Program Kepentingan 3R dalam Kehidupan - SK Sungai Siput Utara

 25 Okt 2023 - Talk on the importance of 3R in our daily lives by Dr. Richard Ng, President of Lions Club of Perak Silver State at SK Sungai Siput Utara

The President of Lions Club of Perak Silver State has been invited by SK Sungai Siput Utara to give a talk to their students as part of tyhe Co-curriculum activities. The talk will touch on Climate Change and its impact on our environment and lives. 

Students will also be taught on how they could play a role in keeping our environment clean and sustainable through 3R - Redues, Reuse and Recycle. They will also be taught on how to make eco-bricks to reduce plastic pollution.

A Bucida tree will be planted after that to mark our presence in the school. This will be our 119th tree planted by our club since 2020.

About the Bucida Tree:

Bucida buceras is a single-trunked tree that will reach 25 feet when mature. It features an upright, rounded crown. A perfect street tree, black olive is resistant to wind, salt, attacks from pests, and its roots are unobtrusive.

It is native to Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, and northern South America. It is commonly found in coastal swamps and wet inland forests in low elevations.

Since its dry wood is termite-resistant, extremely hard and durable, it will be excellent in construction of house posts, fence, scaffolding and bridge timbers. The bark may be used for tanning leather. A popular tree that can be trained as a bonsai specimen.

The Bucida stays full all year round, with fresh green-blue leaves. The Bucida is easy to care for, however does need a lot of water. The soil should be well-drained and should not dry out. If there is not enough water, the plant will drop its leaves.

Ipoh Bandar Ekonomi Donat Perak - satu pandangan

Pandangan daripada Dr. Richard Ng

Presiden, Pertubuhan Prihatin Bandaraya Ipoh (Ipoh City Watch)
Merangkap Pengarah Akademik Loyal Academy – UTMSPACE
Mantan Ahli Majlis, Majlis Bandaraya Ipoh

1.     Apakah penjelasan anda mengenai Model Pembangunan Ekonomi Donat?

 

Model Pembangunan Ekonomi Donat merupakan satu konsep ekonomi yang baru yang diketengahkan oleh Profesor Kate Rayworth, seorang professor ekonomi dari University of Oxford pada tahun 2012 yakni satu konsep ekonomi yang masih muda lagi yang mungkin masih kurang difahami masyarakat mahupun dipihak pelaksana.

Konsep ekonomi donat ini bertujuan untuk menyediakan satu visual rangka kerja pembangunan yang mapan dalam bentuk kuih donat di mana bulatan dalam mewakili keperluan asas sosial manakala bulatan luar mewakili siling ekologi. Menurut Rayworth, Pembangunan ekonomi abad kedua puluh satu perlu mengambil kira pembangunan yang mapan di mana keperluan asas hidup seperti makanan, perumahan, penjagaan kesihatan serta suara politik semua orang tidak diabaikan dalam masa yang sama keperluan ini tidak memberi tekanan dan melangkaui sistem pemeliharaan kesihatan bumi kita seperti cuaca yang stabil, kesuburan tanah dan perlindungan kepada lapisan ozon.

 

Dalam bahasa mudah, ekonomi donat memberi penekanan kepada cabaran pembangunan ekonomi dan kemajuan penduduk supaya berada dalam zon sempadan dalaman keperluan asas sosial dan sempadan luaran keperluan ekologi planet. Di dalam zon inilah kita perlu fikir tentang pertumbuhan Keluaran Negara Kasar (GDP) untuk masyarakat berpendapatan rendah dan sederhana ke

arah pencapaian keperluan asas sosial.

 

Keperluan asas sosial dalam konsep ekonomi donat ini adalah diilhamkan dari Sasaran Pembangunan Pertubuhan Bangsa-bangsa Bersatu atau UN Sustainable Development Goals 2030 yang merangkumi 17 sasaran dan bertujuan untuk mempastikan tiada seorang pun yang tertinggal dan terpinggir dari arus pembangunan. 

 

Antara penanda aras yang dicadangkan untuk keperluan asas sosial dalam ekonomi donat termasuk; Jaminan makanan, Kesihatan, Pendidikan, Pekerjaan dan Pendapatan, Keamanan dan Keadilan, Suara Politik, Kesamarataan Sosial, Kesamarataan Jantina, Perumahan, Jaringan Sosial, Tenaga dan Air.

