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has been a high priority, efforts at strengthening the inadequate laws often take a back seat. For example, the proposed amendment of the 1974 Environmental Quality Act has been debated for nearly a decade, and a 1972 wildlife protection law was replaced with the 2010 Wildlife Conservation Act only after nearly 15 years of deliberation. Moreover, new laws fail to address key issues overlooked by the old regulations which have contributed to the country’s dubious status as the regional hub for wildlife trafficking. Another weakness lies in the distinct separation of power between the Federal and State Governments over resources such as land, forest and water. While most biodiversity policies (e.g., the National Biodiversity Policy, the National Forestry Policy and the National Land Policy) were established at the Federal level, the adoption of these policies remained weak at the state level, precisely where effective implementation is most needed. Resource extraction and deforestation Until the 1970s, Malaysia’s economy relied heavily on the territory’s natural resources. For example, largescale rubber plantation was a major mainstay of the country’s economy since colonial times. Hence, rapid rainforest loss in the 20 th century can clearly be linked to the extractive models implemented by the successive administrations. 13 Large areas of arable land were cleared for rubber and palm oil production, and a great number of trees were felled in order to keep up with timber demand for domestic and overseas markets: in 1985, for example, the forestry sector contributed up to 15% of the country’s export earnings. 14 According to some studies, Malaysia’s deforestation rate is growing faster than that of any other tropical country. 15 In fact, its annual deforestation rate jumped nearly 86% between 1990 and 2005, with a total loss of forest coverage of 140,200 hectares per year since 2000. 16 It has been pointed out that while “on paper” Malaysia has one of the best rainforest protection policies in developing Asia, there is a great gap between the law and its full implementation and enforcement, so logging is still threatening the integrity of rainforests. In fact, over the past two decades, sustainable forest management has been non-existent. 17 While a legal and administrative background was formulated in the early 1970s, the environmental impacts of land-based agricultural development and extractive practices have grown in magnitude, including deforestation, which has intensified significantly. 18 13 Ibid. 14 Ibid. 15 Mongabay.com,op cit. 16 Ibid. 17 Ibid. 18 Hezri and Nordin Hasan, op cit. The consequences of deforestation and misuse of land are many: soil erosion, hydrological changes, pesticide contamination of surface waters and also loss of local flora and fauna. Also, the risk of flooding and mudslides is increasing, 19 and for indigenous peoples, who have always depended on the rainforest for medicine, shelter and food, the destruction of their prime source of livelihood is also resulting on the loss of their traditional ways of life: as the forest disappears, so does their culture. Mega projects, mega destruction In the last two decades Malaysia has witnessed a number of controversial public and private projects their socio-environmental impacts are still being calculated. The most controversial of them is the 2,400MW Bakun Hydroelectric Project in the state of Sarawak (on the island of Borneo) where an area of about 695 km 2 (equivalent to the size of Singapore) is to be flooded. Touted as the world’s second tallest concrete-faced rockfill dam, the project was criticized for neglecting environmental issues and also for its dubious justification of growing energy demand. In fact, most of this alleged demand is said to lie in Peninsular Malaysia, and not in East Malaysia, where the dam is located. But some critics of the project have pointed out that in Peninsular Malaysia there is an over-supply of electricity, which makes the hydroelectric project unnecessary. 20 After two failed attempts to build the dam, in 1994 the project was privatized to Ekran Berhad, a logging company with no experience in dam construction, and its completion was aimed for 2003. In the ensuing Asian financial crisis in 1997, the Malaysian Government took over the project and paid “compensation” to Ekran, which had completed only 50% of the engineering work. The flooding process was initiated on 13 October 2010, and besides the drowning of a vast tropical rainforest, which will mean the loss of a great amount of biodiversity (including many endemic species), 15 indigenous communities had to be resettled downstream. This forced relocation had generated much discontent among the population of the area, along with unresolved compensation claims, loss of livelihood and a host of other social problems. Several communities that rejected the relocation plan had jointly filed a lawsuit against the Government for loss of their native customary land. The case is still pending. Also, there have been recent 19 See: . 20 See: . Social Watch 135 Malaysia reports about unsafe – and even illegal – building practices that seem to be an everyday matter on the construction site due to poor safety measures. Dirty industry hub? There are concerns among civil society groups and some Government officials that the Government’s industrialization ambitions (despite the “green” claim) could turn Malaysia into a magnet for polluting industries. More worrying now is the fact that the country’s vast coastline, particularly on the peninsula, is targeted for a petro-chemical hub that will be accompanied by the construction of ports to facilitate the export of end products. Such energy-intensive industries also need the construction of coal-fired power plants such as the one in the Iskandar Development Region in the state of Johor. Such large scale coastal development is wiping out the country’s mangrove forests, which are fishbreeding grounds that had supported inshore fisheries. Local communities’ complaints of dwindling catches have largely fallen on deaf ears, with meagre compensation from the project developers and the Government. In some areas, coastal development promoted by the