Presented for Civil Engineering Seminar, National Defense University of Malaysia

Author
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT PROFILE OF MALAYSIA
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Introduction
Sustainable development involves, meeting the needs of the present without
compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs (Earth Summit,
Rio de Janeiro, 1992)

In recent years, the sustainable environment is being debated as an important measure to

assuage the global warming, green house gas effect, river pollution, air pollution and so many
other type of pollution. This is basically due to degradation of global environment and the consent
for our future generation.
The key principle of sustainable development is the long-term strategies to tackle the key
environmental issues including climate change, improving air quality, regenerating towns and
cities, and protecting the countryside and natural resources. Now Malaysia is one of the few
countries which are on track to meet their targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions under
the Kyoto Protocol.
Concepts like green building, sustainable living indicators, environmental tax and
environmental regulation have a central role to play in this process. They can provide long term
protection and improves the environment, and deter actions that are damaging to the environment.
For both government and community like, environmental instruments such as sustainable living
index can enable environmental goals to be achieved in the most efficient way.
In Malaysian living environment, the construction become significant as this field come
along with the development of a nation in term of the building structures. As the environment
becomes the foundation of all the structures, the environment should be protected from being
overused or devastated. Malaysia should have sustainable living environment so that the future
generation can be benefited from the development of a country.
The current situation on environmental management in Malaysian construction industry
raises a number of questions on how the industry actually deals with environmental issues in
practice.
a)
Did the current practice really understand the sustainable living concept?
b)
Does Malaysia practice the sustainable living concept currently?
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Sustainable Development

The Brundtland Report to the World Commission on Environment and Development in

1987, under the direction of Norwegian Prime Minister, Gro Harlem Brundtland, defined
sustainable development as follows:
"Development which meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of
future generations to meet their own needs"
The definition defines the needs broadly, moving away from the narrow notion of
sustainability as a balance between economic growth and environmental protection (Promoting
Sustainable Living (2002)).
In 2002, at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, South
Africa, leaders in attendance renewed their commitment to the objectives set in Rio de Janeiro by
pledging to take action on their positions, notably by implementing national sustainable
development strategies. The HDR 1994 is stated that human security encompasses economic,

health and environmental concerns. So, it is important that the human development to be
incorporated with a sustainable development of a nation.
Sustainable features are important as it conserve the resources and provide a healthy
living environment. Yin C.Y.(2007) stated that the initiative in Malaysian construction industry is
lesser in term of the assimilation of the construction industry with energy-efficient and
environmental friendly designs. The structures and infrastructures both are important elements in
developing according to the needs of sustainable development.
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Sustainable Building

Buildings become the most important contributor to the greenhouse gas emissions that
cause environmental problems such as climate change, sea level rise, spreading diseases,
downpours, heavy rainfalls, and flooding in the urban are. So, most of the country now looking at
reducing the greenhouse gas effect as it is a vital agenda to be focus at. Sustainable development
and sustainable building become the essential tools to control the effects of greenhouse gas
effects.
When the negative impact to the building is reduced and the natural environment is taken
care, then the building is sustainable. The building is also in harmony with the environment and
the presence of the building does not impose any strain to the ecosystem as mentioned by
Suvarna O.(2007). The Malaysian Energy Centre is an example of sustainable building in
Malaysia with sustainability is the key element so that the building is carbon neutral. Ministry of
Energy, Water and Communications Low Energy Office and the upcoming Energy Commission
Diamond Building in Putrajaya are the other example Green Buildings in Malaysia.
The related concepts of sustainable development and sustainability are integral to green
building. Effective green building can lead to
i.
reduced operating costs by increasing productivity and using less energy and
water,
ii.
improved public and occupant health due to improved indoor air quality,
iii.
reduced environmental impacts by, for example, lessening storm water runoff and
heat island effect (Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia).
There are several important steps in designing sustainable building such as specify green
building materials from local sources, reduce loads, optimize systems and generate onsite
renewable energy.
The United States Green Building Council (USGBC) has developed the LEED Green
Building Rating System which is nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and
operation of high performance green buildings. LEED also promotes the whole-building
approach to sustainability by recognizing performance in five key areas of human and
environmental health as given below (Wikipedia):

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sustainable site development

water saving
energy efficiency
material selection and
indoor environmental quality