 

Manakala penanda aras siling ekologi pula merangkumi; Perubahan Cuaca, Keasidan Lautan, Pencemaran Bahan Kimia, Penggunaan bahan baja Nitrogen and Fosforan, Penggunaan Air Tawar tanpa kawalan, Penyalah Gunaan Asal Tanah, Kemusnahan Habitat, Pencemaran Udara, dan Penipisan Lapisan Ozon.

 

Walupun siling ekonologi tiada kaitan dengan keperluan asas sosial namun kesannya amat buruk dan boleh menjejaskan pencapaian sasarannya. Justeru sebarang pembangunan ekonomi perlu memastikan ianya tidak hilang kawalan sehingga “terkeluar” dari bulatan luar sambil memastikan keperluan asas sosial minimum.

 

Kajian empirical ke atas 150 negara terpilih pada tahun 2018 menunjukkan bahawa sehingga hari ini belum ada negara yang berjaya mencapai keperluan asas seperti yang dinyatakan dalam ekonomi donat.

 

Negeri Perak merupakan negeri pertama di Malaysia yang menyahut cabaran pelaksanaan Ekonomi Donat di mana Majlis Bandaraya Ipoh menjadi peneraju pertama dalam kalangan semua Pihak Berkuasa Tempatan.   

 

 

2.     Bagaimana model itu boleh dilaksanakan di negeri Perak khususnya Ipoh?

 

Bagi membolehkan Ekonomi Donat ini dilaksanakan dengan jayanya adalah penting semua pemegang taruh perlu memahami konsep tersebut. Kerajaan Negeri Perak telah mempertanggungjawabkan perkara ini kepada think-tanknya iaitu Institut Darul Ridzuan (IDR) untuk mengkaji pembolehubah atau ‘variable’ yang boleh memacu ke arah pencapaian keperluan asas sosial. Ini perlu kemudian diterjemahkan dalam bentuk penanda aras dan pelan tindakan strategik.

 

Pihak IDR perlu mengenal pasti semua pemegang taruh yang terlibat seperti agensi-agensi pelaksana Kerajaan, pihak swasta, ahli akademik serta NGO yang mempunyai kepakaran tertentu. Ianya kemudian disusuli dengan sesi percambahan minda yang melibatkan semua pemegang taruh ini. Pelan Tindakan Strategik kemudian dibangunkan yang memuatkan semua pembolehubah yang dicadangkan serta sasaran dan penanda arasnya. Ia juga mesti mengenal pasti pihak yang bertanggungjawab sebagai pelaksana.

 

Satu ‘Pilot Project’ melibatkan suatu populasi terpilih kemudian dilaksanakan untuk melihat impaknya serta mencatatkan sebarang kelemahan yang bakal wujud. Program pelaksanaan ini kemudian boleh diubahsuai dengan mengambil kira semua maklumanbalas.

 

Kajian sosio-ekonomi dan demografi perlu dibuat terlebih dahulu sebelum sebarang penanda aras dibuat. Pegawai pelaksana perlu memahami secara mendalam apa-apa keperluan asas bagi sesuatu populasi. Apabila Pelan Tindakan Strategik telah dibangunkan maka Kerajaan Negeri perlu menyediakan semua system sokongan termasuk keperluan infrastruktur dan kewangan.

  

3.     Apakah cabaran pembangunan ekonomi Ipoh dan Perak?

 

Bandar Raya Ipoh yang ditadbir Majlis Bandaraya Ipoh adalah merangkumi keluasan tanah lebih dari 64 ribu hektar tanah dengan 55 peratus merupakan hutan simpanan. Terdapat jurang perbezaan yang besar dari segi GDP penduduk bandar dan kampung. Keperluan asas juga berbeza.

 

Walaupun Ipoh sedang mengalami pembangunan pesat namun ia menghadapi pelbagai cabaran menarik pelabur berbanding dengan Pulau Pinang, Seremban, dan Melaka. Ipoh juga mempunyai banyak bangunan warisan serta bangunan using.

 

Kekurangan peluang pekerjaan telah menyebabkan ramai warganya telah berhijrah keluar dari Ipoh terutamanya ke Singapura, Kuala Lumpur dan Pulau Pinang. Justeru, terdapat aliran keluar mereka yang berkemahiran dan berlayakan tinggi.

