"Coal is the single greatest threat to civilization and all life on our planet." – James Hansen, NASA's top climate scientist
We are getting stronger tail end of the typhoons when they lay their destructive paths across the Philippines bringing bigger and more intense waves hitting our shores, eroding shorelines, damaging seashore settlements and bringing with it heavier rainfall causing floods and landslips.
Many shorelines on Sabah's western seaboard have changed in form due to heavier waves and stronger sea current pounding the shores.Coral reefs are dying, habit and habitat of marine creatures are a changing due to rising sea temperature.
Where there used to be land are now part of the sea.
The most noticeable adverse reaction of global warming and man's foolhardy actions of fouling up divine creations is the disappearance of most of my family land at Meruntum Bay, just about 12 km from Kota Kinabalu city.
Almost 50 percent of what used to be our land with beautiful stretch of beach and casuarina trees lining the beach have now disappeared under water impacted by global warming and indiscriminate land reclamation of Kota Kinabalu sea front over the years, done with EIA approval.
I suspect the huge reclamation at Sutera Harbour might have altered the sea current causing erosion that seriously damaged proximate shorelines over the years.
Sabah, is no more "Land Below The Wind" as described by Agnes Keith in her book of the same name.The weather pattern has completely changed.When it is supposed to be dry it's wet, when it's supposed to be wet it's dry.
We are getting more freakish weather bringing stronger winds whipping up huge waves pounding our shores, heavier rainfalls causing landslips and flash floods and hotter days during the dry months bringing drought and widespread bush fires are happening more often than not.
The past two weeks Kota Kinabalu and surrounding areas have been pounded daily by heavy rainfalls causing flash flood and landslips.
Climate change, I guess have impacted the changes.Even more disturbing strange things are happening below the sea surface, destroying beautiful coral reefs and changing the habits and habitats of marine creatures.
Just two weeks ago widespread coral bleaching occurred in marine parks throughout Malaysia.Pulau Redang,Pulau Tioman and Pulau Tayar in Peninsula Malaysia was temporarily off-limit to divers and snorkelers.Widespread bleaching was also notice at Sepanggar Bay at Kota Kinabalu in Sabah.
Being a blue water angler for the past 30 years I can't help but noticed changing sea conditions in the areas I am familiar with.We are getting more unpredictable storms coming out of nowhere anytime of the day or night, whipping up waves from zero to almost 3 meters in a matter of hours.I have been caught out by such freakish weather on number of occasions, one with almost tragic consequence.
My fishing trips with friends would take us one to two nights to about 30 to 50 miles offshore. Reason being, both pelagic and sedentary fish are more active at night which give us better and bigger catch.The past three to four years something unusual is happening below the sea surface.There is a complete reversal of the fish eating pattern changing them to be more active during the day and more difficult to find at night.Could global warming be the cause of this strange phenomenon?
Even more disturbing is the dwindling catch and disappearance of certain specie of fish due to over fishing. The waters of Sabah's coast are over fished by fish bombing, fish poisoning, indiscriminate trawling and to lesser extent subsistence fishing and the increasingly popular recreational fishing.
Men are having mortal combat with the environment, killing it slowly but surely, ignoring that we are on an island in the universe surrounded by ocean of emptiness and neighbours without life-supporting environment should we one day need to leave this planet, we really have no where to go.
Sciences have not yet found a formula to take us to the far edges of the universe where life-supporting planets might exist. So, we should make the best and take care of the environment to save this planet from destruction.
Having said all that we again are going to face another environmental disaster that would add to the already highly-strained environment we live in if the Federal government continue to ignore the wishes of Sabahans of not wanting the proposed coal-fired power plant that would smear not only the environment but also the people's health.Worst still, the plant is in close proximity to one of the biggest and most delicate coral reef formation in the region in a highly fragile eco-system.
The Federal government has the option of diverting offshore gas for power generation that is kind to the environment but instead placed more importance to channeling the gas to Bintulu for export instead of giving Sabahans what rightly belong to them to use for clean power generation that is friendly to the people's health and clean to the environment.
