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.

Earth Matters

What’s at Stake in Rare Earth Processing?

The more successful a tourist island becomes, the more waste it often has to manage. That's one of the central ideas behind a new report titled Pathways Towards Circularity: The Zero Waste Islands Framework, from GAIA Asia Pacific, which argues that many island destinations are trapped in an extractive cycle. Products are imported, consumed, and discarded, while local communities are left to deal with the environmental and financial costs. The report proposes a different path, one built around zero waste principles, local resource management, and community-led solutions, with many solutions for Malaysia too. We discuss this with Ambily Adithyan, Regional Zero Waste Cities Officer with GAIA Asia Pacific, who also shares successful case studies from around the world, where communities significantly reduced waste and improved resource management, and without the use of expensive “fixes” like waste-to-energy incineration projects.


Image Credit: Zero Waste Asia Facebook

The more successful a tourist island becomes, the more waste it often has to manage. That's one of the central ideas behind a new report titled <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.no-burn.org/zero-waste-island-framework-publication-launch/">Pathways Towards Circularity: The Zero Waste Islands Framework</a>, from GAIA Asia Pacific, which argues that many island destinations are trapped in an extractive cycle. Products are imported, consumed, and discarded, while local communities are left to deal with the environmental and financial costs. The report proposes a different path, one built around zero waste principles, local resource management, and community-led solutions, with many solutions for Malaysia too. We discuss this with Ambily Adithyan, Regional Zero Waste Cities Officer with GAIA Asia Pacific, who also shares successful case studies from around the world, where communities significantly reduced waste and improved resource management, and without the use of expensive “fixes” like waste-to-energy incineration projects. Image Credit: Zero Waste Asia Facebook

Why Tourist Islands Are Drowning in Waste & How To Fix It

For July 2026's episode of Nature Reads, we speak to Rahayu Zulkifli, Chief Executive Officer of Marine Conservation and Research Organisation Malaysia (PULIHARA), together with co-host Dylan Jefri Ong, co-founder of Sunda Shelves. We explore the books that sparked Rahayu's love of nature and conservation, before diving into Tigers of Terengganu by A. Locke, a vivid account of a Malaysia where tigers still roamed the forests and people lived much closer to the wild. Along the way, we reflect on what the book reveals about our changing relationship with wildlife and why it continues to resonate today.

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, in collaboration with independent bookstore Sunda Shelves.


Image Credit: Phoenix Books NZ

For July 2026's episode of Nature Reads, we speak to Rahayu Zulkifli, Chief Executive Officer of Marine Conservation and Research Organisation Malaysia (<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://puliharamalaysia.org/">PULIHARA</a>), together with co-host Dylan Jefri Ong, co-founder of <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://linktr.ee/sundashelves">Sunda Shelves</a>. We explore the books that sparked Rahayu's love of nature and conservation, before diving into Tigers of Terengganu by A. Locke, a vivid account of a Malaysia where tigers still roamed the forests and people lived much closer to the wild. Along the way, we reflect on what the book reveals about our changing relationship with wildlife and why it continues to resonate today.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, in collaboration with independent bookstore Sunda Shelves. Image Credit: Phoenix Books NZ

Nature Reads: Remembering a Wilder Malaysia

El Niño is often thought of as a weather phenomenon, bringing hotter and drier conditions to parts of the world. But according to the Association of Water and Energy Research Malaysia, the bigger story may not be the weather itself, but rather how prepared Malaysia is to deal with the pressures that come with it, from water shortages and pollution risks to energy security and the management of critical infrastructure. Joining us to unpack these issues is Piarapakaran Subramaniam, President of the Association of Water and Energy Research Malaysia (AWER), and CEO of the Centre for Water and Energy Sustainability (CWES).


Image Credit: Shutterstock

El Niño is often thought of as a weather phenomenon, bringing hotter and drier conditions to parts of the world. But according to the Association of Water and Energy Research Malaysia, the bigger story may not be the weather itself, but rather how prepared Malaysia is to deal with the pressures that come with it, from water shortages and pollution risks to energy security and the management of critical infrastructure. Joining us to unpack these issues is Piarapakaran Subramaniam, President of the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.awer.org.my/">Association of Water and Energy Research Malaysia</a> (AWER), and CEO of the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://cwes.com.my/">Centre for Water and Energy Sustainability</a> (CWES). Image Credit: Shutterstock

What’s at Stake in Rare Earth Processing?

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