Malaysian profile in introducing Sustainable Development

The intention for environment and sustainability was first developed in Third Malaysian
Plan (1976-1980). The first step taken to preserve the natural heritage was by look into the impact
of population growth and industrialization. Then by the Fifth Malaysian Plan (1986-1990),

environmental protection was already a key factor in the national development plan. The
minimization of deforestation, urbanization and tourism, emphasizing preventing through
conservation instead of curative measure; and incorporate environmental planning in
development project were among the efforts during this term.
During this period of time the government enacted two important legislation that is
Environmental Quality Act 1974 (EQA) and later the Environmental Impact Assessment
introduced in 1988 amended to EQA to become a valuable tool to protect resources and
restructure the negative consequences of development(Profile on Sustainable Development:
Malaysia). The privatization of its monitoring and surveillance of environmental health has
improved the service and streamlined the function of the government (Malaysia, Environmental
Health Country Profile).
The sustainable living in Malaysia is a three fold process, which the first is to promote
economic force to create higher living standard. Second is to promote social justice and cohesion
and the last one to monitor and protects the environment to prevent degradation.
The adoption and implementation of Agenda 21 principles is a means to strengthen the
connection between the environment and development towards a sustainable world. So, Malaysia
incorporates its objective within its planning strategies, mainly through the five-year Malaysian
Plans.
To broaden the view of sustainable development, the Economic Planning Unit of the
Prime Ministers Department initiated the Malaysian Quality Life Index as a measure of
sustainable living(Profile on Sustainable Development: Malaysia). Even though we have
achieved so much in our sustainable development endeavor, we still in its infancy stage compared
to other developed countries.
The next important step taken by Malaysian Government to advancing in sustainable
development was by launching the Local Agenda 21(LA 21) Program. The LA 21 program in
Malaysia was launched as a pilot project in the year 2000 and involved four Local Authorities,
namely, the Kerian District Council, the Kuantan Municipal Council, the Miri Municipal Council
and the Petaling Jaya Municipal Council.
Local Agenda 21 (LA21) is a program to forge partnerships between local authorities
(such as District Councils, Municipal Councils, City Councils and City Halls) and the
communities they serve to work together to plan and care for their surroundings towards
sustainable development as indicated in Figure 5.1. Various activities were carried out by these
Councils under their LA 21 program in accordance with local priorities (Malaysia Environmental
Quality Report 2005 (2006).

Figure 5.1: Local Agenda 21 Partnership

Through LA21, local communities will, together with their local authority, identify and
analyze local sustainable development issues, and then formulate and implement action plans to

address them. LA21 adopts a "bottom up" approach. That is to say the local community
themselves are involved from the very initial planning stage (Local Agenda 21).
Five key elements have been identified as important in the planning and implementation
of activities under the Local Agenda 21 banner. These are:

Multi-sectoral engagement in the planning process through local stakeholder

groups which can contribute to the co-ordination and preparation of a long-term
sustainable action plan;

Consultation with community-based groups, NGOs, business, religious

organisations, government agencies, professional groups and unions in order to create
a shared vision and to identify proposals and priorities for action;

Participatory assessment of social, economic and environmental conditions and

needs;

Participatory target-setting through negotiations among stakeholders in order to

achieve the vision and goals set forth in the action plan; and

Monitoring and reporting procedures, including the identification of indicators of