For many years and until now the gas have been flared, in layman's term, burned.The moment Sabahans wanted it for power generation it raises eyebrows in the Federal capital suddenly making it commercially viable to pipe the gas all the way to Bintulu but not viable to pipe to KotaKinabalu for power generation to supply electricity to the whole state.If West Malaysians have accepted coal powered stations in their midst without any questions it doesn't mean Sabahans are made from the same mould and should accept such wilful act of the government trying to shove down our throat something we found repulsive and dangerous to our health.We certainly still love,cherish and care about our environment and the clean air that we breath.
We don't want to be like Kuala Lumpur with perpetual blanket of smog hanging over the city and yet the city dweller are happy to drive their cars into the city contributing more pollutants to the already unhealthy air environment. This city has one of the most screwed up public transport system of a modern city in the world, a mass transit, if you can call it one, that do not connect.Three different systems that do not meet on a common interchange.To change system one has to cross roads,streets ,longkang and what not. The city dwellers have been shafted by nothing less than their own government.Inilah "Malaysia Boleh"
Adding chaos to the already dysfunctional system are the worst taxi drivers of the world who cheat passengers at their whims and fancies and the government seems helpless to do anything. Are they really helpless, or they are just apathetic? Who is the minister in charge, should not he be ashamed that for donkey years they have not been able to discipline the crooked taxi drivers?
The diversion above is to show that these are people who pretended to be clever and have proven to be not.They have screwed up aplenty.
These are the same people who admitted being misled by one minister making the whole cabinet looking like a bunch of fools and now allow the pseudo-technocrats in Tenaga to shove crap down Sabahan throats that there is clean coal. Like everything else, there is only clean coal if there is discipline.Knowing Malaysian maintenance culture, who can't even keep their public toilets clean, can you expect them to keep coal clean? Just visit any of our major airports and see how clean and nice smelling the toilets are.The ministers don't know because they all go through VIP rooms.Even if they do know, they probably do not care, after all they are not the one using it.
The story would have been different if there have not been safer and cleaner alternative.We have and we are being deprived of it for reason of greed and couldn't care less attitude of the government.
You can call us stupid, uncultured, anti-development and anti-progress but that's the way we are.
All we asked for is to give us back what rightfully is ours in the first place.
Stop Investing in Coal.
A coal power plant is demolished in Weishan County, China. China plans to invest 265 billion dollars in renewable energy by 2020 to wean itself off polluting coal.
Investments in conventional coal-fired power plants without carbon capture and storage (CCS) have to stop immediately in order to limit global warming below 2°C. Key investment areas for power and heat production should be renewable energies, storage systems, and grid development.(Photo: Reuters)
The EIA that approved the Sutera Harbour reclamation works was responsible for destroying part of my valuable family land which require million of ringgit to restore to its former self had now made me sceptical of any EIA report issued by the government.Investments in conventional coal-fired power plants without carbon capture and storage (CCS) have to stop immediately in order to limit global warming below 2°C. Key investment areas for power and heat production should be renewable energies, storage systems, and grid development.(Photo: Reuters)
I don't believe there is absolutely clean coal technology, it may reduce some CO2 emission into the atmosphere but it can create other problems. The sludge and effluence of dewatering low grade coal has to go somewhere? Where?
Holding ponds? For how long? Read the disaster in the US here.
A home in eastern Tennessee is partially buried in contaminated waste from a coal-fired power plant. View a slideshow of the damage caused by the billion-gallon spill on Dec. 22, 2008. Courtesy: United Mountain Defense
8 comments:
Our PM said coal is best so they are giving the best to the Sabahan. Don't forget there is a business in the transportation of coal. Somebody should benefit from that too.
orang sabah ni sombong..kalau dah tak nak arang takpe tapi kalau tariff elektrik tinggi mereka juga yang bising..