aquaculture industry has also taken away farmland with possible consequences on the nation’s food security in years to come. By and large, resistance to the Government’s unsustainable development agenda has been restricted by media blackouts and the use of a variety of laws curtailing press freedom, including the Internal Security Act, Official Secrets Act, Sedition Act and the Police Act. However, well-organized campaigns led by affected communities have shown that informed citizens could become a significant force in challenging the Government’s unsustainable development plans. For example, two successful cases in this regard are the closing down of the Japanese-Malaysian rare earth factory in the state of Perak (late 1990s) and the abandonment of the waste incinerator located just 40 km away from the capital city. Today, the biggest challenge for sustainable development in Malaysia is empowering the people with knowledge of their rights, ensuring access to information and creating mechanisms for genuine public participation so that national policy making and development project decisions can truly be weighed on the economy, society and the environment, that is, the three pillars of sustainable development. n
malta Time to wake up Koperazzjoni Internazzjonali (KOPIN) J.M. Sammut Malta’s commitment to the ideals of the United Nations, particularly regarding environmental issues, is evident in the leading role the country played in 1967 when it introduced the concept of the Common Heritage of Mankind with regard to the international seabed and ocean floor and its subsoil. This led to the adoption of the 1982 United Nations Convention of the Law of the Sea and to the 1989 initiative on the protection of the global climate for present and future generations of humankind. Although Malta was one of the pioneers in recognizing global environment issues, its first national sustainable development strategy was not published until December 2006. 1 It is the numerous environmental NGOs in the country that have been regularly covering the different environmental issues. Some have been active since the 1960s and continue to respond to the challenges that growing commercial and domestic demands pose for Malta’s land, sea and air. Studies show that, as a small densely populated archipelago, Malta has to be very prudent and ethical in the use of limited natural resources. 2 Unbridled market forces and highly consumerist lifestyles, with their emphasis on satisfying profit and individual needs, may be working against the social well-being of Maltese society not only in the present but also in the future. Climate change The mean annual air temperature in Malta has risen by 0.23°C per decade over the past 50 years. 3 Global warming is expected to lead to more extreme and haphazard weather patterns in the country with prolonged Saharan heat-waves, shorter, more intense rainy periods and longer dry spells that will be detrimental to both the inhabitants and the tourist industry. The rise in temperature will be accompanied 1 National Commission for Sustainable Development, A Sustainable Development Strategy for the Maltese Islands 2007–2016, (2006). 2 Malta Environment and Planning Authority (MEPA), The Environment Report 2008, (2008), ; S. Martin, The Environmental Deficit: The Reform of MEPA and Other Environmental Regulatory Authorities, (Valletta: Today Public Policy Institute, 2008). 3 MEPA, op. cit. In order to promote a sustainable future that meets today’s needs without compromising those of future generations, the Maltese must begin to think of themselves less as “owners” of the environment and more as its “trustees and stewards.” Citizens must realize that environmental degradation and unjust resource sharing are a result of their selfishness, indifference and complacency and become more prudent in using their limited natural resources. The process of caring for the environment should involve subsidiarity – a principle associated with the decentralization of power and the provision of an enabling environment, including material assistance to decentralized units – and translate into more effective integration and co-ordination among responsible entities. Basic Capabilities Index (BCI) BCI = 97 Births attended 100 0 88 Children reaching 5th grade 100 100 National reports 136 Social Watch Surviving under-5 by severe water shortages as rainfall over the central Mediterranean is drastically reduced. From 1990 to 2008, Malta’s greenhouse gas emissions showed an average annual increase of 2.1%. The greatest rise occurred in 1991 when an increase of 8.7% was recorded. The only years which saw a reduction were 1995, 2004 and 2008. 4 From 2000 to 2008 the energy sector was the major contributor to greenhouse gases, emitting on average 90.4% of the total. Energy production industries, with an average of 73.5% of emissions, dominated this sector. These were followed by transport with 19.8% of the sector’s total on average. Malta has 721 licensed road vehicles per 1,000 inhabitants. 5 To help reduce emissions and over-dependence on private cars, a new bus system was introduced in July 2011. 6 The Government should also establish incentives towards the purchase of low-polluting cars while discouraging demand for cars that pollute more, such as older models. The National Strategy for Policy and Abatement Measures Relating to the Reduction of Greenhouse Gas Emissions 7 states that, as an EU member state, Malta is committed by 2020 to reduce carbon dioxide 4 Eurostat, Greenhouse Gas Emissions, . 5 National Statistics Office, Malta in Figures 2010, (Valletta: 2010). 6 D.Lindsay, “New Public Transport System Unveiled,” The Malta Independent, (7 November 2010), . 7 Ministry for Resources and Rural Affairs, National Strategy for Policy and Abatement Measures Relating to the Reduction of Greenhouse Gas Emissions, (Valletta: September 2009), . Gender Equity Index (GEI) GEI = 63 99+ 99 100 Education 100 0 Empowerment Economic activity (CO 2 ) levels by 20% from the level recorded in 1990 and ensure that 10% of energy is generated from clean alternative sources. In the transport, agriculture and waste management sectors it pledged that, by 2020, gas emissions would be not more that 5% higher than in 2005. The country needs to scrupulously implement the measures laid down by the Climate Change Committee, 8 look for more efficient use of energy generation and move decisively towards maximum utilization of renewable energy sources such as wind and photovoltaic energy to cut back on CO 2 emissions. Failing to reach such targets would have negative social and economic repercussions. Land use With an area of 314km 2 Malta has approximately 412,970 residents (1,307 persons per km 2 ) and is visited by about 1.2 million tourists annually. 