IF we could bring back local government elections, councillors could at least be held accountable for giving the nod to projects without the communities’ knowledge and approval.
Gan Pei Ling
Solving Selangor’s water woes
By Gan Pei Ling
Selangor, apparently, is facing a water crisis. But is that really so? Gan Pei Ling examines the intricacies and politics behind Selangor’s water woes. She also wonders why Syabas is calling on the Selangor government to expedite a multi-billion interstate water project when it can’t fully distribute all treated water and the state is still losing 32% in non-revenue water.
The Nut Graph’s future
By Jacqueline Ann Surin
It’s been four years since The Nut Graph was launched. Its gone through some challenging times financially and is still not making enough money to sustain full operations. Still, it seems The Nut Graph continues to have some kind of future.
From dumpsites to nature sanctuaries
As If Earth Matters by Gan Pei Ling
THINK of a landfill. What comes to mind? First thing – probably the stink. Toxic leachate seeping out and contaminating waterways. Now, imagine a landfill so clean that people have picnics and take nature walks there. Impossible? Think again. On a recent visit to Singapore after covering an international conference for National Geographic‘s energy blog, I […]
Slow death by aluminum smelters?
As If Earth Matters by Gan Pei Ling
While green activists in Peninsular Malaysia are protesting the rare earth refinery that has yet to begin operations in Gebeng, Pahang, villagers living near an aluminium smelting plant in Balingian, Mukah, Sarawak, have been suffering in silence. How is the plant affecting the lives of local communities in Balingian? Should we be alarmed at plans for new plants?
What will remove opposition to Lynas?
As if Earth Matters by Gan Pei Ling
WHAT do the Academy of Sciences and four rare earth experts think about the Lynas refinery in Gebeng, Pahang? And what will it take to remove opposition to a project that brings economic benefits just as it does fears for public health?
Can’t we trust our mahasiswa?
By Gan Pei Ling
IT has been almost six months since the Court of Appeal in a landmark ruling declared it unconstitutional to prohibit university students from supporting or opposing political parties under the Universities and University Colleges Act (UUCA). On 9 April 2012, Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Khaled Nordin finally tabled amendments to the UUCA, Private Higher […]
A response on Lynas
By Yin Shao Loong
I’m writing in response to Gan Pei Ling’s article What’s wrong with a rare earth plant, here? Factual inaccuracies on both sides of the Lynas rare earth plant controversy have given rise to a third constituency — environmentalists who believe in the possibility of a technological fix to the problem. I take Gan’s recent piece […]
What’s wrong with a rare earth plant, here?
As if Earth Matters by Gan Pei Ling
THE rare earth refinery in Gebeng, Pahang is arguably now the hottest environmental issue in Peninsular Malaysia. And both the Malaysian government and Lynas Corp, the company that wants to set up the refinery in Pahang, are struggling to convince an increasingly skeptical Malaysian public that the rare earth refinery is safe. On 20 March […]
The doughnut of justice
As if Earth Matters by Gan Pei Ling
ECONOMIC development and jobs or toxic waste and radiation? The Lynas rare earth refinery in Gebeng, Kuantan was granted a temporary operating license by the Atomic Energy Licensing Board on 1 Feb 2012. Lynas claims its company contributes towards “sustainable development” and helps create jobs as rare earth materials are increasingly being used to manufacture green technology products. But […]
