GREEN ARCHITECTURE AND ENGINEERING IN MALAYSIA: IS IT HAPPENING?

Hi everyone. I thought I’d do a short post on some of my scattered thoughts on the climate change situation and how it’s panning out in my home country, Malaysia. Therefore, most of this will be relevant to the current situation there, but even if you’re from another country, it may still be worth a read, as I suspect many of the things, I bring up are relevant in many developing countries across the world.

We now exist in what has been deemed a time of climate crisis. The vast majority of people around the world, Malaysia included, are aware that climate change is real and that we have to do something about it to ensure the survival of our species.

As some of you may already know, I’m about to enter my third year of study in Energy Engineering at UEA. Over my summer break, I have had the opportunity to take up a two-month internship at a local engineering firm back home in Malaysia. During this time, I have had the chance to meet many engineers from different companies, as well as people from the national power company (TNB), and it has been sadly illuminating when it comes to the issue of climate change. It has been heartbreaking to see how little attention this issue is being given in the engineering world here.

Just to name some examples, the energy efficiency of a building is often disregarded completely during the planning phase, with companies arguing that paying consulting specialists on the matter is an unnecessary waste of money. Additionally, the environmental impacts of any construction project are given very little consideration. Sometimes, if an assessment report highlights major negative environmental impacts of a project, the author is told to remove those sections just to get the said project approved quickly.

Needless to say, this is not the case for every project or every engineering firm in Malaysia. I know that there are individuals and companies who are working very hard to address the problem. However, from what I’ve seen the situation is still very dire for the most part.

I know that there is no simple solution to the state of the construction industry here. I know that climate change is barely mentioned in our education syllabus. I know that a project is often awarded to a company not based on the professional and ethical standard of a company, but instead based on other factors such as race and bribery. There are several good regulations that have been put in place by the government over the years, but enforcement at this point in time is very poor.

However, there has to be hope. Those of you that possess the knowledge and the skills, especially in my generation, it is up to us. I have been fortunate enough to be part of a community here in UEA that fully understands the importance of taking action against climate change, and I implore all of you out there to be a part of that discussion/community albeit here at UEA or at your own universities It will be a struggle, yes, but standing up and speaking for what you know is right whether it be in a small or large company, is the only thing that may change things now.

Before, I end, I am also very eager to hear from anyone who has had experiences and/or thoughts related to this post, whether it be similar or different to what I’ve mentioned. Again, starting the discussion is what it’s all really about.

I end this post with a quote by Swedish activist Greta Thunberg:

“We have to acknowledge that the older generations have failed. We are facing a disaster of unspoken sufferings for enormous amounts of people. And now is not the time for speaking politely or focusing on what we can or cannot say. Now is the time to speak clearly.”