9 Statistics show that in 2005 27.7% of the island was urbanized. 10 Overdevelopment is Malta’s most pressing environmental problem and has been the cause of a great loss of biodiversity and natural resources as well as of much land for agriculture. 11 Yet the 2005 Population and Housing Census revealed that there were over 53,000 vacant properties. More than a quarter of Malta’s housing lies empty. 12 The Malta Environment Planning Authority (MEPA) regulates land use and also runs the environ- 8 Ibid. 9 National Statistics Office, Malta in Figures 2010, op. cit. 10 National Statistics Office, Sustainable Development Indicators for Malta 2010, (Valletta: 2010). 11 Ibid. 12 National Statistics Office, Census of Population and Housing 2005: Preliminary Report, (Valletta: 2010). 31 58 100 100
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SOCIAL WATCH R E P O R T 2 0 1 2 SU
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SOCIAL WATCH REPORT 2012 The right
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Social Watch in the world SW Nation
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• GUATEMALA: CONGCOOP - Coordinac
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Española de la Educación; Movimie
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Social Watch: promoting accountabil
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Global Assembly The Global Assembly
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Table of contents The right to a fu
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The right to a future An overview o
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has similarly led to population dis
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In the current international trade
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Rio+20 and beyond: no future withou
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ated into many other international
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• Emphasizing progressive taxatio
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A compensation scheme to pay off cl
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Rio+20: implementation is the key A
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Sustainable development and a renew
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policies that have only exacerbated
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neoliberal model, it gained even mo
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Thus, the advances of the sustainab
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Networking cities that use new indi
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Green and equal: financing for sust
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fROM AID EffECTIvENESS TO TAx jUSTI
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casions, often reaching agreement.
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The indignados are asking the right
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Green jobs but no justice From the
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Human right to adequate housing and
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have its most negative impacts and
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BASIC CAPABILITIES INDEx 2011 The b
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TeChnICal noTes 1 The following are
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surviving under-5 Birth atended Chi
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education malawi 89 57 32 59 malays
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Achievement Possibility Frontiers (
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promoTIng eConomIC and soCIal rIghT
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Core Country serf Index Country Cor
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From the grassroots: NATIONAL REPOR
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Education and gender equality Accor
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- have gradually put sustainable de
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FIGURE 1 GDP - Real growth rate (%)
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diversified manner and underscored
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was re-opened shortly afterwards wi
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waste water is often polluted by hu
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“Europe is alone with its unilate
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into the atmosphere, with emissions
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The Kyoto Protocol includes an anti
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However, the Government has not tak
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One egregious example is the offici
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The grim face of militarized develo
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Page 112 and 113: FIGURE 1 Unemployment in Croatia me
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Page 128 and 129: WORLD LEVEL COMMITMENTS The world h
Page 130 and 131: A study by Diakonie, the Protestant
Page 132 and 133: TABLE 1 Trends in Forest Cover in G
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which unemployment decreased, since
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emissions. It is important that emi
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3%, is due not only to its small si
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The national biomass (above and bel
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