Now For Some Good News

It is obvious that everyone seems to be concentrating on the negatives that are afflicting the country that good news of the country's achievements are overlooked or even goes not acknowledged. Well as featured in Newsweek's July 7, 2008 edition, I am proud to put forward Malaysia's achievement in being in the top 50 best countries in the Environmental Protection Index (EPI), earning herself a green mark in the EPI map. This preeminent ranking of countries' dedication to environmental protection even puts us in the pole position ahead of our regional neighbours, none within the top 50 with Thailand the nearest at position 53. In fact our position at 27 puts us in front of some countries that may surprise with their well known green imagery like Ireland, Brazil, USA, Taiwan and what especially surprises me Australia at 46.

In fact Malaysia earns a special mention that I quote :

Among the best industrial countries were Malaysia, the United Kingdom and all of Eastern Europe (a legacy of the Soviet nuclear program). Among the worst offenders were Japan, South Korea, Brazil, the United States, Italy and Paraguay.

At least we do not have a negative article totally dedicated to our country like our neighbour did. Thus despite what misconception some people may hold against us, we are actually doing alright in protecting our natural environment. This makes me wonder what other good news we are missing in all this fountain of negativity that our people are drinking off. This last comment from the article to me holds true for 'well intentioned decisions for the environment' as it is for the state of our nation. Let not such good intentions destroy the fabric of our society and ultimately our beloved country.

Experiences like the recent biofuels surge, which is driving up food prices, show how treacherous even well-intentioned decisions about the environment can be when they're uninformed. The same holds for consumers, who sometimes think paying somebody to plant a few trees will compensate for flying around the world in airplanes. For such decisions, data are essential. If we're going to avoid squandering our natural resources, the quicker we begin to rely more on facts and less on assumptions, the better.