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Dear PM - Please Make Up Your Mind on Coal! As a "custodian for future generations", please Do Not Waver!

A Green Malaysia for the Future

Nov 21, 2009

Taken from the Prime Minister’s blog:

http://www.1malaysia.com.my/index.php?option=com_myblog&show=a-green-malaysia-for-the-future-4898.html&Itemid=54&lang=en#readmore

[Blog note: Again, we repeat our call -- Can the REAL Najib please stand up??]

With nations recently meeting to discuss a climate change treaty, ahead of the Copenhagen summit in December, I’m reminded that the environment is everyone’s responsibility, and that we must all change our mindset to give it greater consideration. We should do this especially as we are custodians for future generations.

New Malaysian initiatives unveiled recently leave me feeling ever optimistic that we are doing more to preserve what we have, in order that our children and their children may enjoy our unique, natural wonders for years to come.

Firstly, under Budget 2010, a fund amounting to RM1.5 billion will be established by the Government to provide soft loans to companies supplying and utilising green technology. The Government is furthermore committed to restructuring the Malaysia Energy Centre as the National Green Technology Centre; organising an international exhibition on green technology next year; developing Putrajaya and Cyberjaya as pioneer townships in green technology; and giving priority to environmentally-friendly products and services.

Another initiative sees the Sabah state government partnering with WWF-Malaysia to conserve large tracts of forest to protect the habitat of endangered orangutans. The area targeted for restoration amounts to nearly 1,500 football pitches in size.

Thirdly, there is the National Tiger Action Plan, adopted by the National Biodiversity-Biotechnology Council. The plan targets an increase in Malaysia’s tiger population from fewer than 500 to 1,000 by 2020. The setting up of a National Biodiversity Centre was also agreed, to further strengthen the management and conservation of biodiversity in Malaysia.

[Blog note: We wonder whether it is accurate to say that "Fourthly, the Federal Government is 'committed' to REVERSE ALL OF THE ABOVE EFFORTS by forcing Sabah to accept a coal-fired power plant (using made-in-China technology), which the PM himself has regarded as "DIRTY, NOT ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY""??!!]

We should not stop at these measures. I would like to obtain your views on what more we can do to ensure a greener Malaysia, so that we can learn from each other. How are you reducing your carbon footprint? Please share your thoughts by submitting a comment. You might also be interested in following the blog of Datuk Peter Chin Fah Kui, the Minister of Energy, Green Technology and Water, for his thoughts and opinions on green matters.

[Blog note: BRAVO, dear PM!!! As you yourself has said on your Twitter on 21 November 2009:

"In cockpit as we landed in foggy London. Typical British weather. Floods in north a bad sign. Climate change: world needs to act decisively."

We believe that the first important step to reverse global warming is to STOP coal burning. Therefore, Many of us in Sabah have this thought and comment for you on "what more we can do to ensure a greener Malaysia":

STOP CONTRADICTING YOURSELF ON COAL AND CLIMATE CHANGE AND CANCEL THE COAL POWER PLANT IN SABAH, RIGHT NOW!!

We in Sabah really hope that you would sincerely "learn from each other"... We certainly hope it's NOT a one-way street, i.e. WE are forced to 'learn' what YOUR Government want us to accept...]

Popularity: 19% [?]

PM Najib: Sabah, please Accept Dirty Coal

http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=68713

Kota Kinabalu: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said there is need for some sacrifices to be made in order to achieve development and something good, particularly in addressing the power woes in Sabah.

He said he made the decision to have the proposed coal-fired power plant project to be re-located to Felda Sahabat Felda in Lahad Datu since the project had been rejected by other districts in the State.

“First, it was to be built in Lahad Datu but the people there objected and then moved to Sandakan but the people there also objected so lastly in my capacity as the Minister of Felda I decided to build it in a Felda area. Its okay,” he said.

