How will Malaysia's environment fare after the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions?
30 May, 2020
Bluer skies, the central Titiwangsa mountain range visible from Klang Valley and the normally turbid Klang River clean enough for individuals to swim in it.
Such local news reports and similar photographs of the environment “recovering” have gone viral, as the majority of the united states abided by the movement control order (MCO) so that they can stem the COVID-19 infection rate in Malaysia.
However, with most businesses resuming businesses and preparations being designed for the MCO to be lifted on Jun 9, authorities interviewed by CNA are contemplating the potential impact of financial recovery on Malaysia’s vulnerable ecosystems.
Towards the end of the first phase of the MCO on Mar 31, Environment and Water Minister Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man was reported as saying that the Air Pollutant Index had opted down 14 % to record a “clean index”, while over 25 % of 29 computerized water monitoring stations nationwide recorded a real-time improvement in water quality.
The minister also reportedly said that particles analyses in the Klang Valley showed leading pollutant contributors trending down from Mar 18 to Mar 31, in comparison with prior readings from Mar 1 to Mar 17.
Sulphur dioxide (SO2) and particles under 2.5 microns (PM2.5) had opted down by 27 per cent and 29 per cent respectively. Additionally, carbon monoxide (CO) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) levels had dipped by 49 per cent and 70 % respectively.
Other major cities and towns also showed similar dips, the minister said. Areas recognized to emit toxic gases, such as for example Pasir Gudang, were “stable”. All 25 monitoring stations recorded Total Volatile Organic Compounds readings at normal or below alert levels at 1 ppm (parts per million).
The latest little bit of environmental very good news is that of turtles beaching at Port Dickson beach in Negeri Sembilan, now off-limits during this period to lay eggs, in addition to dolphin sightings in the same area.
STIMULUS PACKAGES, DIP IN OIL PRICES A STRAIN ON GOVERNMENT FINANCES
The government has announced several COVID-19 stimulus packages to rescue Malaysia’s sagging economy. However, with the decline in oil earnings because of falling petroleum prices, experts fear that some states might intensify the exploitation of natural resources to replenish their coffers.
Economics professor Yeah Kim Leng from the Sunway University Business School noted that the three stimulus packages totalled RM35 billion (US$8 billion) in direct government spending.
“That is a sizeable 2.3 % of 2019’s GDP. This unplanned spending increase, together with the sharp drop in oil prices, has increased the probability of a mid-year budget revision, instead of a supplementary budget towards the year-end,” he said.
Petroleum prices have been declining because the start of March, as travel ground to a halt and people began residing at home.
The April price collapse of the West Texas Intermediate May futures is bad news for Malaysia, given its reliance on petroleum revenue.
The gross value output of Malaysia's coal and oil mining industry is thought to take into account around one-fifth of the country's GDP.
For Malaysia’s 2020 federal budget, calculations were based on Brent crude at US$62 per barrel. Prices are actually hovering around US$30.
Furthermore, state governments, which are allocated their total annual budgets from the federal budget, will probably require higher grants and transfers, Prof Yeah added, particularly if these states had implemented complementary measures to help expand mitigate the pandemic’s impact.
“Moreover, a fall in state earnings as a result of movement restrictions during the pandemic would require state governments to seek federal support to fund budget deficits,” the economist said.
States have likewise instituted their own stimulus packages, such as Selangor, which allocated RM272 million, or 11 per cent of its 2020 budget.
RESOURCE EXTRACTION AS A SUPPLEMENT TO STATES' REVENUE
As petroleum prices plummet, both federal government in addition to states that are reliant on coal and oil income to supplement their expenditure might have to turn to other methods to generate revenue.
States that are less developed but abundant with resources have already been increasing their exploitation of natural resources, particularly timber logging and agri-conversion to both raise earnings and step-up their local financial development, Prof Yeah noted.
In states such as for example Pahang and Kelantan, massive tracts of rainforest were cleared to create way for oil palm, and recently, durian plantations, as the fruit became an enormous hit in China during the past 2 years. Logging in addition has been a steady way to obtain earnings for the Bornean states of Sabah and Sarawak.
“Increased logging of forests reserves and conversion of state land for oil palm and other agricultural crops will reduce the country’s natural forest resource base as well as impact negatively other uses such as for example wildlife conservation, water catchments, biodiversity and environmental protection,” Prof Yeah said.
Revenue-wise, the economist pointed out that state governments have already been reliant on permits and other state-imposed service fees derived from land-based activities and natural resource extraction.
“However, the total state income remains minuscule. In 2018, it amounted to RM10.6 billion, or 5.2 per cent of the RM203.9 billion collected by the government,” said Prof Yeah.
As it is, some states such as for example Perak have appealed for logging and quarrying to keep. On Apr 25, Perak’s Chief Minister Ahmad Faizal Azumu appealed to the federal government for logging and quarrying activities in his state to be permitted to continue.
“The timber industry, if prohibited to operate, may cause harm to the sector. Also, there are orders, hence enabling the industry to contribute to the state’s revenue,” Mr Ahmad Faizal was quoted as saying by Bernama.
Logging trucks en route to an Orang Asli settlement in Grik, Perak.
He also said that quarrying has been allowed to continue as it did not involve public interaction and the quarries were definately not residential areas.
Meanwhile, Sabah's head of state Juhar Mahiruddin said the state would look at expanding its protected marine areas by up to 13 per cent by 2023. He reiterated that the target is to increase totally protected land areas to 30 % by 2025, when compared to current 25 % of Sabah’s total landmass.
According to Sabah's Deputy Chief Minister Christina Liew, who also holds the surroundings portfolio, current efforts are mainly on containing the spread of COVID-19 and mitigating the financial impact of the pandemic on Sabah's tourism industry.
"Concurrently, we are considering balancing development with conservation in the interest of environmental protection. As Sabah is abundant with biodiversity, it is imperative that people safeguard our natural heritage for the benefit for future generations," Mdm Liew said in response to CNA's queries.
Sabah's Deputy Chief Minister Christina Liew, also heads the state's Tourism, Culture and Environment portfolio (Photo: Christina Liew's office)
Dr Renard Siew, a climate change expert and advisor with the Centre for Governance and Political Studies (CENT-GPS), a Malaysian think-tank, said it really is highly likely that state governments will turn to resource extraction in the years ahead.
He cited an example in Selangor, in which a 98ha forest reserve is in danger of being changed into a mixed development.
“Our states are dependent on natural resources, such as for example forest land, as you of the main resources of revenue ... Even prior to the MCO started, environmental activists were already campaigning against the de-gazettement of the Kuala Langat North Forest Reserve, which is sacred to your local Orang Asli communities,” Dr Siew said.
Forest reserve and river running right through Orang Asli land in Grik, Perak.
Despite having many countries in lockdown because of COVID-19, global carbon emissions have only dropped by 5 %, he pointed out.
“We are already maxing out individual action and it appears like it’s hardly making a dent in the carbon economy. What this also illustrates may be the scope and scale of the climate crisis. Individual actions alone, while they do change lives, isn't enough to fix this crisis,” Dr Siew believed.
Activists have needed more stringent environmental protection in the post-MCO period.
Environmental non-government organisation Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM) said that recent results are an unintended side benefit for the lockdown. This is despite the COVID-19 pandemic being a consequence of environmental mishandling, such as for example in the wildlife trade and consumption by humans.
“Clearly, what this reveals is that our current monetary and development model is still unsustainable with negative consequences not only on our standard of living, but threatens our continued existence on the planet,” SAM president Meenakshi Raman said in a news release on Apr 22 within Earth Day celebrations.
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