success, accountability of participants; and opportunities to propose appropriate
response measures for the immediate and long term.
Malaysia's response to the implementation of Agenda 21 is reflected in the 5-year Plans.
More specifically, the Seventh Malaysia Plan 1996-2000 provides in-depth treatment of the issues
of concern as identified in the document on Agenda 21 (Local Agenda 21).
During the Eighth Plan period, the incorporation of environmental considerations into
planning and development was intensified. This enabled a more integrated and holistic
management of the environment and natural resources.
For the Ninth Plan, environmental stewardship will continue to be promoted to ensure
that the balance between development needs and the environment is maintained. Greater focus
will be placed on preventive measures to mitigate negative environmental effects at source,
intensifying conservation efforts and sustainably managing natural resources. Emphasis will be
given to the fostering of closer cooperation between stakeholders in addressing environmental
concerns. Environmental planning tools such as environmental impact assessments (EIA),
strategic environmental assessments (SEA), cost-benefit analysis, market-based instruments and
environmental auditing will be increasingly applied in evaluating and mitigating environmental
impacts of development activities. In addition, research and development (R&D) will be
intensified to further support environmental management and sustainable use of natural resources.
The planning and design stage of total living environment for Malaysia will become the
rising prosperity with significant change of the social and political agenda over the period 2000 2020. An affluent society, especially in urban areas, will demand higher quality life with greater
standard for environmental protection, better welfare for workers, and, of course, more and better
civil society rights.
The concept of sustainable cities will become the central focus of the day. In the new
millennium, the sustainability agenda would make Malaysia a nation of environmentally friendly
citizens, respectful of biodiversity, concern about clear air, clean water, clean beaches and the
protection of rainforests. In this respect, what the country sought in sustainable development is
not "cities that can sustain themselves" but cities where the community's development needs are
met without imposing unsustainable demands on local or global natural resources and systems.
Thus the central focus of sustainable cities will be on the improvement of housing, living and
working environment (Artikel 3(1999)).

5.0

Conclusion

Now the worlds eye is on Malaysia as a developing nation. As Malaysia in the stage of
developing the structures and infrastructures, most of the developed countries emphasize that
sustainable development should be implemented in the planning stage as it will help to save the
environmental elements from deteriorating. Even though this is an essential tool to incorporate
sustainability in development, but the most important of all is the awareness among the people.
This is a fundamental stage where the user must be responsive towards the implementation which
can help both the parties involve in developing the sustainable development. As for Malaysia, the
first step taken by implementing the LA 21 stage by stage trough out the nation. This can help to
create the awareness among Malaysian and at the same time helps to develop an environmental
friendly nation. To achieve the aim as a sustainable developed country each person must be
aware of sustainable development concept.

REFERENCE
1. Artikel 3(1999), " Housing in the New Millennium - Malaysian Perspective " by:
Ministry of Housing and Local Government Malaysia,
http://www.kpkt.gov.my/jpn/artikel3.htm
2. Development at any cost Consumers Association of Penang,
http://unpan1.un.org/intradoc/groups/public/documents/APCITY/UNPAN018045.pdf
3. HDR 1994, Human Development Report 1994: New Dimensions of Human Security,
United Nations Development Programme,
http://hdr.undp.org/en/reports/global/hdr1994/
4. Human Development Report 2007/2008, Developed countries should provide incentives
for Asia to go green, Brasilia, 27 Nov 2007,
http://hdr.undp.org/en/reports/global/hdr2007-2008/
5. Local Agenda 21, from http://www.kpkt.gov.my/jkt/la21/eng/m1_about.htm
6. Lacal Agenda 21 Frequently asked question, Regional Economics & Environment
Section Economic Planning Unit Prime Minister's Department,
http://www.epu.jpm.my/bi/publi/Agenda%2021/labaru210302.html
7. Malaysia Environmental Quality Report 2005 (2006), Department of Environment,
Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment Malaysia.
8.

Profile on Sustainable Development: Malaysia,

http://www.un.org/jsummit/html/prep_process/national_reports/ malaysia_natl_assess.pdf

9. Promoting Environmental Stewardship, 9th Malaysian Plan 2006-2010,

http://www.epu.jpm.my/rm9/html/english.htm
10. Promoting Sustainable Living (2002) - A Discussion Paper on Proposals for a Sustainable
Development Strategy for Northern Ireland, Deparment of Environment, Environment
and Heritage Service Desk Top Publishing Unit. www.ehsni.gov.uk.
11. Ramayah S.(2007), Sustainable Living in Malaysia: Living well within the ecological
limits of our limits
http://www.ccmalaysia.org/news/20070616sustainable_living_in_malaysia.htm
12. Rio Declaration on Environment and Development
http://www.environment.gov.au/esd/la21/guide/pubs/appendix4.pdf
13. Suvarna. O (2007), Green Building: The Future of Building, IEM Jurutera, pp 8-10.
14. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_building
15. Yin C.Y. (2007), Green Building, IEM Jurutera, pp 5.
16. 2005 Environmental Sustainability Index: Benchmarking National Environmental
Stewardship, http://www.yale.edu/esi/
17. 9th Malaysian Plan, http://www.epu.jpm.my/rm9/html/english.htm