Concerns
Sustainable Development for Penang
by Tan Sri Razali Ismail
|
Concerns
Sustainable Development for Penang
by Tan Sri Razali Ismail |
Dimensions of sustainability CONVENTIONAL DEVELOPMENT PLANNING has focussed almost exclusively on economic advancement. Since the 1970s, however, increasing attention has been drawn to the inter-relation between environment and development and the concept of sustainable development. The term sustainable development has often been used loosely and taken to mean only environmental protection or sustained economic growth. This is now regarded as too simplistic conceptually and, in practice, cannot lead to sustainable development. It might be worthwhile establishing a common understanding of what we mean by the different dimensions of sustainability. Ecological sustainability is fundamental for sustainable development because the physical and biological resource base of the environment is the underlying basis for any social and economic activity. Ecological sustainability requires the maintenance of the ecological processes that keep the ecosystem in balance; the sustainable use of natural resources and the maintenance of biological diversity. The linkage between ecological sustainability and sustainable development is well acknowledged and is seldom in dispute. It is the other aspects of sustainable development that require clearer enunciation. Economic sustainability is required to provide employment and generate income for the population so that they can meet their needs. However, economic production consumes natural resources and can result in pollution problems. How economic productivity is achieved has a direct impact on sustainability. The income generated from economic growth is often translated into consumption that negatively impacts on the environment, for instance, into a high demand for private cars and an increasingly consumerist culture. Social sustainability would require that the benefits of economic development be shared by all sectors of society - with special attention being paid to vulnerable groups. A severe lack of social sustainability can lead to social instability, which would result in unsustainable development. Cultural sustainability highlights the fact that activities must take account of the cultural context, how people live and the values which guide the patterns of their lives. Sustainable Development The national response to the challenges of sustainable development is reflected in the: Malaysian Development Plans and Sustainable Development National Conservation Strategy National Biodiversity Conservation Policy and Action Plan National Integrated Coastal Zone Management Policy However, to date, Malaysia has yet to prepare a National Agenda 21, as required by the United Nations Agenda 21, of which Malaysia is a signatory. The compliance with Agenda 21 in Malaysia is fragmentary and it has been left to the states to formulate their State Agenda 21 and Local Agenda 21. The national environmental policies have been formulated in the 1970s and gradually updated over the years but there are no clear national sustainable development policies beyond the Malaysia Plans. However, in recent years there have been a number of initiatives at both governmental and non-governmental levels to look into the issues and programmes necessary for the transition to sustainable development. For instance, in collaboration with UNDP, a pilot project on Local Agenda 21 was implemented in Petaling Jaya, Kuantan, Miri and Kerian and the programme is expected to be extended to all the other local authorities. The Federal Town and Country Planning Department, on its part, is in the process of developing sustainable city indicators to be tracked by the municipal councils. In the forestry sector, the formation of the Malaysian Timber Certification Council (MTCC) in 1999 marks an important milestone in ensuring the conservation, management and sustainable utilization of our rich and beautiful rainforests. |
| Sustainable
Development Although Penang has not formulated any official State Agenda 21 or Local Agenda 21, many of the plans, documents and projects in the state can be proxies for or lay the foundation for the State and Local Agenda 21. I have been told that Penang does not suffer from any dearth of studies and plans, which include the structure plans, the strategic plans, and the Penang Environmental Conservation Strategy. These contain a wealth of information and can certainly form the basis for drafting the State Agenda 21. But as we all know, it is usually easier to formulate a plan than to implement it effectively - not necessarily from a lack of will but because of the constraints faced in various spheres. For instance, Penang has limited leeway for development planning due to resource constraints, having to depend on Federal allocations for 80-90% of public sector expenditure. Nonetheless, these limitations can be overcome through harnessing resources from other groups like the private sector and community, and I believe Penang has already initiated many of such synergistic partnerships. Penang has often been cited as one of the model states in Malaysia, boasting economic growth rates and per capita Gross Domestic Product (GDP) above the national average. The emergence of Penang as an industrial hub and the employment generated as a result are certainly essential for economic sustainability. However, the time is ripe to take into