 

Ipoh juga telah menjadi tumpuan kepada warga miskin dan gelandangan di mana adalah dianggarkan sebanyak 20 peratus penduduk kini menyumbang kepada kemiskinan bandar. Dalam pada itu Ipoh juga mempunyai isu penuaan di mana adalah dianggarkan sebanyak 10 peratus penduduk telah menjangkaui usia 65 tahun. Isu warga miskin bandar dan penuaan turut meningkatkan keperluan penjagaan kesihatan.

 

Masyarakat Ipoh juga berpecah akibat peninggalan zaman penjajah British yang menempatkan bangsa berbeza di penempatan yang berbeza. Kos perumahan yang semakin meningkat tidak lagi mampu dicapai oleh kebanyakan penduduk tempatan.

 

Tahap kesedaran Masyarakat terhadap Kelestarian Alam Sekitar dan Kebersihan di Ipoh masih rendah. Misalnya pada tahun 2017, Majlis Bandaraya Ipoh melaporkan kadar kitar semula sebanyak 17.5 peratus berbanding dengan 22 peratus kadar kitar semula nasional seperti yang dilaporkan oleh pihak SWCorp.

 

Larangan Penggunaan Plastik Perak pada tahun 2016 juga tidak dapat dilaksanakan sehingga hari ini akibat tekanan dari Persatuan Pengilang Plastik Malaysia. Tahap kebersihan bandar raya Ipoh belum boleh dibanggakan akibat penguatkuasaan yang lemah.

 

Banyak perniagaan terutama dalam sektor pelancongan seperti perhotelan masih belum pulih dari pandemik covid sehingga kini.

 

Semua faktor ini mempengaruhi pelaboran dan seterusnya menjejaskan Pembangunan ekonomi. Ini sudah tentu menjejaskan pencapaian keperluan asas sosial.

 

 

 

 

4.     Apakah kejayaan / contoh terbaik Model Pembangunan Ekonomi Donut yang boleh dirujuk atau diikuti oleh negeri Ipoh & Perak?

 

Satu kejayaan ekonomi donat yang boleh dicontohi adalah seperti yang dilaksanakan di bandar raya Amsterdam pada bulan Apri 2020. Bandar raya ini pada mulanya mempunyai cita-cita yang besar dalam pembangunan hartanahnya demi menyediakan kehidupan berkualiti kepada penduduk.

 

Akan tetapi pihak berkuasa Amsterdam telah mendapati bahawa terdapat 20 peratus dari penduduknya tidak mampu membayar sewa rumah. Manakala 12 peratus daripada 60 ribu pemohon rumah mampu milik berjaya dala permohonan mereka. Untuk menyediakan banyak lagi rumah mampu milik, pihak berkuasa Amsterdam perlu membangunkan tanah mereka dan ini menjejaskan kelestarian alam sekitar dan meningkatkan jejak karban.

 

Dengan konsep ekonomi donat, keseimbangan dapat dicari bagi memenuhi keperluan asas sosial tanpa menjejaskan ekologi planet. Kejayaan Amsterdam telah dicontohi oleh bandar raya lain seperti Copenhagen, Brussels, Dunedin (New Zealand), dan Nanaimo (British Colombia).

 

Justeru, inisitif Kerajaan Perak dan Majlis Bandaraya Ipoh adalah suatu Langkah bijak bagi mempastikan tiada warga Perak amnya dan warga Ipoh khasnya terpinggir dan tersisir dari arus Pembangunan sambil memastikan planet kita sihat.

 

 

 

5.     Apakah catalyst / pemangkin utama Ipoh/Perak utk menjayakan model ekonomi Donut.

 

Kejayaan di Amsterdam telah membuktikan bahawa pelaksaannya mesti melibatkan semua agensi Kerajaan dan pemegang taruh. Ia juga perlu dibuat perancangan yang rapi dengan pelan tindakan strategik yang kemas mengambil kira semua pembolehubah keperluan asas sosial sambil memastikan keperluan ekologi kita.

 

Pelaksanaannya juga perlu tertumpu kepada satu zon tertentu atau populasi pilihan sehingga ianya berjaya. Ia kemudian disusuli dengan suatu model pelaksanaan tempatan yang perlu diubahsuai mengikut populasi.

 

Semua pihak dan pemegang taruh mesti berkomited dalam usaha ini dan memberi tumpuan sepenuhnya tanpa kepentingan peribadi. 

