World Environment Day Message by Lim Guan Eng, Chief Minister of Penang and Chairman of Penang Green Council on 5 June 2016 in KOMTAR:
Making Penang a Cleaner, Green, Safer, Healthier and Happier State.
5th June marks the World Environment Day (WED) every year. This year’s theme for WED is “Go Wild for Life”. WED 2016 is themed on the illegal trade of wildlife, alarming that such trade is pushing species to the brink of extinction. The theme encourages us to take action to help safeguard animals or plants that are threatened.
WED is a platform for action, offering chances to raise awareness and encourage actions to care, nurture, protect, and address environmental issues. Recently, there are questions raised about the concern over the environmental impacts of Penang Transport Master Plan and the accompanying government’s land reclamation projects. The State Government is committed towards making Penang a green state and would never forsake environmental protection. For that reason we have already declared that the reclamation of 3 islands of 4,500 acres would only proceed subject approval of the Detailed Environment Impact Assessment (DEIA). This is further testified when the state government moved a motion in the Penang State Assembly affirming this position. Clearly land reclamation as a last resort to finance the RM 27 billion Penang Transport Master Plan (TMP) to overcome traffic congestion through a five-in-one mode of taxis, buses, LRT/ monorail, water taxis/ ferries and cable car. Without reclamation, there would be no TMP. There would also be no land available for future expansion of the Penang International Airport. Similarly there would also be no land for future residential and industrial usage. As a symbol and reaffirmation of the state government’s transparency and accountability, nearly 50 members have been appointed to the Penang Transport Council that advises a policy and mechanism to implement the TMP. The members include for the first time ever not only NGO critical of the state government but also opposition representatives.
In order to find a balance between protecting the environment and economic development, we need to promote economic opportunity for all, for instance, creating more working opportunities in Penang. “Sustainable prosperity” should be the result of sustainable development that enables all human beings to live with their basic needs met, with their dignity acknowledged, and with abundant opportunity to pursue lives of satisfaction and happiness, all without risk of denying others in the present and the future the ability to do the same. This means not just preventing further degradation of Earth’s systems, but actively restoring those systems to full health. The State Government has always put a high priority on environment, minimising impacts on environment in the planning, implementation and execution of the state development policies. The present state government had never allowed loggings on permanent forest reserves, not a single square inch has been taken.
In response to the issues of sustainable development, Penang Green Council proposes a “Penang Green Agenda” to look into two fundamental elements of sustainability:
1. Ecological Footprint: To create a global comparable indicator to measure Penang’s sustainability
2. Environmental Crisis: Identifying current and future environmental challenges and threats in the coming decades.
The Penang Green Agenda will formulate strategies of adaptation and building resilience of community in Penang to meet future environmental challenges by referring to the 17 Sustainable Development Goals that adopted by the world leaders in September 2015 at a historic United Nations Sustainable Development Summit 2015.
In the initial proposal, some of the key scopes that are related to Penang’s sustainability will be deeply studied; they are climate change, water and food security, sustainable consumption patterns, loss of hills and forests, environmental impacts of land reclamation, green economy, transportation, and urban growth.
Penang does not want to impose water rationing as a solution to the Super El Niño phenomenon that had led to a severe drought and depleting water resources in the state and also in neighbouring Kedah and Perlis. We will find alternative ways to seek new water resources to overcome the water crisis and not take the easy route by implementing water rationing. Therefore, I call on all Penangites to start saving water now so that we do not have to resort to water rationing.
Let’s all 1.6 million Penangites individually be the agent of change to make a difference by making Penang a Cleaner, Green, Safer, Healthier and Happier State.
Lim Guan Eng
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槟州首席部长兼槟州绿色机构主席林冠英于2016年6月5日发表世界环境日献词：
打造一个净、绿、安、康及快乐的槟城！
每一年的6月5日是世界环境日。今年的主题是为生命呐喊（Go Wild For Life）。今年世界环境日以世界各地野生动物非法贸易为主题，意在唤起各国和社会进一步的认识和行动，打击对于濒危物种贸易公约所涉及的保护物种的非法贸易。这个主题鼓励我们采取行动，协助保护受威胁的动物和植物。
世界环境日是一个要人们行动起来的平台，它提供人们机会提高醒觉及鼓励关心、教育、保护及针对环境课题采取行动。最近，很多人关心槟城交通大蓝图及政府的填海计划对环境的影响。州政府立志打造一个绿州，不会轻易放弃环保。因此，我们已经宣布，面积4500英亩的三岛填海计划必须通过详细环境影响评估报告才会进行。州政府在槟州立法议会提出动议可以确认这个立场。很明显地，填海计划是逼不得已的最后选择，这是为需要270亿令吉的槟城交通大蓝图寻找资金，以五合一（德士、巴士、轻快铁/轻轨、水上德士/渡轮及缆车）的方式解决交通拥挤问题。如果不填海，就没有办法推行交通大蓝图，也没法在未来扩建槟城国际机场。同样地，我们也将没有足够的土地供居住及工业用途。为了展现及确立州政府的透明及公信原则，近50名成员已经被委任为槟城交通理事会成员，以提出政策及机制来推行交通大蓝图。其中的成员不只包括对政府具批判性的非政府组织，也包括在野党的代表。
为了找到环保和经济发展的平衡点，我们需要推广经济平等，例如，在槟城创造更多就业机会。“永续繁荣”应该是永续发展的成果，它让全体人类可以满足基本需求，尊严受到重视、拥有大量追求满足感及幸福生活的机会，而且不用牺牲现在及未来人类做相同事物的权利。这不只意味着，我们要尽量阻止地球系统的进一步恶化，也必须活跃地恢复遭破坏的系统至健康水平。州政府一向注重环境，我们在规划、推行及执行各种槟州发展政策方面小心翼翼，尽量减少对环境的影响。目前的州政府从未允许永久森林保留区的伐木活动，一寸也没有被出卖。
在回应永续性发展的课题方面，槟州绿色机构提出建议，通过《槟城绿色议程》，探讨两项永续性的基本议题：
1. 生态足迹（Ecological Footprint）: 建立一项全球性指示来衡量槟城的永续性。
2. 环境危机（Environmental Crisis）: 确认当前及未来环境的挑战及未来数十年面对的威胁。
《槟城绿色议程》最后希望根据世界领袖于2015年9月在历史性的联合国永续发展峰会上采纳的17项永续发展目标，阐明适应环境危机以及保持槟城社区韧性的策略。
在初步的计划中，《槟城绿色议程》小组将会深入探讨一些关系到槟城永续发展的领域，包括气候变化、水源、粮食危机、可持续消费行为、山区森林消失、填土对环境的影响、绿色经济、交通及城市增长。
在超级厄尔尼诺现象导致槟州、吉打及玻璃市发生严重旱灾及水源短缺的当儿，槟城不想走上配水的地步。我们会通过替代方案来寻找新的水源，以克服水源危机，而不是轻易地实行配水。我呼吁全体槟州人民时时刻刻节约用水，以避免配水。
让槟城160万人都成为改变的因子，一起打造一个净、绿、安、康及快乐的槟城！
林冠英