By Brian Yip

…lies this thorny undergrowth. The verdant green gives way to brittle earth. It’s glorious and immortal, yet both lie weak to the necessity man takes to survive.

Let’s talk about nature today.

Malaysia and Australia are both megadiverse countries. That means we have a lot of flora and fauna special to us. Australia tops the chart for endemic species - a whopping 600,000 to 700,000 different plants and animals (Kangaroos, Koalas, Jarrah trees) [1][2]. Compared to them, we certainly seem small. Malaysia has an estimated 15,730 types of plants and animals (Leonard’s pipe snake, Hose’s pygmy flying squirrel, Woolly-stalked begonia )[1], but hey! I think Titiwangsa makes up for the numbers with those majestic mountains.

In a perfect world, our communities need not take, take, take! from Mother Earth to sustain ourselves. You know, like the bedtime stories about saving the planet, one small step at a time. It’s what we grew up with, remember? We were given dreams of living together with our wild and woody friends.

That isn’t possible, I’m sorry.

I’m really, really sorry.

We need to create in order to live. The materials ultimately have to come from somewhere. So the great trees fall - all in the name of progress.

Agricultural deforestation isn’t just a simple act of chopping wood for paper and whatnot. No. The naive see a simple split in two - heroic climate warriors valiantly pushing back against the looming corporations that seek to suck and siphon. Taken from the surface, it’s understandable why they feel that way. This article isn’t meant to defend the executives. Or anyone that takes far more for themselves than they should.

But there are little people that derive their livelihoods from this industry. They need it to keep their rice bowl safe.

Broadly speaking, research has proven a positive correlation between industrial and economic development with deforestation as an activity [3]. Normally, that should mean the involvement of a government regulator in making sure the proper policies are made so that things don’t go too far. Yet policies mean politics - and it is far easier to keep the rules of an industry in place rather than making new ones [4].

In other words, deforestation does provide economic chances in a myriad ways. But balancing that with an administrative duty to preserve things for tomorrow…now that is something else.

And I find both Malaysia and Australia to share a connection in this dilemma.

Let me explain.

Malaysia

Palm oil! Or minyak kelapa sawit if you still remember the BM lessons. It’s such a versatile material that you’d probably find it within a minute of entering the supermarket. Let's see, cooking oil, toothpaste, animal feed…[5].

Yeah, it seems to be everywhere.

Malaysia exports a lot of palm oil - about RM 63.5B worth of it, making it the 4th most exported product from our country in 2025 [6]. It’s a very important commodity to us, and the sprawling plantations on both sides of the Federal Highway just proves my point further.

However, it’s not environmentally friendly. Clearing land for oil palm plantations means a whole lot of deforestation. Then, you have the operational constraints. The production of palm oil releases methane and nitrous oxide (greenhouse gases), while natural soil buffers are weakened to the point where it negatively affects the water quality of nearby streams [7][8]. Thus in a bid to primarily prevent deforestation, the European Union (EU) in 2017 voted to ban the use of palm oil in all European biofuels by 2020 - a major blow to one of our major industrial pillars.

The whole episode left a bitter taste in the mouth of Kuala Lumpur and the numerous workers labouring in the plantations. Imagine, thousands of livelihoods shattered with the flick of a pen - and there was no safety net, no consolation! In that crucial moment, the idea of softening the inevitable crash fell to the wayside entirely. [9][10].

The backlash was so immense that the EU eventually decided to delay implementing the ban, with the most recent one in 2025. It’s been almost a decade now, yet there doesn’t seem to have an end in sight [11].

Yes, the ban on palm oil is a net benefit to the environment. It means keeping a sustainable environment that keeps vital industries alive - costs included - without burning the planet to ashes. And make no mistake, I think that it’s a good thing to have. Balance is a better way to manage our resources rather than pushing it away entirely.

But was the execution of this plan really flawless? Is it possible to safeguard things for the people of tomorrow without considering the employment of people today?

Because in the end, it is today’s Malaysians who will usher in the new generation. It will be us that will feed and house our tomorrow. That can only be achieved if we do not have to worry about having enough to pay for the basics.

So tell me. How can such a vital link be broken so carelessly?

Australia

In my eyes, the Australian dilemma could be something Malaysia heads into as it fully claims its status as a highly developed nation. The environmental watchdogs here are certainly more vocal and vigilant towards government policy. It’s something that I respect in this place.

If the problem for Kuala Lumpur is trying to find the balance between climate and finance, then Canberra struggles to maintain that balance.

The Albanese government reached a deal with the Greens to pass the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 in November 2025, with the draft Standard being released in May 2026. It has since come under fire from various environmental groups, who have criticised Canberra’s softening stance on certain environmental objectives for development projects. Critics have noted four major issues within the draft Standard [12][13][14]:

A. The Standard can be met if the right process is followed regardless of the real-world consequences.

B. The Standard only protects “irreplaceable” habitat areas - at the expense of the surrounding corridors that help equally support the same fragile ecosystems.

C. A failure to note the cumulative impact (over numerous, similar projects).

D. A lack of monitoring, evaluation, reporting and improvement apparatus.

Upon initial inspection, this diagnosis doesn’t seem too severe. For a government with sufficient technical expertise and resources, any possible amendments to these flaws is not a heavy task. What it suffers from, however, is the demands made by the Australian mining industry.

