Environmentalism

" Environmentalism, is a broad philosophy and social movement regarding concerns for environmental conservation and improvement of the environment. Environmentalism and environmental concerns are often represented with the color green. An informal or derogatory label for environmentalists is the term "greenie"."

The past decade of rapid economic growth and industrialization has caused serious environmental challenges in Malaysia. The most prominent at the moment are considered to be air pollution from industrial emissions, solid waste management, ensuring long-term sustainability of the water supply and sewerage services industry and overall improvements of energy efficiency to re-establish a clean Malaysia.

Environmental awareness is building up in Malaysia and with the 9th Malaysia Plan 2006-2010, which is also named after 9MP, our government has placed further emphasis on preventive measures to mitigate and minimise negative environmental effects at source, to intensify conservation efforts and to ensure a sustainable development of both the exhaustible and the renewable energy resources.

Several environmental issues is raised as to build the environmental awareness among all levels of students, especially undergraduates and postgraduates university students. For example, air pollution, resource depletion, overpopulation, ozone depletion, land degradation, global warming, energy conservation, logging, mining and others.

In compliance with the policy of Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, of which the objective is to establish a holistic policy framework to ensure a healthy, clean, safe and productive environment so as to achieve sustainable development. In addition, it is to ensure that the country's interest in global and regional environmental issues is protected. There are 4 primary functions of this ministry:

1	. Plan, formulate and coordinate the implementation of policy, strategy and environment program.
2.	Coordinate the implementation of Multilateral of Environmental Agreements, MEAS.
3.	Monitor the environmental programs and activities.
4.	Enhance and promote the environmental knowledge and encourage public to actively involved in the environmental culture. These are the links, which would enlighten you a better understanding in environmental issue that Malaysia currently is facing: 1.http://rainforests.mongabay.com/20malaysia.htm 2.http://www.mengo.org/ 3.http://kankyo-institute.lit.konan-u.ac.jp/~taniguchi/eng/suzana.pdf In line with the policy as set out in 8th Malaysia Plan, which is adopting an integrated and holistic approach in addresing resource issues to attain sustainable environmental development, University of Malaya Toastmaster Club has urged and shown its support to the Earth Hour 2008 as to switch off the lights. This has apparently shown that, University of Malaya has, indeed, with great passion and enthusiasm, set a role model to all other universities, to be in line with one of the policies set out in 8th Malaysia Plan.