[Blog note: So, the people of Felda are less important than those in Lahad Datu and Sandakan?? This statement proves that the PM KNOWS FULLY WELL about the fierce objections of Sabahans, then WHY still push it down our throats??]

According to him, the Federal Government was committed in addressing the power woes in Sabah and he had even directed the Energy Minister, Datuk Peter Chin, to ensure the problem in Sabah is addressed by next year.

[Blog note: If the Federal Government is 'committed', then the Federal Government should NOT EXPORT our Kimanis Gas to Sarawak (but let Sabah use it for electricity), and should NOT channel Bakun's hydro-power all the way to West Malaysia, Brunei or Indonesia (but export it to Sabah, which is much, much closer)!!]

However, he said that despite the dire need of power supply, the move to set up the power plant was objected just because it is using coal to generate power.

“But, if not we won’t have any power. Our people must decide you want power at the same time you don’t want the power plant. You want the plant somewhere else, not in your own backyard.

[Blog note: The PM must have been misinformed. The people of Sabah WANT power plants - but we just DON'T want coal (or nuclear, mind you)!! How is that difficult to understand, dear PM?]

“So this is our problem we have wasted much time pushing it around,” he said, adding that in order to achieve something good there is a need for all to make some sacrifices.

“We have to accept what is good and we have to be realistic. If we understand and are willing to sacrifice we will achieve higher level of development for Sabah,” he said.

[Blog note: But dear PM, coal is NOT GOOD, but is "dirty, not environmentally friendly"!!]

Launching the Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) 24th Congress at Magellan Sutera, Saturday, Najib assured that the Federal Government was also committed in helping Sabah address the illegal immigrant problem.

But, he said the Government’s effort was futile if the locals themselves continue to employ paperless foreigners to get cheap labour.

Whatever it is, Najib assured that the Government would not let down and that action would be taken so that Sabah would no longer be bogged by the problems of illegal immigrants.

PBS President Datuk Seri Joseph Pairin Kitingan had earlier in his welcoming speech suggested that the Government set a deadline i.e year 2012 for the problem to be comprehensively resolved in Sabah

[Yeah, but WHY do we have to sacrifice if we HAVE ALTERNATIVES, such as Kimanis Gas which is being exported by the Federal Government to Sarawak, and Bakun hydro from Sarawak which is being exported to Brunei, Indonesia and West Malaysia via undersea cable?? And why do we have to IMPORT "dirty, environmentally not friendly" coal from Indonesia??

Is this 'sacrifice' fair to Sabahans?? Why doesn't the Federal Government asks Sarawak to 'sacrifice' by giving up OUR Kimanis Gas, or asks the West Malaysians, Bruneians and Indonesians to 'sacrifice' by giving up Bakun hydro-power, and TNB to 'sacrifice' some of their profits by using safer and cleaner energy sources, so that SABAH can use them for electricity??

Is this the way BN rewards its 'Fixed Deposit', 'Blue' State like Sabah??!!].

Popularity: 12% [?]

Najib: "Coal is what we call DIRTY technology, it's NOT environmentally friendly"

http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/index.php/malaysia/41958-pm-says-country-over-dependent-on-ipps

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 31 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak admitted today that the government needs to revise its energy policy, calling the current one obsolete and in need of a revamp.

In his keynote address at electricity utility TNB’s 60th anniversary celebration here, he said the current policy was proven to be costly, both environmentally and financially.

Heavy dependence on independent power producers (IPPs) and costly natural resources like natural gas have taken its toll on the government financially while cheaper options like coal is damaging to the environment, said the prime minister.

“I don’t like the current energy policy. It’s not right,” he told some 1,500 TNB workers attending the event.

“We are overly dependent on the IPPs and expensive resources like natural gas to produce energy and coal is what we call DIRTY technology, it’s NOT environmentally friendly,” he added.

Relations between IPPs and the government have not been good in recent years.

Many leaders from both sides of the political spectrum are calling for the government to be firm with the IPPs which they claimed have been stepping on its toes by providing energy at high prices.

