The school holidays are around the corner, along with a string of long weekends and public holidays, which means many Malaysians are probably already planning road trips and quick getaways. And with all the recent conversation around fuel subsidy rationalisation and rising travel costs, suddenly that nearby nature escape is sounding a lot more attractive. Luckily, Malaysia is full of ecotourism gems worth discovering, especially during Visit Malaysia Year 2026, so today, we’re taking a road trip around Peninsular Malaysia, exploring nature-based destinations to the north, south, east, and west of Kuala Lumpur, with some help from Andrew Sebastian, CEO of the Ecotourism and Conservation Society of Malaysia (ECOMY).


Image Credit: Shutterstock, Visit Johor 2026

The school holidays are around the corner, along with a string of long weekends and public holidays, which means many Malaysians are probably already planning road trips and quick getaways. And with all the recent conversation around fuel subsidy rationalisation and rising travel costs, suddenly that nearby nature escape is sounding a lot more attractive. Luckily, Malaysia is full of ecotourism gems worth discovering, especially during Visit Malaysia Year 2026, so today, we’re taking a road trip around Peninsular Malaysia, exploring nature-based destinations to the north, south, east, and west of Kuala Lumpur, with some help from Andrew Sebastian, CEO of the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.ecomy.org/">Ecotourism and Conservation Society of Malaysia</a> (ECOMY). Image Credit: Shutterstock, Visit Johor 2026

Climate change, ferocious weather and ‘the haze’ are now part our everyday lives. How are our lifestyles connected to them, and what can we do about it? What does the economy have to do with it? Earth Matters engages with activists and experts to explore our changing relationship with the planet that we only borrow from our children.

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Top Tips for Malaysian Ecotourism Road Trips

Across the Pacific, communities are already living with the realities of the climate crisis. From rising sea levels to stronger storms and threats to food security, many island nations are facing impacts despite contributing only a tiny fraction of global carbon emissions. At the same time, activists and young leaders from the region are continuing to push for climate justice and greater global accountability. We discuss Pacific climate realities with Dylan Kava, a Fijian environmental advocate, political activist, and the Strategic Communications Lead at the Pacific Islands Climate Action Network, who will also be in Malaysia soon for the Rainforest Youth Summit. He shares more about his journey into activism, the climate-related challenges already facing Pacific nations, and why youth voices are becoming increasingly important in shaping climate action.


Image Credit: We Are Young Pacific Leaders Facebook

Across the Pacific, communities are already living with the realities of the climate crisis. From rising sea levels to stronger storms and threats to food security, many island nations are facing impacts despite contributing only a tiny fraction of global carbon emissions. At the same time, activists and young leaders from the region are continuing to push for climate justice and greater global accountability. We discuss Pacific climate realities with Dylan Kava, a Fijian environmental advocate, political activist, and the Strategic Communications Lead at the<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.pican.org/"> Pacific Islands Climate Action Network</a>, who will also be in Malaysia soon for the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.rainforestyouthsummit.com/">Rainforest Youth Summit</a>. He shares more about his journey into activism, the climate-related challenges already facing Pacific nations, and why youth voices are becoming increasingly important in shaping climate action. Image Credit: We Are Young Pacific Leaders Facebook

The Unequal Reality of the Climate Crisis

Urban forests often quietly disappear before people realise what has been lost. But in the case of Bukit Dinding, a growing community of residents and environmental advocates have been working hard to ensure this important green space remains protected. From conservation work and biodiversity documentation to raising awareness about development concerns, Friends of Bukit Dinding has become a strong voice for urban environmental stewardship in Kuala Lumpur. To tell us more, we’re joined by Adrihazim Rashid, President of Friends of Bukit Dinding, and Inci Syafruddin, Vice President of the organisation.

Urban forests often quietly disappear before people realise what has been lost. But in the case of Bukit Dinding, a growing community of residents and environmental advocates have been working hard to ensure this important green space remains protected. From conservation work and biodiversity documentation to raising awareness about development concerns, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://bukitdinding.com/">Friends of Bukit Dinding</a> has become a strong voice for urban environmental stewardship in Kuala Lumpur. To tell us more, we’re joined by Adrihazim Rashid, President of Friends of Bukit Dinding, and Inci Syafruddin, Vice President of the organisation.

Preserving Bukit Dinding’s Urban Forest

For decades, global climate talks have largely focused on reducing emissions. But at a landmark conference in Santa Marta, Colombia, countries, scientists, Indigenous leaders and civil society groups gathered to tackle a much more direct question: how do we actually move the world away from fossil fuels themselves? The First Conference on Transitioning Away from Fossil Fuels, co-hosted by Colombia and the Netherlands, has been described by some observers as a possible turning point in global climate diplomacy, with participating nations calling for clearer roadmaps, fairer financing, and a faster transition away from coal, oil and gas. So what really happened at Santa Marta, what were the big conversations and tensions in the room, and could this mark the beginning of a new phase in global climate action? To help us unpack it all, we’re joined by Nithi Nesadurai, the Director & Regional Coordinator at Climate Action Network Southeast Asia (CANSEA), who attended the conference in person.

For decades, global climate talks have largely focused on reducing emissions. But at a landmark conference in Santa Marta, Colombia, countries, scientists, Indigenous leaders and civil society groups gathered to tackle a much more direct question: how do we actually move the world away from fossil fuels themselves? The <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://transitionawayconference.com/">First Conference on Transitioning Away from Fossil Fuels</a>, co-hosted by Colombia and the Netherlands, has been described by some observers as a possible turning point in global climate diplomacy, with participating nations calling for clearer roadmaps, fairer financing, and a faster transition away from coal, oil and gas. So what really happened at Santa Marta, what were the big conversations and tensions in the room, and could this mark the beginning of a new phase in global climate action? To help us unpack it all, we’re joined by Nithi Nesadurai, the Director &amp; Regional Coordinator at <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://cansea.net/">Climate Action Network Southeast Asia</a> (CANSEA), who attended the conference in person.

Top Tips for Malaysian Ecotourism Road Trips

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