Australia sits upon a wealth of mineral resources. Per its own website, Canberra boasts of being a leading producer of bauxite, iron ore, lithium and gold amongst others. These minerals were the most exported product in Australia in 2024 at $224B [15][16]. Notably, the mapping of these mineral deposits roughly overlap with Australian forestries.

As a highly developed nation, Australia’s social and environmental policies are admittedly more robust compared to ours because her strong economy sufficiently caters towards a better quality of life domestically. The base levels of Maslow’s pyramid are fulfilled, which allows the average Australian to focus on self-actualisation on a communal level - here, it’s environmental conservation. So it’s important to realise that Canberra’s burden isn't to kickstart a fledgling industry.

It’s about trying to deal with a golden goose.

What now? Giving more concessions to such a lucrative industry will benefit the public in the long run when the tax dividends are reaped. But what defines "beneficial" to society? Is it a fixed line to surpass or an ever-rising bar to chase?

Australia, I think, will need to decide just how much is too much. Because at some point, the fiscal gains will be overshadowed by social losses within the population.

A Closing Thought

We are both quite alike. Not just by the beauty of our wildlife, but also in how we deal with the economics behind it.

This article isn’t meant to be a comparison between two worlds. As I’ve mentioned, you could imagine our situations to be two separate points on the same graph. In that regard, Malaysia definitely stands to learn from the path and conflict within Canberra’s policymaking. For us, this should be a small glimpse into one of many possible futures.

Are we on a good path? Or a bad one? That is up to you. The trees that shelter us from rain and heat play a huge role in making this world feel so familiar to us. But who will come to this realisation if there is no one left to witness it?

“Time will tell”. That’s how most people end this section. I think it’s more than just that.

Sure, we have to wait and see how things play out - certain decisions are a little out of our reach right now. But at the very least, you’ll need to make your own decision (and hopefully, the right one). Then stand up for it when the time comes, for our own sakes.

Our future doesn’t just depend on prosperity, but on harmony as well.

References:

[1] Purton M. World Environment Day 2024: 17 megadiverse countries [Internet]. World Economic Forum. 2024. Available from: https://www.weforum.org/stories/2024/06/environment-day-biodiversity-world-megadiverse-countries/

[2] Australian flora | Botany | Research Starters | EBSCO Research [Internet]. EBSCO. Available from: https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/botany/australian-flora

[3] Damette O, Delacote P. On the economic factors of deforestation: what can we learn from quantile analysis?. Economic Modelling. 2012 Nov 1;29(6):2427-34.

[4] McCallister M, Krasovskiy A, Platov A, Pietracci B, Golub A, Lubowski R, Leslie G. Forest protection and permanence of reduced emissions. Frontiers in Forests and Global Change. 2022 Aug 29;5:928518.

[5] 8 things to know about palm oil [Internet]. WWF. 2022. Available from: https://www.wwf.org.uk/updates/8-things-know-about-palm-oil

[6] Palm Oil in Malaysia | OEC [Internet]. OEC - The Observatory of Economic Complexity. Available from:https://oec.world/en/profile/bilateral-product/palm-oil/reporter/mys

[7] Yaacob MR. An Investigation of the Malaysian Palm Oil Industry's Environmental Strategies, Stakeholders' Pressure, Environmental Effectiveness and Competitive Advantage (Doctoral dissertation, University of Newcastle).

[8] Meijaard E, Brooks TM, Carlson KM, Slade EM, Garcia-Ulloa J, Gaveau DLA, et al. The environmental impacts of palm oil in context. Nature Plants [Internet]. 2020 Dec 7;6(12):1418–26. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41477-020-00813-w

[9] REPORT on palm oil and deforestation of rainforests [Internet]. www.europarl.europa.eu. Available from: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/A-8-2017-0066_EN.html

[10] Neslen A. MEPs vote to ban the use of palm oil in biofuels. The Guardian [Internet]. 2018 Feb 14; Available from: https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2017/apr/04/palm-oil-biofuels-meps-eu-transport-deforestation-zsl-greenpeace-golden-agri-resources-oxfam​

[11] Reuters Staff. Malaysia palm oil body says EU delay on deforestation rule key to address concerns. Reuters [Internet]. 2025 Sep 25; Available from: https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/climate-energy/malaysia-palm-oil-body-says-eu-delay-deforestation-rule-key-address-concerns-2025-09-25/

[12] Cox L. Federal government accused of watering down proposal to protect Australia’s threatened species and ecosystems. The Guardian [Internet]. 2026 May 2; Available from: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/may/02/federal-government-accused-of-watering-down-proposal-to-protect-australias-threatened-species-and-ecosystems

[13] Four major problems with the draft National Environmental Standard tasked with protecting threatened species | Biodiversity Council Australia [Internet]. Available from: https://biodiversitycouncil.org.au/news/four-major-problems-with-the-draft-national-environmental-standard

[14] Watt, M. Exposure Draft: National Environmental Standard (Matters of National Environmental Significance) 2026. Available from: https://storage.googleapis.com/files-au-climate/climate-au/p/prj3c29ec6704a54d4dd6342/page/Exposure_draft_MNES_standard_legislative_instrument.pdf

[15] Australia G. Australian mineral facts [Internet]. Geoscience Australia. 2026. Available from:https://www.ga.gov.au/education/minerals-energy/australian-mineral-facts

[16] Mineral Products in Australia | The Observatory of Economic Complexity [Internet]. The Observatory of Economic Complexity. 2023. Available from: https://oec.world/en/profile/bilateral-product/mineral-products/reporter/aus