Send letters from your part of the world to the Malaysian Prime Minister letting him know you too are concerned about the coal fired power plant in Sabah, North Borneo, Malaysia.
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Letter to PMOr cut and paste below.
Thanks all.
Green SURF
YAB Datuk Seri Mohd. Najib bin Tun Haji Abdul Razak
Office of The Prime Minister
Main Block, Perdana Putra Building
Federal Government Administrative Centre
62502 Putrajaya,
MALAYSIA
Tel : 603-8888 8000
Fax : 603-8888 3444
Email: najib@1malaysia.com.my
(Date)
A LETTER FROM THE WORLD TO MALAYSIA
Dear Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, Prime Minister of Malaysia,
We applaud your Copenhagen pledge to reduce Malaysia’s carbon emission intensity by up to 40% by 2020 and admire your leadership in establishing the Coral Triangle Initiative to protect 1.6 billion acres of some of the world’s richest marine resources.
Your recent acknowledgment that Malaysia’s current fuel mix for power generation is skewed too much in favor of natural gas and coal and your commitment to exploring alternative energy sources is commendable. Your leadership is setting an example for the rest of the world.
We are therefore shocked by your support for plans to build a 300MW coal-fired power plant in Lahad Datu, on the Malaysian edge of the Sulu-Sulawesi Marine Ecoregion, the apex of the Coral Triangle. As you know, this location is ecologically unique, home to 75% of all known coral species and more than half of the world’s reefs, vulnerable coastal communities, and neighbor to some of Sabah’s most precious ecosystems. Lahad Datu is a gateway to both the Tabin Wildlife Reserve, which serves as an oasis for large numbers of animals (some endangered), and to Danum Valley, largely recognized as one of the world’s most complex ecosystems. The Sabah government has begun the process to nominate neighboring Maliau Basin, one of Borneo’s most pristine and important habitats, as a World Heritage Site.
A coal-fired power plant in this area would be catastrophic for the most vulnerable and precious of our ecosystems, and any new coal plant in Malaysia will undoubtedly undercut your efforts to build a low carbon economy. In every case to date, coal has proven effective at supplying cheap energy, but at the expense of human health and longevity, biodiversity and power diversification. And if this coal-fired power plant is built, we know that more will follow and the once pristine wilderness and coral reefs will be subject to degradation and loss.
Malaysia, with its abundant resources, is in a unique position to spearhead the use of clean energy. You recently asked, “are there alternatives not yet considered, that could firmly establish Malaysia as a global green revolution leader?” The study Meeting energy demand in a developing economy without damaging the environment - a case study in Sabah, Malaysia, from technical, environmental and economic perspectives, conducted by Malaysian scientists at the Tunku Abdul Rahman University and accepted for publication by the journal Energy Policy, found that Sabah’s energy needs may be met with alternative renewable energy options at a competitive price, with less environmental impact, much lower emission of greenhouse gases, and better fuel security for Malaysia. Similarly, the study Clean Energy Options for Sabah presented in March 2010 by some of the world’s leading energy experts gives detailed recommendations on how to meet Sabah’s energy needs without the construction of the coal-fired power plant. It puzzles us as to why these reports and the alternatives they recommend have not been taken seriously. Malaysia could lead the world in a new era of renewable energy development if investors believe that you are serious in your commitment. We worry that your exemplary stance taken at Copenhagen will be seen as ‘hot air’ if the coal-fired power plant is approved, and drive away potential investment. Adding a 300 MW coal-fired power plant in Sabah (carbonizing strongly one state, and one that actually has the resource mix to decarbonize) makes a 40% national cut in carbon emission intensity impossible without cuts in other areas nationally that are simply not seen as possible.
By your pledge we know that Malaysia has a strong intention in solving the climate problem. A firm choice to halt building of coal-fired power plants is a major step towards a solution of the global warming problem. If Malaysia halted construction of this coal-fired power plant it could be a tipping point for the region and the world. There is still time to find that tipping point, but just barely. We hope that you will give these considerations your attention in setting your national policies. You have the potential to influence our joint futures on the planet.
Datuk Seri Najib, we cannot avert our eyes from the basic fossil fuel facts, or the consequences for life on our planet of ignoring these scientific facts. If we continue to build coal-fired power plants, and in ecologically sensitive areas such as Sabah, we will lock in future climate disasters associated with passing climate-tipping points. We must solve the coal problem now.
Though it is the responsibility of all of us to maintain the balance that exists on our planet, you, as Prime Minister, are in the privileged and hugely responsible position of guiding your country’s decisions. As a steward of your country and of this earth, we ask you to decide wisely for our children and for our children’s children.
The opportunity exists now for you to be a champion for Malaysia and for the world - to move forward into a clean energy future. The developing world does not need to repeat the damaging mistakes of the developed world, which now requires immense resources to repair; the developing world can lead the way for the world into the 21st century and beyond, and Malaysia has strong potential to blaze that trail. Tell us what you need to build Malaysia’s clean energy economy and we will stand beside you.
Yours sincerely,
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Photo taken from Malaysia Kini
