

Cost of extra year's climate inaction $500 billion: IEA

By Gerard Wynn (Thompson Reuters)

LONDON (Reuters) - The world will have to spend an extra $500 billion to cut carbon emissions for each year it delays implementing a major assault on global warming, the International Energy Agency said on Tuesday.

At United Nations climate talks in Barcelona last week negotiators from developed countries said the world would need an extra six to 12 months to agree a legally binding, global deal to cut carbon emissions beyond a planned December deadline.

The IEA, energy adviser to 28 industrialized countries, said the world must act urgently to put greenhouse gases on a track to limit global warming to no more than 2 degrees Celsius.

Every year's delay beyond 2010 would add another $500 billion to the extra investment of $10,500 billion needed from 2010-2030 to curb carbon emissions, for example to improve energy efficiency and boost low-carbon renewable energy.

"Much more needs to be done to get anywhere near an emissions path consistent with ... limiting the rise in global temperature to 2 degrees," said the IEA's 2009 World Energy Outlook. "Countries attending the U.N. climate conference must not lose sight of this."

U.N. talks meant to agree a deal in Copenhagen in December to extend or replace the existing Kyoto Protocol have struggled to overcome a rich-poor rift on how to split the cost of curbing carbon emissions, for example from burning fossil fuels.

Developed countries accept that they have to take the burden of cutting carbon emissions, but want developing nations to accept binding actions too under a new treaty.

Poor countries want financial help to implement carbon emissions cuts and prepare for unavoidable global warming, including droughts, floods and rising seas.

The IEA report estimated that the world needed to invest an extra $197 billion annually by 2020 to make the necessary emissions cuts in developing countries, compared with a global total of $430 billion by then.

"The Copenhagen conference will provide important pointers to the kind of energy future that awaits us," it said.

To continue present trends of energy demand and burning of fossil fuels "would lead almost certainly to massive climatic change and irreparable damage to the planet," it said.

To implement swinging carbon cuts, on the other hand, would require a huge shift in the world's energy system.

That would raise, for example, the share of non-fossil fuels to 32 percent of total primary energy in 2030, from 19 percent in 2007. The share of the internal combustion engine in new car sales would fall to 40 percent by 2030 from more than 90 percent under current trends

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Great journey to Ba Kelalan and Long Bawan

I made two trips to Ba Kelalan, Sarawak in 2005 and 2006 as part of a project that I was working on. Ba Kelalan is a Lun Bawang settlement, up in the highlands (elevation approx 1000m) and is located near the Sarawak - Kalimantan border. Population approx. 1000 people. It is close to Bario (about 1 day trekking). There are two ways of getting to Ba Kelalan. You can either fly there from Lawas or you can drive up a logging road from Lawas - a 6 hour journey.

Arriving at Ba Kelalan airport. One of the smallest airports in the country. MAS Twin Otters (19 seater) flies there daily. The plane ride it self is quite exciting... the landings and take-offs can make some people pee in their pants.

Waiting for my luggage. No luggage trollies here.

A view of the main terminal building

An aeriel view of the rice fields at Ba Kelalan. Gorgeous scenery everywhere.

The main street at Ba Kelalan, adjacent to the airport runway.

The Apple Lodge - the resthouse at Ba Kelalan run by the Tagal family. This resthouse gets its electricity for a microhydro plant built by the family members themselves.

From Ba Kelalan, we went on to Long Bawan which is the border town on the Kalimantan side. A 1-hour motorcyle ride. Long Bawan, population about 10,000, so isolated from other settlements in Kalimantan, relies mostly on Ba Kelalan for trade and supplies.Most of their daily supplies comes from Lawas via Ba Kelalan. Hundreds of motorcycles traverse between Ba Kelalan and Long Bawan daily - carrying supplies ranging from sugar, toothpaste, maggi mee, cement, shampoo, herbs and spices, etc from Ba Kelalan to Long Bawan. The main commodity from Long Bawan is hill rice - once it reaches the Malaysian border, most of it is renamed Bario rice.

The army check point on the Malaysian side. You need to register here before you can cross the border. No need pasport.

Many Kalimantan locals also make the trip on foot - carrying heavy payload both ways. This is the main road between Ba Kelalan and Long Bawan.

A church at Long Bawan. Most locals at Long Bawan and Ba Kelalan are Christians and followers of the Sidang Injil Borneo.

Typical landscape at Long Bawan. Two children in a home-made cart pulled by a buffalo. Rumour has it that this vehicle is better than our Proton.

Long Bawan city centre. I had a great cup of coffee here that could have shamed Star Bucks.

