The Costs of Coal

Last month, Prime Minister Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad made a call to utilise coal in Sabah to address Malaysia’s energy needs, and Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal followed up by saying that the state will carry out a feasibility study. This plan has caused outrage, especially among the environmental and civil society groups in Sabah, who have previously fought against coal mining and coal-fired power plants in Sabah, fearing irreparable ecological, social, health and climate damage. Joining us to elaborate on why we should all be powering past the use of coal and moving towards renewable energy are Sheelasheena Damian, a Policy Analyst for WWF-Malaysia, Dr. Murallitharan Munisamy, the Medical Director for the National Cancer Society Malaysia and Shaqib Shahril, a member of the Malaysian Youth Delegation (MYD).