While Najib today said the government should stop depending on the IPPs, he did not mention how the government planned to do so.

Later at a press conference, Najib said the government had begun embarking on a new energy policy that he claims would be focusing more on cost-effective resources.

As revealed in Najib’s maiden Budget recently, the prime minister told the media that his administration had started studying sectors like renewable energy and green technology to replace the current policy.

“It’s not a short-term solution, it’s a long one but we need to make the first step,” he said.

Popularity: 7% [?]

http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/index.php/opinion/breaking-views/41467-asias-reliance-on-coal-spells-trouble–michael-richardson-

Global Warming - Coal is the main culprit

OCT 26 – Asia’s rebound from the global economic slump is cheering the world. But the revival is bad news for the environment because it is largely driven by a production system addicted to fossil fuels.

This helps explain why it is proving so difficult for international climate change negotiators to bridge the gulf that divides developed and developing countries.

It also helps explain why China and India, despite tensions over territorial and water disputes, agreed last week to work together to resist binding cuts or caps to their greenhouse gas emissions. The International Energy Agency (IEA) calculates that around 65 per cent of these emissions worldwide come from energy use or production.

The economic crisis has had a significant impact on the energy sector. The IEA reported earlier this month that investment in polluting technologies had been deferred and emissions of carbon dioxide could fall this year by as much as 3 per cent – steeper than at any time in the last 40 years.

“This gives us a chance to make real progress towards a clean-energy future,” said IEA executive director Nobuo Tanaka. But, he added, “only if the right policies are put in place promptly”.

Here’s a snapshot of global energy use. Fossil fuels account for 80 per cent of demand: oil (34 per cent); coal (25 per cent); natural gas (21 per cent). The rest comes from wood, other biomass and waste (11 per cent); nuclear power (6.5 per cent); hydro-power (2.2 per cent). Less than 1 per cent of global energy demand is met by clean sources such as geothermal, solar and wind.

Shifting this energy production pattern towards a system that produces little greenhouse gas emissions is politically difficult and very costly, particularly in Asia.

Oxford University economist Dieter Helm – who has co-edited a new book, The Economics And Politics Of Climate Change – says climate change is really “about the massive increase of coal burning internationally, especially the growth of China and India fuelled by coal-based energy – and America too, where the Obama plans are also small relative to the problem”.

What does he mean? Coal fuels heavy industries, like steel and cement. But electricity is the key. It powers so much of modern life, from cooling and heating to lighting, computers and the Internet.

Electricity production accounts for nearly one-third of global fossil fuel use. It is the source of about 40 per cent of energy-related carbon dioxide emissions, and about one-fifth of greenhouse gas emissions from human activity.

Half of the electricity generated in the United States is from coal. In India, the figure is 70 per cent, and in China, 80 per cent. Why? Because coal is up to six times less expensive per unit of energy than oil or gas. It is also locally available in huge quantities. [Blog note: NOT so for Sabah!! So, WHY are we still using IMPORTED coal from Indonesia but not our own natural gas from Kimanis??]

Yet, despite some improvements, coal remains the most carbon-intensive of the fossil fuels. Modern US coal-fired plants still emit nitrogen oxides and sulphur dioxide at nine and 90 times the rate of new gas-fired plants respectively. And these plants emit carbon dioxide at more than twice the rate of new plants that generate electricity by burning natural gas.

In 2000, coal provided 28 per cent of the world’s fossil fuel energy production, compared with 45 per cent for oil. By last year, coal’s share had risen to 33 per cent. Coal use in China and India alone is not far short of consumption in the US and the rest of the world combined.

While coal use has started declining in many developed economies, China has in recent years been commissioning the equivalent of two 500MW coal-fired power plants per week, adding a capacity comparable to the entire power grid of Britain each year. A single such plant releases about 3 million tonnes of carbon dioxide annually into the air.

India uses only about a fifth as much coal as China. But with a population similar to that of China, a rapidly expanding economy and rising demand for electricity, India may one day come to rival China in its coal use.