Lions Club of Perak Silver State helps promote No Plastic Bags at SMK Raja Perempuan School

 9 July 2023: 

This morning Lions Club of Perak Silver State led by its President Dr. Richard Ng were invited by Raja Perempuan Secondary School to attend their annual School Cooperative Society programme. It was graced by Ipoh City Council mayor Dato Rumaizi Bin Bahrin, represented by Clr Nurul Huda.

The event was meant to cultivate entrepreneurship skills among students. Also present include RPS Principal, Puan Wiza Rozarin, Perak Cooperative Society officer, Encik Khairul Fazli, Perak Angkasa Chairman, Tuan Hj Mohd Rosli Bin Basri and Mr. Raman, Ipoh Council Health Director, Mr. Raman.

Our club's aim is to help promote the use of reusable bag in order to help stop plastic pollution which is the main contributor of climate change. It was carried out in conjunction with International No Plastic Bags day which falls on May 13 each year.

Environment is one of Lions Clubs core project to help reduce earth temperature. The Paris Agreement signed by 196 countries aims to ensure the earth temperature rise is capped at below 1.5 degrees so that the impact of climate change is reduced.

SMK RPS has won many accolades including Champion in E-waste collection in Perak, Sustainble Green Earth Innovative Project, and International Green Eco School awards.

"Our club is proud and committed to help SMK RPS towards green effort success." said Dr. Richard Ng

Dr. Richard Ng was himself a twice award winner of the "Best in Climate Action" by JCI Malaysia UN SDG in 2018 and 2020

Climate: ‘Dangerous heat’ could afflict billions by 2100

Wednesday, 24 May 2023 8:59 AM MYT

PARIS, May 24 — Current policies to limit global warming will expose more than a fifth of humanity to extreme and potentially life-threatening heat by century’s end, researchers warned Monday.

Earth’s surface temperature is on track to rise 2.7 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels by 2100, pushing more than two billion people — 22 per cent of projected global population — well outside the climate comfort zone that has allowed our species to thrive for millennia, the scientists reported in Nature Sustainability.

The countries with the highest number of people facing deadly heat in this scenario are India (600 million), Nigeria (300 million), Indonesia (100 million), as well as the Philippines and Pakistan (80 million each).

“That’s a profound reshaping of the habitability of the surface of the planet, and could lead potentially to the large-scale reorganisation of where people live,” said lead author Tim Lenton, director of the Global Systems Institute at the University of Exeter. 

Capping global warming at the 2015 Paris climate treaty target of 1.5C would sharply reduce the number of those at risk to less than half-a-billion, some 5 per cent of the 9.5 billion people likely to inhabit the planet six or seven decades from now, according to the findings.

Just under 1.2C of warming to date has already amplified the intensity or duration of heatwaves, droughts and wildfires beyond what could have occurred absent the carbon pollution generated by burning fossil fuels and forests. The last eight years were the hottest on record.

“The costs of global warming are often expressed in financial terms, but our study highlights the phenomenal human cost of failing to tackle the climate emergency,” said Lenton.

“For every 0.1C of warming above present levels, about 140 million more people will be exposed to dangerous heat.”

Profoundly unjust

The threshold for “dangerous heat” used in the new findings is a mean annual temperature (MAT) of 29C.

Across history, human communities have been densest around two distinct MATs — 13C (in temperate zones) and to a lesser extent 27C (in more tropical climes).

Global warming is pushing up the thermostat everywhere, but the risk of tipping into lethal heat is clearly higher in regions already close to the 29C red line.

Sustained high temperatures at or beyond that threshold, studies have shown, are strongly linked to greater mortality, reduced labour productivity and crop yields, along with more conflict and infectious disease.

As recently as 40 years ago, only 12 million people worldwide were exposed to such extremes.

That number has today increased five-fold, and will climb ever more steeply in coming decades, the study found.

The risk is accentuated in regions straddling the equator, where human populations are expanding most rapidly: tropical climes can become deadly even at lower temperatures when high humidity prevents the body from cooling itself through sweating.

Episodes of extreme humid heat have doubled since 1979.

Those most exposed to extreme heat live mostly in poorer countries with the smallest per capita carbon footprints, the authors say.

According to the World Bank, India emits on average about two tonnes of CO2 per person every year and Nigerians about half-a-tonne annually, compared to less than seven tonnes per person in the European Union and 15 in the United States.

