Search

Many studies have explored pro-environmental actions. This paper aims to extend the concept of pro-environmental action in the context of binary themes or perspectives. The extended conceptualisation is drawn from a study that investigates the influence of residential outdoor environmental education courses on Malaysian participants' environmental attitudes and behaviours using a life history approach. Data analysis revealed six binary pro-environmental actions: conforming/transforming action, compulsory/optional action, intentional/unintentional action, public/private sphere action, activist/non-activist action, and biospheric/anthropocentric-oriented action. The binary actions presented in this paper pull together all of the binary themes, both pre-existing ones and those emerging from the current study data. The paper provides recommendations about how one can contribute to environmental quality and positively impact the sustainable development agenda. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the potential of nuclear energy, particularly in the power sector, to solve energy challenges and to address the pertinent issues regarding energy sustainability in Malaysia. The deployment of nuclear energy in various developed and developing countries has conspicuously helped sustaining energy security and sustainability due to its compatibility and protection of the environment. In addition to energy security, nuclear energy also offers significant benefits to socio-economic aspects. Thus, nuclear energy in developing countries, including Malaysia, has the potential to emerge as a new prospect in the energy sector using sophisticated technology and expert personnel to maximize the energy benefits with the least environmental risk. This step would certainly meet future energy demands and help accelerate the country's development with optimum energy generation in the country. Therefore, Malaysia should aim to resort to nuclear power generation whereby the current power sector is mainly generated by traditional means, with only a small fraction of it being renewable energy. With no experience in this field, Malaysia needs to establish collaboration with some country rich with nuclear-resource in order to build, maintain nuclear reactors and treat nuclear wastes. The development of such facility should also comply with the requirements of the International Atomic Energy Agency. Moreover, Malaysia has to introduce legislation and policies related to future nuclear energy. Thus, this paper discusses some of the pertinent issues related to the prospects of nuclear power generation in the country towards achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Currently, around 90% of Malaysia's electricity generation depends on fossil fuels. This reliance, in a long run, is not a secure option. However, renewable energy sources can contribute to a sustainable electricity generation system; but diversifying fuel supply chain is a complex process. Therefore, the aim of this paper is two folds. Firstly, various renewable resources potential are reviewed, and secondly an assessment model is developed for prioritizing renewable options. Four major resources, hydropower, solar, wind, biomass (including biogas and municipal solid waste) are considered. Their electricity generation potential, along with any likely shortcoming is also discussed. Moreover, using a multi-perspective approach based on analytic hierarchy process (AHP), an assessment model is developed. AHP model employs four main criteria, technical, economical, social and environmental aspects, and twelve sub-criteria. From the review it was found that renewable resources seem to have a sufficient potential to develop a sustainable electricity system. Furthermore, AHP model prioritize those resources, revealing that solar is the most favorable resource followed by biomass. Hydropower and wind however, are ranked third and fourth, respectively. The model also shows that each resource is inclined towards a particular criterion; solar towards economical, biomass towards social, hydropower towards technical, and wind towards environmental aspect. Besides reporting AHP model for the first time in Malaysian context, the assessment performed in this study, can serve decision makers to formulate long-term energy policy aiming for sustainability. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Introduction: Over the past three decades, Malaysia has achieved high economic growth, and the alteration and change of the physical environment in this country has been massive as well. In this crucial situation, sustainability of the environment often depends on the actions of public. Public must remain active participants in the processes of sustainable environment because the involvement of the public is a critical ingredient to curb environmental degradation. The public has the right (and duty) to stop and seek controls over such destructive development, and to ask the planners to modify their development strategies. For this reason, participation and involvement of public in environmental issues has been adopted as the national strategy for management and sustainable development of environmental resources in Malaysia. Objective: To highlight an awareness and understanding of the environmental knowledge amongst Malaysian public and to evaluate participation and involvement of Malaysian public in the environmental issues. Materials and method: Published papers from journals and books on environmental were searched and reviewed. Results: Many Malaysians were not aware of the environmental issues although they may feel vaguely uneasy. Most of the Malaysian public was also unaware of their rights, roles and responsibilities to sustain the environment. Public participation and involvement was also found to be low in environmental issues due to lack of knowledge, understanding and exposure. Discussion and conclusion: The citizen movements in many other countries have played major roles in the establishment of environmental damages. Degradation of the environment starts with people; therefore the solutions must also begin with the people. As an initial step the public must be alerted to the dangers inherent in the destruction of the environment which seems to have become a hallmark of development in our country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]