The water pollution incidents of 2019 and 2020 have shone a spotlight on the inadequacies of the legal framework for environmental crimes. Environmentalists and policy commentators have long-called for an overhaul of the Environmental Quality Act 1974, the cornerstone of Malaysia’s environmental conservation policy. How should the law be updated to take into account the current climate crisis and modern-day environmental problems? Lawyer Kiu Jia Yaw argues for a more holistic and wide-ranging revamp of the law.

Image Credit: ZPL PICTURES / Shutterstock.com