Stop land reclamation, hill clearings to combat climate change: SAM

GEORGE TOWN, June 4 (Bernama) -- Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM) is calling on the authorities to stop all land reclamation and hill clearing projects to combat climate change in conjunction with World Environment Day tomorrow.

Its president, SM Mohamed Idris said the state government should reconsider the approved land reclamation and hill clearing projects to ensure all proposed projects would not affect nature and the people's lives.

"Climate change is one indication of a much larger problem, which is humans' unsustainable consumption, production and lifestyle.

"This is demonstrated by the use of dirty, non-renewable energy, our exploitation of forest and natural ecosystems and our unsustainable development," he told reporters, here, today.

He said the waste management sector, which was a source of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, could become a major contributor to climate change mitigation.

Idris also said the reclamation projects along the coast of Penang such as in Jelutong, Tanjung Tokong and Batu Uban required millions of tonnes of rocks and sand.

"Sand and gravel are mined worldwide and account for the largest volume of solid material extracted globally.

"Our increasing dependence and the significant impact that extraction of natural resources has on the environment, has been mostly ignored," said Idris, who is also the Consumers Association of Penang (CAP) president.

He hoped for concerted action by all sectors to reduce GHG emissions and combat climate change.

"The needs of vulnerable poor communities must also be addressed so that they can adapt to the impacts of climate change," he said.

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Stop land reclamation, hill clearings to combat climate change: SAM