The motorbike I was on suffered a puncture on the way back to Ba Kelalan - neverthess we made it back safely.

Although it has been more than 3 years since I was there last, I am quite sure things at Ba Kelalan would not have changed very much. It is a charming place with great people - quite unlike any place in Malaysia. I am quite sure that 99.9% of Malaysians have never been there.

But if you wish to visit places off the beaten track, Ba Kelalan is the place to go. Just go there and do nothing. Or go trekking if you wish. Or eat the apples of Tagal's farm. Or sit in the middle of the runway and yak with your mates (there are not many airports that let you do this). Or learn how the locals generate their own electricity. Or walk to Long Bawan and tell your friends that you actually walked to Indonesia.

First, get a map of Sarawak and find out where Lawas and Ba Kelalan are.

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p.s. Desmond, you missed the trip to Long Bawan.

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Boney-M coming to Malaysia for the Tigers

Message from MYCAT

Boney-M comes to Malaysia to Ra-Ra-Rasputin for tigers!!

Next year, the world celebrates the Year of the Tiger, according to the Lunar calendar. Let’s make it a year for the tigers to celebrate too!

As you know, Malayan tigers are in grave danger. Just last month, a tiger was rescued from a horrible trap set by poachers in Perak, Malaysia. Despite best efforts to treat the injury, the tiger died, one of many tigers which have been poached.

Our tigers are helpless at the hands of armed poachers, who butcher them for a quick buck. But the carnage must end here. We are battling to stop the slaughter AND we need your help.

If we have more people fighting to save the tiger, we can promise our wild, striped friends a much better future... a future where they are safe to be the true lords of the jungle, just as nature intended.

So how can you help and have fun while you are at it?

On November 28th, legendary band Boney-M will be coming to Malaysia to perform for our Malayan tigers!! Boney-M will be the stars of a specially-organised charity concert, of which MYCAT (Malaysian Conservation Alliance for Tigers) is one of the fortunate beneficiaries.

We don’t know if you are a Boney-M fan, but we do know that you are a tiger fan, which is why we are writing to you personally. The more tickets purchased in MYCAT’s name, the bigger the portion of the proceeds directed to saving wild Malayan tigers. Funds raised will assist us in our campaign to reduce the trade and consumption of tigers and their prey in Malaysia.

Tickets start at RM168 per non-diner and RM380 for per diner. That may sound a lot, but considering what a long way it can go towards protecting the pride of our nation, we hope you will find it in your hearts to buy tickets for yourself, friends, colleagues and family. And as a treat, enjoy a scrumptious dinner while Boney-M entertains you with Ma Baker, Rasputin, Brown Girl in the Rain and many other 80s hits!

All you have to do is to write to us at mycat.so@malayantuger.net and we will send you the necessary forms and help you with purchasing tickets from the kind organiser, the Lejadi Group.

To find out more about the concert and seating plan, please visit http://www.alstar.com.my/

Planet of the Monyets says

1. If you can spare the time and money, please do go and watch the concert.

2. If you don't have the money, please contact Rosmah. I heard that she is loaded after receiving a gift of USD 2 million from a (mysterious) Saudi prince. [why do I feel like an idiot ?]

3. I wish the real Rasputin is alive now... the government badly needs good advisors. Ra ra rasputin, lover of the first lady ............. somewhat does not rhyme.

4. While you are here, you might as well listen to the song.

5. MYCAT stands for Malaysian Conservation Alliance for Tigers. It is a joint programme of the Malaysian Nature Society, TRAFFIC Southeast Asia, Wildlife Conservation Society - Malaysia Programme and WWF-Malaysia.

Not be confused with my cat - Lulu

1000 Malayan tigers by 2020

Action plan to save the Malayan tiger
by Mazwin Nik Anis (The STAR, 4 November 2009)

PUTRAJAYA:
The fate of the Malayan tiger is set to change as the Government adopts a comprehensive action plan to manage and protect the animal from extinction.

The plan’s adoption by the National Biodiversity-Biotechnology Council was made with the aim of not only protecting the near-extinct subspecies but also to increase its population to about 1,000 by 2020.

Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said Malaysia could not afford to lose the Malayan tiger as it was a subspecies unique to the country.

According to official records, the tiger population was estimated at 3,000 in the 1950s but current figures showed a drastic drop to between 450 and 500 only.

“In line with this, we will take concrete efforts to protect tigers including through in-situ conservation efforts. The aim is also to widen the area where wildlife is protected,” he said after chairing the council’s sixth meeting on Wednesday.

