3Rs Principle, Green Technology Help Preserve The Earth

KUALA LUMPUR, April 22 (Bernama) -- Malaysia's commitment to reduce carbon intensity by 40 per cent by 2020 must be commended, says prominent Sarawak environment activist and philanthropist Ang Lai Soon. He said the country could do more in environmental conservation and protection, including the continuous practise of the 3Rs (reduce, reuse and recycle) Principle, as well as the use of clean and green technology, and renewable energy which were a must. "There are a thousand and one things we should do to preserve and save the environment..for a start, do something positive on Earth Day 2016 to show that we care, from planting a tree to start growing one's own vegetables," he added in a statement in conjunction with the annual Earth Day celebration Friday. Taking Bhutan as example, Ang noted it was among some of the most encouraging examples of a small nation which was environmentally aware and conscious. He said although Bhutan was not wealthy and had a population of about 750,000 people, it was a carbon-neutral country with exemplary environmental practices. Malaysia, he said, had seen much of its natural environment of tropical rain forests transformed into rubber and oil palm plantations, modern cities, towns and its finite mineral resources largely depleted with the exception of petroleum and natural gas. He said, whenever the future prosperity of any nation state was under discussion, the key theme was growth including growth in population, production, exports, manufacture and housing. "I do not think many can profess to have the answers on how the human race can reach a balance between usage and replacement of the resources on our planet. "This is the greatest challenge facing homo-sapiens which we 'sweep under the carpet' at our peril," he added. Ang said in the last 200 years, the world's population had risen from 1.8 billion to 7.4 billion, and although there were signs that the rate of population growth was slowing, the population in 2050 was estimated at 9.5 billion. -- BERNAMA