Demand for electricity is growing in South-east Asia too. If countries in the region were committed to cutting emissions, they would follow Singapore, Malaysia [???] and Thailand in switching from coal- and oil-burning plants to gas.

Instead, coal use is rising. Indonesia is in the midst of adding 10,000MW of coal-fired power to an existing capacity of 35,000MW, of which about 20 per cent burns coal. Indonesia became the world’s largest exporter of thermal coal for power plants in 2007.

Vietnam plans to bring nearly 49,000MW of capacity online between 2006 and 2015. Over half the addition is to be fuelled by coal.

Even Malaysia and Thailand are planning to increase coal use in their power plants to lower costs and diversify sources of fuel.

The World Bank’s development report last month noted that 1.6 billion people – nearly a quarter of the world’s population – have no electricity. These citizens of developing countries need massive expansions in energy, transport, urban systems and agricultural production.

Clean or not, coal is likely to be a big part of their future energy needs. – The Straits Times

[But why do we have to use it when we have environmentally-friendly alternatives like gas, hydro and so on??]

Popularity: 6% [?]

Kota Kinabalu: Five non-governmental organisations (NGOs) are combining forces in Sabah in an unprecedented move to oppose dirty energy such as coal-fired power plants.

The Sabah Unite to Re-Power the Future or Green Surf coalition consists of the Land Empowerment Animals and People (Leap), Partners of Community Organisations (Pacos Trust), Sabah Environmental Protection Association (Sepa), the Malaysian Nature Society Sabah branch and Sabah office of WWF-Malaysia.

These bodies, which all have differing ideas and objectives, believe this union would push for the achievement of one universal goal – to find and present positive solutions to the current energy situation in the State.

At a joint press conference to announce the alliance at Tanjung Aru beach here, Saturday, founder and director of Leap, Cynthia Ong, said the unification was a result of the public approaching the respective organisations and wanting something concrete done on environmental issues, the proposed coal-fired power plant in Lahad Datu being the flavour of the week.

“With Sabah putting itself forward as a leader in conservation in the region, we really feel that such an event (setting up of coal-fired power plant) would undermine all the efforts of our organisations.

“This is why we have to step up. And also the public has approached our respective organisations, so we’re answering that call.

“This is not anti-government but we are supporting the Government in looking for new solutions and using the might of our organisations to support (the solutions),” she said.

“We are not just saying ‘no coal or anti-coal’ but will find alternative energy solutions for the State and present them to our leadership and public.

“But the main thing is of course is to change the course of direction towards the future of energy, which we feel should be renewable É we’re actually pro-active about (finding) solutions,” she said, pointing out there are many unexplored solutions.

Sepa President Wong Tack said the coalition was a good start towards better conservation efforts, adding they need the public to back them if they were really to hit the ground running.

“I’m sure this platform will expand and closer working relationships would be established.

“This is a very positive start for a greener Sabah and we hope citizens of Sabah will come together. The Prime Minister always emphasises about wanting to listen to the people, so the people must exercise the right so the authorities can hear us.“

Chief Technical Officer of WWF-Malaysia’s Sabah Office, Rahimatsah Amat, urged the public to rally behind the coalition on the energy issue and other urgent environmental issues.

“We do not have a very specific agenda but the agenda is specific towards green things, which on our plate at the very moment is the coal-fired power plant.

“But there could be many more pressing issues that need to be addressed so we need the support of the public to show that we’re moving in the right direction for all of us to have a future in Sabah,” he said, adding they will release information on their developments from time to time.

On the coal-fired power plant, he said the effects would not be felt immediately but years down the line, accentuating the urgency to find an alternative solution to the energy source.

Meanwhile, Green Surf is calling on everyone in Sabah to sign a petition to show their concern for climate change with specific emphasis on the planned coal-fired power plant.

A webpage has been set up on social networking site Facebook, which has garnered 1, 000 members within two weeks.