Also present were Natural Resources and the Environment Minister Datuk Douglas Unggah Embas, Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai, Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Datuk Maximus Ongkili, Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Khaled Nordin and International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Mustapa Mohamed.

The Deputy Prime Minister said the council had asked states and also government agencies to consider biodiversity conservation when they plan and implement development projects.

He said the council had also agreed to further update and expand the national biodiversity spatial database’s development to throughout Peninsular Malaysia and also in identified areas in Sabah and Sarawak.

He said that the database, which uses remote sensing technology and geographic information systems, was an effective method to help conserve the country’s rich biodiversity resources,

“We were also informed of efforts initiated by the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry to create an inventory on the wealth of the country’s biodiversity. This effort is crucial so that we actually know our resources which can be used sustainably to generate new wealth for the country,” he said.

Muhyiddin also called on relevant agencies to increase public awareness and outreach programmes on the country’s biodiversity through communication, education and public awarness programmes.

He said such programmes must be well co-ordinated to ensure their effectiveness and a proper network should be established to reduce duplication of efforts.

Planet of the Monyets says
1. Good. Now that the Tiger Action Plan has been formally adopted, let's get down to work. There is a lot of work to be done. The acceptance of the Tiger Action Plan could give impetus for the Central Forest Spine initiative to be expediated.

2. Congrats to all those who worked to produce the Tiger Action Plan (MYCAT, Perhilitan, WWF, MNS, don't know who else).

3. I am rather pessimistic about increasing the number of tigers in the wild to 1000 by 2020 from the current 400. That is a 150% increase in 10 years. How they going to do it, I really do not know. Tiger husbandry anyone ?.

4. How about increasing the number of monyets in the wild ? Very easy. Just relocate some of them from the Parliment and state assemblies.


Read my previous articles :
Tiger Park in Penang ?

Support for Dr Asri (ex-mufti Perlis)

Although I am not a muslim, I have been a fan of Dr Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin, ex-mufti of Perlis for some time. His blog (Minda Tajdid) is listed on my blog roll. I find his views very refreshing and progressive. Like all fans, I am appalled that JAIS had found it necessary to bring 50 officers and arrest him - and further insult him by saying that he is not qualified.

You can state your support for Dr Asri at his blog Minda Tajdid.

If you can find the time, do read his many articles on Islam and current issues.


Planet of the Monyets thinks
Asri rocks
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Mud balls and mud heads

Throwing mud balls into our rivers and sea seems to be the in-thing. Politicians, school children, NGOs, private companies and even government agencies are running programmes of making mudballs and throwing them into our rivers – to clean them up (the rivers, not the mud balls). EM (effective micro-organisms) mudballs, originally from Japan, are being touted as the miracle solution to our polluted rivers and beaches. This thing is particularly popular in Penang (click here, here and here).

The principle is simply. The EM mud balls contain microbes that will digest the pollution in the river. It works. The only problem is you have to keep throwing the mudballs for the rest of your life.

I am completely amazed at what is happening. I am amazed because so many people are falling for this “miracle” solution without realizing that it only treats the symptom of pollution. I am amazed that people and organizations that should know better have not stood up and told all these people to stop wasting their money as well as public funds. [we are also teaching school kids that by throwing mudballs, the pollution problem will be solved. It is no wonder that many will grow up to become idiots].

The basic principle in improving river water quality is to reduce the amount of pollution that is going into the river. Once you reduce the amount of pollution that is going into the river, the water quality will automatically improve.

When you throw mud balls into the river, what you are doing is simply turning the river into a reactor. You are not reducing the amount of pollution that is entering the river. You are only treating the symptoms not the real problem. Furthermore, the long-term consequences of turning the rivers into microbe-driven-reactors have not been properly studied in Malaysia.

And companies that sell and distribute mudballs are laughing their way to the bank. Thanks to the many mud-heads in the private companies, government and NGOs. A special thanks to the many mudheaded politicians.

Note

I am not disputing that EM has its beneficial uses. There are times and situations where EM can be used to remove pollution such as one-off clean-up of beaches and grossly polluted lakes. They are useful in fish ponds and aquariums. They, however, are NOT the long-term solution to cleaning up our rivers and beaches.

Request

Perhaps someone from DOE can clarify what is the department’s / government’s stand on the use of EM mudballs ?

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Photos from an assembly in Perak

Key Environmental Result Areas (KERA)

The Prime Minister/ Government has identified 6 Key Result Areas (KRA) – covering poverty eradication, public transport, crime reduction, etc). None of them (except perhaps the public transport) have much to do with environmental and natural resources management. Environment is obviously not very high on the priority list – but you can’t blame Najib for this because most voters would prefer to see the rate crime reduced compared to protecting some rhinoceros or elephants. Untill a vast majority of the people give priority to protecting the environment, don’t expect the politicians to give much focus to this sector.