Carbon-cutting pledges by governments and companies not yet translated into action would stop the rise in global temperatures at — or even below — 2C, allowing hundreds of millions to avoid catastrophic heat.

But scenarios even worse than the 2.7C world that would result from current policies cannot be excluded either, the authors warn.

If past and continuing emissions trigger the release of natural carbon stores, such as in permafrost, or warm the atmosphere more than anticipated, temperatures could climb nearly four degrees above mid-19th century levels, they said. — AFP

Green Our Earth Save our Future Generations @ Taman Kledang Permai

 13 May 2023

Five Organisations including three Lions Clubs; Lions Club of Perak Silver State, Lions Club of Ipoh Heritage and Lions Club of Ipoh Elite and Pertubuhan Komuniti Kepolisan Bukit Merah and Loyal Academy have come together to participate in a tree planting project in conjunction with World Earth Day 2023.

The tree planting project is part of the Environment Sustainable project to address climate change. It will be held on 13th May 2023 at the padang  of Taman Kledang Permai, in front of Loyal Academy. This is the second such project held here. The last time it was held together with students of Loyal Academy on 4th April 2021 and attended by YDH Dato OBJ Manjung, Dato' Shaharudin Bin Hj Nazari who is also a graduate of UTMSPACE.

Five Bucida and one Ficus Elastica trees will be planted. Guest of honour of this project is Lion Tan Say Cheong of Lions Club of Ipoh Heritage who has just been elected successfully as the second VDG of District 308B2 during the recent Multiple Convention held in Kuala Lumpur.

According to Dr. Richard Ng who is also the President of Lions Club of Perak Silver State, the event was specially held to honour the successful election of Lion Tan Say Cheong as the second VDG. A fellowship is being held at the Loyal Academy to celebrate this success.

The trees bear the serial number 112/05/23 to 117/05/23 and given QR code tagging for future reference as follows:

The itnierary for the event is as follows:

Details of the trees:

1. Ficus Elastica:

According to Wikipedia, Ficus elastica, the rubber fig, rubber bush, rubber tree, rubber plant, or Indian rubber bush, Indian rubber tree, is a species of flowering plant in the family Moraceae, native to eastern parts of South and Southeast Asia. It has become naturalized in Sri Lanka, the West Indies, and the US state of Florida. Despite its common names, it is not used in the commercial production of natural rubber.

It is a large tree in the banyan group of figs, growing to 30–40 m (100–130 ft) – rarely up to 60 m or 195 ft – tall, with a stout trunk up to 2 m (6 ft 7 in) in diameter. The trunk develops aerial and buttressing roots to anchor it in the soil and help support heavy branches.

It has broad shiny oval leaves 10–35 cm (4–14 in) long and 5–15 cm (2–6 in) broad; leaf size is largest on young plants (occasionally to 45 cm or 17+1⁄2 in long), much smaller on old trees (typically 10 cm or 4 in long). The leaves develop inside a sheath at the apical meristem, which grows larger as the new leaf develops. When it is mature, it unfurls and the sheath drops off the plant. Inside the new leaf, another immature leaf is waiting to develop.

2. Bucida

A fast-growing tree that reaches between 10-20 m in height and spread to about 10-15 m wide. Its crown is layered in symmetrical tiers. The simple, unifoliate and variegated leaves are whorled along the stem. Leaves are small, measuring 2-5 cm long and 1 cm wide.
It is mottled grey-green with irregular creamy-white border, young leaves pinkish-red, margins uneven to crenate, produced in whorls at branch tips.

The twigs grow densely in storeys on whorls around the woody trunk.
Its bark is smooth, mottled pale grey, with protruding brownish streaks or spots.
Its deep anchoring roots make it able to endure high winds with little damage. Big matured tree fetch a really good price (RM>1k) in the market

 

 

Plant a Tree Save Our Future Generations In Conjunction with Chinese New Year 2023

Lions Club of Perak Silver State (LCPSS) is organising a tree planting programme at Kinta Heights on19 Jan 2023 in conjunction with Chinese New Year.

Member of Parliament of Ipoh Barat is the Guest of Honour. This will be the 111th tree planted by LCPSS. It is our effort in protecting our future generations to reduce earth temperature and thus reduce impact of climate change.

A Eugenia species has been chose for this occasion. 

Common Name: Eugenia oleina
Botanical Name: Syzygium myrtifolium
Full Grown Height: 6  m
Spacing: 2-5 m