greater consideration other aspects of economic development and also perhaps even to re-orientate our thinking towards economic sustainability. As a case in point, the thrust in the PSDP2 ( Second Penang Strategic Development Plan) is worded as economic competitiveness rather than economic sustainability, reflecting the fact that that economic development is still being conceived in the conventional mode. In the past decade or so, there has been mounting critique of using GDP as a gauge of economic well-being. There is a story about a philosopher who saw a man throw a brick through a window and noticed that several people were able to acquire gainful employment because of this act. One was hired to blow the glass for the new window, another to put it into place, and yet another to put grill work up to protect the window. Seeing such amazing beneficial results from this act, the philosopher concluded that it was the moral duty of every person to throw a brick through a window each day. GDP can work the same way; we may be looking at a number of things being produced without considering whether what is produced is beneficial or detrimental. GDP is generally used as a measure of economic welfare even though some of the aspects of production that it measures are undesirable so they are not really measures of social economic welfare. For example, health care costs related to accidents and pollution make economic indicators go up even though people's lives aren't any better. Nor are they measures of sustainable production since they do not take into account depletion of non-renewable resources or the over use of renewables. So GDP goes up, but people in particular and the world in general are not better off. Certain groups have come up with new instruments to measure economic well-being, such as the "Genuine Progress Index", "Gross Community Product" and "Index of Sustainable Economic Welfare" which seek to measure not only economic achievements but also ecological and social performances of a community. Other groups have tried to redefine how national accounts are calculated to take into consideration the effects of resource depletion. However, although there is general agreement among groups active in promoting sustainable development that these measures are desirable, they are not generally accepted and used by the world at large. Also, communities developing their own indicators of sustainability are often thwarted by the lack of data Although the PSDP2 is premised on the principles of sustainable development, the strategies for economic advancement do not appear to take environmental considerations into account sufficiently. It is undeniable that the major causes of environmental problems are economic in nature. Modes of economic activity have impacts in the way natural resources are used, and on changes in the ecosystem. |
| The downside It has been noted that economic prosperity in Penang has had its downside, especially with respect to the environment. For example: § The creation of industrial estates, such as the Perai Industrial Estate and the Bayan Lepas Industrial Estate, has meant the loss of natural habitats. Land reclamation for the extension of the Bayan Lepas Industrial Estate destroyed the Batu Maung mangrove, which was the last remaining mangrove area in the eastern part of Penang Island and was well known to fishermen for its abundance of fish, shell fish and crabs; § The intensification of the tourist and hotel industry, especially in the Batu Ferringhi area has had adverse impact on the water quality of the sea around the beaches. There have been numerous reports of high bacteria counts in certain stretches of the sea and this was mainly due to the organic waste and sewerage discharged into the sea without adequate treatment; § One of the results of rapid economic growth in Penang is the attendant high rate of urbanisation which in turn has been accompanied by various urban problems - among the most visible being traffic congestion. Penang has been experiencing a 10% per annum traffic growth, predominantly from private vehicular traffic. The existing road network is unable to cope with the increasing traffic volumes, leading to frequent traffic jams. One of the environmental impacts associated with slower traffic flow and a large number of vehicles on the road is the increased emission of exhaust gases. Emission from motor vehicles has been identified as the major source of air pollution in Penang; § Economic prosperity has also led to a more consumerist culture. The per capita waste generation, at about 1 kg per day, is approaching that of developed nations. To compound the problem, Penang is running out of landfill sites. Among the steps that can be taken are: § To conduct a review of economic, sectoral and environmental policies, strategies and plans to ensure the progressive integration of environmental and developmental issues; § To strengthen institutional structures to allow the full integration of environmental and developmental issues at all levels of decision-making; § To develop or improve mechanisms to facilitate the involvement of concerned individuals, groups and organizations in decision-making at all levels § To establish procedures to integrate environment and development issues in decision-making. There may also be a need to improve and streamline environmental laws and regulations. In this respect, the present system