Nevertheless, Planet of the Monyets, being the busybody as usual, has come up with 10 Key Environmental Result Areas (KERAs – not to be confused with kera which is a small monyet). Planet of the Monyets hopes that at least some people at MONRE or EPU will read this and perhaps incorporate some of the stuff into the 10^th Malaysia Plan.

KERA1

Increased the extent of protected areas in the country to 20% of the land area by 2015. The current extent is about 12%. Many previous studies and plans have already identified key areas that require protection – it now left to the various state governments to gazette them. It is also important to ensure a wide range of ecosystems are protected (not only highland forests). Financial support (non-partisan, please) from the Federal government is crucial as protecting these areas will deprive state governments of substantial revenue. (note : Thailand and Cambodia have PA ratio of 21.2% and 23.5% respectively).

KERA2
Increased the total area of forest operations that is FSC certified from the current 203,842 hectares to 500,000 hectares by 2015. This is not very difficult – many forest concessions in Sabah have started the process and if their counterparts in Peninsular Malaysia and Sarawak can do their bit, achieving this should not be a problem.

KERA3
Establish at least one (yes, only one) wildlife corridor (identified in the Central Forest Spine study by JPBD) by 2015. There are many ecological corridors needed in the country and establishing them will prove challenging in terms of resources needed, social and political hurdles, etc. So that is why I am proposing just one corridor for the time being.

KERA4
Increase the percentage of renewable energy (excluding conventional hydro) to the total energy supply in the country to 10% by 2020. I think the government has a target of 5% now - which I think is too low. Need to work a bit harder on solar energy, microhydros and biomass. At the same time, we need to really work on improving energy efficiency across all sectors.

KERA5
Achieve a solid waste recycling rate of 20% by 2020. With the new solid waste management act and the Jabatan Pengurusan Sisa Pepejal Negara, the government has signaled that it is serious about managing waste. However, we need bite the bullet and start enforcing recycling. Encouragement and awareness-raising is not enough. We simply cannot afford to continue building more and more landfills and incinerators. Just go and learn how Singapore is doing it. Singapore current recycling rate is 56% of all waste and is planning to raise the rate to 65% by 2020 and 70% by 2030.

KERA6
Increase the RSPO (Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil) certified crude palm oil to 1,500,000 metric tonnes by 2015 and the number of RSPO certified mills to 50. This is also relatively easy to do if the Government applies the right pressures and incentives. The current number is 20 mills and 761,582 metric tonnes. Palm oil is a very important revenue earner for the country and is facing tremendous pressure to improve its environmental performance. This KERA is necessary to save our palm oil industry.

KERA7
Clean up 1 (yes, 1 only) river by 2020. Despite all the talk and so many studies, we have failed miserably in this area. Improving river water quality is difficult, very difficult because it requires controlling pollution from in the entire catchment. This involves various agencies and industry types, not to mention thousands of houses, shops, factories, plantations, etc, etc. Just pick 1 river and start cracking. And for goodness sake, stop this nonsense about throwing mudballs all over the place.

KERA8
Increase the number of environmental personnel in the government to 1 to 10,000 population by 2015. I think the current rate is about 1 to 14,000 persons (DOE, NREB and EPD combined) – which means that we have to employ about 1,000 personnel between now and 2015. The numbers are needed to enforce the numerous legislations, oversee pollution control, and educate industry and the public. At the same time, there is an obvious need to boost the staff force at the wildlife and forestry departments.

KERA9
Establish the Malaysian EcoLabelling Scheme by 2015. This scheme is necessary to promote sustainable consumption and production. Our neighbours (Indonesia, Thailand, Viet Nam and Singapore) have all established this scheme several years ago – so no reason why we can’t do it? May be one day, these schemes can be merged to become the ASEAN Ecolabelling Scheme.

KERA10
Promulgate and gazette, by 2015, key environmental legislations / amendments that are vital to tackle some of urgent environment and biodiversity related issues in the country. These include (i) Marine Parks Act; (ii) Access and Benefit Sharing Act; (iii) regulations to control non-point sources of pollution (iv) amend the Federal Constitution to allow greater share of government revenue to states.

I look forward to hearing from you if there are other key areas that should be included or whether the above KERAs need to be modified.

Planet of the Monyets also says
Protect the kera from the KERA
Jangan jadi seperti kera kena belacan.