The public could also visit www.nocoalsabah.blogspot.com, which has a link to the Facebook page to find out more about the issue as well as to sign the online petition.

In a statement, Green Surf also urged the Federal Government to consider developing one of the two budgeted green pioneer townships with green technology in Sabah.

“We applaud the Prime Minister for having the foresight of planning these green pioneer townships and we request for East Malaysia to have one and we recommend the government consider one of our East Coast townships such as Sandakan, Lahad Datu or Tawau.”

http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=68550

Sunday, November 01, 2009

Popularity: 12% [?]

Is TNB doing to West Malaysia what seemed to have worked in Sabah?

According to this video posted on 27 October 2009 (we apologise for the profanity…), there has been THREE blackouts this year in Muar, Johor (they are very, very lucky indeed). There was no advance notification (sounds familiar to Sabah?) for this particular blackout, so the author suddenly lost the work he was doing on his computer. His younger brother is also prevented from doing his final revision before an important exam the next day.

So, he went to complain to the TNB office, and demanded explanations. Strangely enough, perhaps trying to champion the Prime Minister’s noble “People First, Performance Now” mission, TNB’s gigantic building was apparently THE ONLY BUILDING in town which has power supply and well-lit, EVEN THOUGH it was well past office hours!! No wonder the author yelled, screamed and swear…

SESB, you are soooo damn luck that Sabahans are not as rude or obnoxious as this person. (Come to think of it, maybe that’s why Sabahans always got bullied by outsiders? Because we are too civilized, kind and forgiving??)

According to this malaysiakini.com report, “TNB CEO faces hard time over nuke plant plan“, Tenaga Nasional Bhd CEO Che Khalib Mohamed Nor (also the top guy in SESB) had tried very hard to sell the idea of using nuclear energy to the West Malaysian public. However, he failed, as “The participants, especially those from the civil society and interested members of the public were not convinced that Malaysia should go nuclear after hearing various speakers on the dangers of the nuclear option.”

After a long period of highly irresponsible and disruptive blackouts, TNB/SESB finally got the Prime Minister to announce that the strongly opposed coal power plant would still be built in Lahad Datu, using the frequent power disruptions as the pre-text:

“Najib also said that THE FREQUENT POWER SUPPLY DISRUPTION in Tawau would be SOLVED SOON WITH THE CONSTRUCTION OF A COAL-POWERED PLANT in Felda Sahabat, Lahad Datu, as an alternative measure, besides buying more power generators.

“There are still many areas in Sabah including its east coast region which are EXPERIENCING POWER SUPPLY DISRUPTIONS…”

Substitute ‘COAL‘ with ‘NUCLEAR‘ – is this what is happening to Muar now??

So, I wonder whether TNB is using this tactic to force the people of West Malaysia to accept the nuclear power plant? If you can’t sell an idea, just SHOVE IT DOWN THEIR THROATS by making them suffer first and beg for the electricity, regardless of how bad they opposed it at the beginning?

Interestingly for Sabahans, in that malaysiakini.com report, it was also reported that Tenaga Nasional Bhd CEO Che Khalib “also justified nuclear energy as an option “as coal would be exhausted by 2014. And by 2025 TNB’s plan is to have a nuclear power plant.” If coal would be exhausted by 2014, then WHAT IS THE POINT OF BUILDING A COAL POWER PLANT IN SABAH WHICH ONLY BEGINS TO OPERATE IN 2013 THE EARLIEST??

Che Khalib added that “As for hydro power, he added that potentials for hydro power is only available in Sarawak.” (meaning, should NOT be considered for West Malaysia)  Really?? Then, TNB should just forget about channeling the Bakun hydro power all the way from Sarawak to Johor, but should supply it to Sabah instead!!

TNB, call off the supply of Bakun hydro power to West Malaysia NOW, CANCEL THE COAL POWER PLANT IN SABAH, and supply the Bakun hydro power to Sabah!!

Written by Anton

Popularity: 5% [?]