A rare earth processing facility in Gebeng is back in the headlines, following the government’s decision to grant it a 10-year licence renewal. While new conditions have been introduced, civil society groups say longstanding concerns over radioactive waste, transparency, and accountability remain unresolved. At the same time, a separate agreement linking Malaysia’s rare earth supply to a foreign defence department is raising fresh ethical and legal questions. To unpack all of this, we speak to Meenakshi Raman, the President of Sahabat Alam Malaysia.


Image Credit: Shutterstock

A rare earth processing facility in Gebeng is back in the headlines, following the government’s decision to grant it a 10-year licence renewal. While new conditions have been introduced, civil society groups say longstanding concerns over radioactive waste, transparency, and accountability remain unresolved. At the same time, a separate agreement linking Malaysia’s rare earth supply to a foreign defence department is raising fresh ethical and legal questions. To unpack all of this, we speak to Meenakshi Raman, the President of <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://foe-malaysia.org/">Sahabat Alam Malaysia</a>. Image Credit: Shutterstock

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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What’s at Stake in Rare Earth Processing?

For this month's episode of Nature Reads, we speak to Datuk Dr John Payne, the Chief Executive Officer of Bringing Back Our Rare Animals or BORA, who has spent decades working on wildlife conservation across Malaysia, particularly in Sabah. But beyond the field, he is also a prolific author, having written everything from wildlife guides and conservation manuals to deeply reflective works on species loss, restoration, and what we’ve learned along the way. Together with co-host Surin Suksuwan, the co-founder of Sunda Shelves, we explore the books that shaped John's early interest in nature, how his writing has evolved over the years, and what he hopes readers, especially those outside the conservation world, will take away from his work. 

Nature Reads on Earth Matters is a monthly show where we explore the stories behind books that bring us closer to nature and the world around us, done in collaboration with Sunda Shelves, an independent bookstore with a passion for wild places and thoughtful reads.

For this month's episode of Nature Reads, we speak to Datuk Dr John Payne, the Chief Executive Officer of <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.bringingbackourrareanimals.org/">Bringing Back Our Rare Animals</a> or BORA, who has spent decades working on wildlife conservation across Malaysia, particularly in Sabah. But beyond the field, he is also a prolific author, having written everything from wildlife guides and conservation manuals to deeply reflective works on species loss, restoration, and what we’ve learned along the way. Together with co-host Surin Suksuwan, the co-founder of <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://linktr.ee/sundashelves">Sunda Shelves</a>, we explore the books that shaped John's early interest in nature, how his writing has evolved over the years, and what he hopes readers, especially those outside the conservation world, will take away from his work.&nbsp;Nature Reads on Earth Matters is a monthly show where we explore the stories behind books that bring us closer to nature and the world around us, done in collaboration with Sunda Shelves, an independent bookstore with a passion for wild places and thoughtful reads.

Nature Reads: Wildlife, Wisdom, and Writing with John Payne

It’s been a year since the Putra Heights pipeline explosion, a disaster that left hundreds of homes damaged and more than a hundred people injured. While an official investigation by the official Parliamentary Special Select Committee concluded there was no negligence, a new report titled “Putra Heights: One Year On, Unanswered Questions Remain” is raising questions about what may have been overlooked, particularly when it comes to planning, safety standards, and oversight. We explore those findings with the report's co-authors, Hamizah Shamsudeen, a Climate and Energy Campaigner at Greenpeace Malaysia, and Adam Farhan, the Co-Founder and Director at RimbaWatch.



Image Credit: Greenpeace Malaysia

It’s been a year since the Putra Heights pipeline explosion, a disaster that left hundreds of homes damaged and more than a hundred people injured. While an official investigation by the official Parliamentary Special Select Committee concluded there was no negligence, a new report titled “<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.greenpeace.org/malaysia/report/64116/putra-heights-one-year-on/">Putra Heights: One Year On, Unanswered Questions Remain</a>” is raising questions about what may have been overlooked, particularly when it comes to planning, safety standards, and oversight. We explore those findings with the report's co-authors, Hamizah Shamsudeen, a Climate and Energy Campaigner at <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.greenpeace.org/malaysia/">Greenpeace Malaysia</a>, and Adam Farhan, the Co-Founder and Director at RimbaWatch.Image Credit: Greenpeace Malaysia

Putra Heights Pipeline Explosion: What Was Missed

Malaysia is one of the world’s megadiverse countries, and for decades, it has held itself to a global commitment to maintain at least 50 percent forest cover. But as pressure on land continues to grow, and new independent data points to large areas of forest already earmarked for conversion, questions are being raised about whether that promise is still being upheld in practice. Now, a group of six young Malaysians has taken the issue to court, in what is believed to be the country’s first climate-focused lawsuit of its kind, challenging not just environmental policy, but the responsibilities of government to its people. Joining us to unpack what the “Mana Hutan Kami” lawsuit and case is about, and what it could mean going forward, are lawyer Lim Wei Jiet, the legal counsel for the applicants, and Abe Lim, a climate governance advocate and one of the applicants in the case.

Malaysia is one of the world’s megadiverse countries, and for decades, it has held itself to a global commitment to maintain at least 50 percent forest cover. But as pressure on land continues to grow, and new independent data points to large areas of forest already earmarked for conversion, questions are being raised about whether that promise is still being upheld in practice. Now, a group of six young Malaysians has taken the issue to court, in what is believed to be the country’s first climate-focused lawsuit of its kind, challenging not just environmental policy, but the responsibilities of government to its people. Joining us to unpack what the “<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://manahutankami.com/">Mana Hutan Kami</a>” lawsuit and case is about, and what it could mean going forward, are lawyer Lim Wei Jiet, the legal counsel for the applicants, and Abe Lim, a climate governance advocate and one of the applicants in the case.

What’s at Stake in Rare Earth Processing?

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