VII. ISSUES AND PROBLEMS: SOME POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS

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INTRODUCTION: GOVERNING THE FUTURE

It has been said that for the first time in evolutionary history, humans have achieved a greater measure of influence over the future of their planet than evolution itself. If this is so, we have no alternative but to decide what kind of future we want. One possibility is to continue on the present course of human development. However, a growing world consensus holds that such a course cannot be sustained without triggering catastrophic changes in the natural system of the Earth. A 1992 report by the United States National Academy of Sciences and the Royal Society of London opened with a dire warning: "If current predictions of population growth prove accurate and patterns of human activity on the planet remain unchanged, science and technology may not be able to prevent either irreversible degradation of the environment or continued poverty for much of the world".

In a follow-up to their path-breaking 1972 study, "Limits to growth", Meadows and others (1972) projected 10 different computer generated scenarios for the next century in which different assumptions were made about economic, technological and human development. Most of the scenarios, including those based on current policies and practices, led to ecological collapse. They demonstrated, however, that with rapid adoption of new industrial technologies, slower population growth, and other changes in human values and behaviour, ecological stabilization and global economic needs could be reconciled.

In such a situation, what are the options open to us? Three strategic responses are available to us to counter major environmental threats: (a) technological countermeasures; (b) adaptation; and (c) prevention. Until now, the world has relied heavily on the first strategy of developing technical fixes for such problems as air and water pollution. But it is not certain whether corrective measures can be engineered to deal with disturbances in planetary systems such as atmospheric cycles. An alternative is adaptation to environmental changes; we can seek to adjust society to environmental changes without attempting to counteract or prevent those changes. Under that approach, which is supported by many economists, we could rely on price fluctuations and other warning signals to avoid environmental "overshoot". We could also devise strategies for anticipating problems such as global warming by developing more heat-resistant crop strains, building dikes to prevent coastal flooding or even moving populations to higher elevations. The third approach, prevention, calls for stopping or reversing current activities that are likely to produce adverse ecological changes. That approach is obviously favoured by environmentalists, but it will require far-reaching changes, both in technology and human lifestyles.

Some of the environmental issues, such as the recent haze crisis, could not be resolved within the borders of Malaysia as the issue called for transboundary cooperation. Being an issue that transcended political boundaries, it naturally demanded international cooperation and governance. The challenges that we face are ultimately human and political: meeting basic human needs, limiting population growth, restricting consumption and negotiating mutually beneficial agreements. Those problems can only be resolved over a much longer period of time. The role of political leadership is therefore critical.

This report is intended to serve two purposes, that is, to assess the trends and impacts of environmental problems in Kuala Lumpur, and to suggest policy and technical approaches for addressing the problems. It will require a broader participation of the related parties with vested interests in conserving the environment, be it federal, State or local government, the private sector, statutory bodies, NGOs, citizen groups; in the case of cross-border or global problems, cooperation and collaboration will be necessary with national governments and international agencies.

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