Lagi satu cuba check kecurian elektrik akibat penyambungan haram paling banyak di sabah..
bukan saja pendatang malah orang sabah sendiri yg buat.. ini adalah realiti..
Correct, coal is not the best options, in Manjung, Perak the coal dust can fly over more then 10KM, and sea lavel are high due to reclamation island.
EIA, are they calculate where all the water flow when they do reclamation, no where.....
Anon 5:23pm,
Ini bukan soal keangkuhan. Saya dulu pun lebih cenderung utk menyokong Projek Loji Arang Batu ini krn ia dilihat sbg total solution kpd bekalan letrik di Pantai Timur Sabah.
Tapi setelah dicerahkan dgn pandangan bhw Sabah sbg pengeluar gas asli dan ia boleh menjadi total solution for the whole state (bukan saja di Pantai Timur), nampaknya ada alternatif yg lebih baik drpd Arang Batu.
The 300MW Kimanis Power Plant yg ditunjangi sebhgnnya oleh Petronas adalah bukti bhw Loji Penjana Berasaskan Gas Asli adalah boleh diadakan di Sabah.
HL,
Being the "safe deposit" for the BN, the Sabahans & Sarawakians should be proud to get "shafted" by the BN Federal Government!
Maybe the Sabahans can get the Hundreds of Thousands of Illegal Immigrants to carry sand to help in "reclaiming" the coastal areas?!
Impactful piece, Sir.
loji penjana kuasa arang batu bukan salah satu penyelesaian kepada bekalan kuasa di sabah atas sebab sebab yang bernas.
1. ancaman kepada alam sekitar
2. ancaman kepada industri pelancongan
3. tidak membawa pembangunan
4. ada sumber cara penjana yang lain yang berkesan
mereka yang percaya dan yakin akan arang batu sebagai jalan penyelesaian tidak mengambil kira faktor alam sekitar dan pembangunan sosial yang telus.
perjumpaan deia antara pakarunding UKM telah menunjukkan ketidak tulus mereka dalam kajian impak alam sekitar. apabila disoal oleh panel dari NGO alam sekitar sabah, panel-panel pakarrunding UKM secara angkuh ketawa dan mengeleng kepala mereka dan memperkecilkan dan memperlekehkan persoalan yang ditujukan.
ya, orang sabah mimang sombong, orang sabah memang pandai curi bekalan dan mungkin pendatang asing ini adalah hasil orang sabah sendiri, tetapi orang yang datang membuat kajian lagi angkuh dan menghina rakyat sabah dengan memberi laporan yang tidak telus dan logik. mereka pikir orang sabah tidak pandai dalam segi kajian yang mereka buat dan tidak mampu mencabar mereka akan hal2 berkaitan dengan alam sekitar dan sebagainya.
oleh itu, pengunaan arang batu sepatutnya diharamkan bukan hanya di sabah tetapi di seluruh malaysia dan dunia. suka atau tidak dunia ini hanya satu. alam sekitar hanya satu. jika dimusnahkan, generasi kita akan hidup dalam keadaan yang tidak sihat and sengsara.
Wahai rakan2 sekalian, kenapa perlu timbul kes tuduh menuduh. Org sabah sombong la. Orang itu sombong la...
Bg sy, sebelum komen, periksa btul2 dulu. Biar ada bukti. Jangan pandang dari satu sudut saja. Bg yg cakap org Sabah sombong, kenapa? Ko ada masalah kah dgn org Sabah? Kalo curi letrik, ada masalah kah dgn ko? Fikir la. Projek ni baru sebhgn saja. Kalo tidak silap sy, mesti projek ni ditunjangi oleh kerajaan BN. Tp keuntungan dari projek tu dpt kepada siapa? Sudah byk sumber dan hasil dari Sabah menyumbang kepada Kerajaan persekutuan. Yg maju adalah negeri2 d Semenanjung. Kenapa Sabah masih tergolong antara negeri termiskin? Bg yg prihatin, tolong jawab soalan ini...
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