of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) should be strengthened by expanding its scope to areas such as conservation of resources as well as by making its recommendations binding on the various authorities. Also, EIAs have so far been conducted only at project level, for example, EIAs of a hotel project. This is now considered to be inadequate. Methodologies have been developed to extend such assessments to policies, plans and programmes. As we all know EIAs for major projects are mandatory. Such assessments enable mitigation measures to be formulated and imposed by the Department of the Environment as part of project approval conditions so that negative environmental impacts are reduced and managed to acceptable levels. However, I am pleased to inform you that in the implementation of the Sungai Selangor Phase-3 Project which involves the construction of a 110-metre dam for water supply, the State Government of Selangor has taken the unprecedented step of appointing an independent company to provide environmental services including periodic surveillance and auditing to ensure compliance with the approval conditions by the project implementer. This action taken by the State Government of Selangor is indeed exemplary and demonstrates its commitment to the protection of the environment. It is my belief that the State Government of Penang should also consider such environmental auditing for major projects although this is currently not obligatory in Malaysia. |
| Greening More specific to the context of Penang, there should be plans and policies for "greening" economic activities on a sector by sector basis, be it for industry, agriculture, tourism, construction or any other sector. Guidelines derived from a detailed consideration of environmental and social aspects should be drawn up for the prioritisation of what kinds of investments to encourage and discourage, and what kinds of technology to adopt or reject in various sectors. This also requires an understanding of the environmental and safety analyses and assessments made in the Northern countries on specific industries, products and substances. Those products, industries and projects that have been phased out in Northern countries should not be dumped here. It is undeniable that private firms, especially the large ones, are key decision makers with respect to the use of resources for production and distribution. Although there is increasing environmental awareness among them, the value that all must participate in minimizing pollution to protect the environment and to conserve resources is not as yet firmly implanted in this category of decision-making. In the tourism sector, the trend of converting more hills and beaches should be reconsidered. The carrying capacity of Penang should be taken into consideration. As it is, the self-sufficiency level of the state is low, depending very much on external sources for its food, water and energy. Effective steps need to be taken to conserve and properly use the state's water resources and prevent wastage, pollution and disruption in supplies. Penang is a highly water-stressed state and the current solution of importing water from other states may not be sustainable. Without this resource, the water-intensive electronics industry will grind to a halt - the economic-environmental link is that intimate. However, discussions about such environmental impacts at the macroeconomic level tend to absolve us from feeling responsible as individuals. We often can be totally supportive of environmental conservation programmes while persisting with our consumerist lifestyles. Consumerist culture helps push up the GDP but it is not sustainable from the point of view of resource availability and carrying capacity. Private gratification must not be allowed to take precedence over the collective need to conserve resources and reduce pollution or self-interest be allowed to take precedence over the public good.. In the social realm, Penang has once again performed very creditably - with poverty and unemployment rates below the national average and also showing less income disparity compared to the nation as a whole. The careful attention paid to uplifting the livelihood of vulnerable groups like the poor, the disabled, the elderly and children is also laudable. The inclusion of cultural considerations into development planning is an emerging but fairly new trend. Hence, it is refreshing to find that Penang has already incorporated this element in its strategic plan. In the arena of participation too, Penang appears to have made greater headway than most - both in terms of government initiated processes like the consultative councils and in terms of citizen-led initiatives. Although partnerships between the government and the community is not new to Penang, perhaps the state can make fuller use of communities as greenhouses for incubating more sustainable ways of life. Communities have the capacity to try things that nations would not dare embrace. One of the most powerful initiatives communities can do to promote sustainability is to foster appropriate innovation. Then, once a new idea has proven itself, it can be adopted as common practice. # from a talk SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT OF PENANG: PROGRESS AND PROSPECTS By TAN SRI RAZALI ISMAIL ORGANISED BY: SOCIO-ECONOMIC & ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE (SERI) |
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