World Environment Day 2015 Message By DAP Secretary-General And MP For Bagan Lim Guan Eng In Kuala Lumpur On 5 Jun 2015.
Putting People’s Safety And Public Health First, Not Profits By Scrapping The Proposed Building Of Two Nuclear-Power Generating Plants In Malaysia.
This morning, a magnitude 5.9 earthquake hit Ranau district in Sabah. Fortunately there were no casualties reported so far, only property and infrastructure damage. Malaysia is no longer a zero earthquake country. This has wide implications for the proposed 2 nuclear-power generating plants by the BN Federal government.
We remember clearly the disaster of the destruction of the nuclear power plant in Fukushima, following the earthquake and tsunami in Japan in 13.3.2011. For Malaysia to continue to build nuclear power plants when they do not have the expertise is foolhardy. But the earthquake in Sabah takes away another argument by BN that a Fukushima like nuclear disaster would not occur in Malaysia because Malaysia is an earthquake-free country.
The WED theme this year is “Seven Billion Dreams. One Planet. Consume with Care.” The well-being of humanity, the environment, and the functioning of the economy, ultimately depends upon the responsible management of the planet’s natural resources. And yet, evidence is building that people are consuming far more natural resources than what the planet can sustainably provide.
According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP),many of the Earth’s ecosystems are nearing critical tipping points of depletion or irreversible change, pushed by high population growth and economic development. By 2050, if current consumption and production patterns remain the same and with a rising population expected to reach 9.6 billion, we will need three planets to sustain our ways of living and consumption.
While many advanced economies are looking into renewable energy, we do not understand the justifications behind the BN Federal government in pressing ahead with building two nuclear-powered generating plants, even though Malaysia has a healthy power reserve margin of more than 30%.
Malaysia should celebrate World Environment Day by putting people and public health first, not profits first by scrapping the proposed two nuclear-power generating plants. In the Economic Transformation Programme’s report in 2010, it is estimated that Malaysia could spend about RM21.3 billion for a 2,000 megawatt (MW) nuclear power plant. If the BN government is seriously focusing on renewable energy and people’s welfare, RM42billion wasted on loans for the 1MDB financial scandal should be spent on the R&D for renewable energy.
A people-centric government that is accountable and transparent would never allow these nuclear projects that harms our future and benefit cronies without considering the long-term environmental costs.
Lim Guan Eng
—–Mandarin —
民主行动党秘书长兼峇眼区国会议员林冠英于2015年6月5日年发表世界环境日宣言：
我国政府应该秉持人民为先，而不是利益至上的原则，取消兴建两座核电厂的计划。
今天早上，沙巴兰瑙西北部发生里氏5.9级地震。幸好目前为止没有伤亡报告，只有财产损失，基础建设也严重受损。马来西亚已经不再是零地震的国家，这对于国阵联邦政府所提议建造的两座核能发电厂将带来深远的影响。
我们还记得2011年3月13日，日本福岛核电厂在地震及海啸后受毁的灾难。马来西亚在没有专才的情况下继续兴建核电厂是鲁莽的。但是，沙巴地震再次反驳了国阵的说法，国阵曾经说过，日本福岛核灾不会发生在马来西亚，因为马来西亚是一个没有地震的国家。
今年世界环境日的主题是”70亿人的梦想：一个星球，关爱型消费”。人类社会、环境和经济的福祉最终取决于对自然资源的负责任管理。但是，相关证据表明人类消耗了远远超过地球可持续提供的自然资源。
联合国环境署指出，随着世界人口数量的不断增长，以及经济的快速发展，地球生态系统已经逼近”临界点”，一旦极限被突破,人类生存环境将面临”不可逆转的变化”。预计到2050年，全球人口数量将增长至96亿，如果不改变目前的消费和生产模式，届时人类将需要3个地球的资源才得以满足生活和消费的需求。
正当许多发达经济体都在放眼可再生能源，我们实在不明白国阵联邦政府还要极力推广兴建两座核能发电厂的理由，尽管我国的储备电量多于30%。
马来西亚应该秉持人民为先，而不是利益至上的态度，庆祝世界环境日，取消兴建两座核电厂的计划。在2010年经济转型计划报告中，马来西亚估计将耗资213亿令吉兴建一座2000兆瓦的核能发电厂。如果国阵政府是认真地要发展可再生能源及为民谋福，他们不会把420亿令吉浪费在一马发展机构丑闻，而是花费在可再生能源的研究及发展。
一个负责任及透明的民本政府绝不会允许朋党通过这些工程谋利，牺牲人民也健康、也忽略长期的环境成本。
林冠英