This article first appeared in The Edge Malaysia Weekly on February 17, 2025 - February 23, 2025

Minister of Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability (NRES) Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad’s new book, Saving the Planet: Climate and Environmental Lessons from Malaysia and Beyond, is an easy read about the young minister’s experience in handling the portfolio the first time and his thoughts on what should be done.

It’s not a hard-hitting analysis of the state of climate change and energy transition in Malaysia, nor a policy wonk’s reading material replete with jargon. Instead, it’s a broad overview on the topics of energy transition, water sustainability, sustainable cities, wildlife conservation and climate justice from the perspective of a cabinet minister in Southeast Asia.

Readers who want to get a good understanding of the latest developments in these topics without being swept into mainstream narratives written by developed countries would find this book very useful.

The minister also makes the topics very accessible to the general public. Amid all the scientific and historical talk, he weaves in his personal experiences and memories.

For instance, he often talks about visiting his grandmother’s house in Kota Bharu, where flooding is commonplace and access to clean water is challenging; and sweating through his school uniform at the prestigious Malay College Kuala Kangsar, as an example of how rules on attire should be suited to the local climate; and visiting an Orang Asli family who lost a member to a tiger attack, as a result of increasingly frequent human-wildlife conflict.

It’s clear that the minister is keen on getting the general audience to find relevance in these topics and understand that taking climate action is not pandering to “Western ideals”, as he says in the book, but that it is a necessity for survival.

“I make no apologies for taking a very personal approach in this introduction. As contradictory as it may sound, it’s not about me. But the only way to understand our societies and what is happening to them is to see yourself in their wider context,” writes Nik Nazmi.

“I hope to show what is at stake for a developing country like Malaysia, what we are doing to meet this challenge, and what the world needs to do if we are to have any future on this planet. In short, I hope to show that there is hope.”

Interestingly, it’s also a good read for those who have “climate anxiety” from consuming all the gloomy news about climate change and the world’s trajectory. After delivering the bleak news about deforestation, threatened wildlife and rising temperatures in cities, for instance, the minister always includes mitigating actions taken and the positive outcomes.

That approach is welcome, but as all Malaysians know, the country is not short of grand road maps and plans. Effective and sustainable implementation, however, is sorely lacking, so readers should continue to follow up on the programmes and initiatives mentioned in the book.

When he was first appointed minister, Nik Nazmi’s portfolio was natural resources, energy and climate change (NRECC).

During that time, he was best known for announcing a significant increase in the electricity surcharge for non-domestic high- and medium-voltage customers. While the hike was substantial, it was widely regarded as a pivotal step towards retargeting subsidies and encouraging the shift to renewable energy.

The minister was also known for passing the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Act (EECA) in parliament, which has been long in the making and hailed as the low-hanging fruit for the energy transition.

One of his last acts as the minister in charge of the water supply was getting state governments to agree on a mechanism to set tariffs for domestic customers, which is part of the bigger agenda to charge water and wastewater tariffs that are closer to the market rate. This is to encourage more conservative water use and promote water recycling.

The reasoning behind these actions was thoroughly explained by the minister and will likely become even more relevant as RON95 petrol subsidies are to be rationalised this year.

On the topic of water, in particular, Nik Nazmi delivers one of his sharper remarks in the book, as he paints a concerning picture of water scarcity due to climate change.

Higher rainfall, flooding and sea level rise, coupled with polluted water sources, will result in a lot of water but, ironically, very little water that can actually be used. Continued deforestation and urbanisation will shrink water catchment areas and deplete sources of clean water.

“In this century, water will shape international relations, where failures in diplomacy can cause conflict,” writes the minister.

Two years ago, the water and energy portfolios were hived off to the new Ministry of Energy Transition and Water Sustainability. The areas that the minister could now focus his energies on include wildlife conservation and environmental pollution, which are also elaborated on in the book’s later chapters.

These are particularly moving vignettes that underscore the importance of this work and the challenging tasks ahead.

“I had been taught in school about rhinos in our forests and leatherback turtles on our beaches. Today, they are gone. The only distant (yet controversial) solace is science: The Borneo Rhino Sanctuary harvested Iman’s (the last Sumatran rhino in Malaysia) egg cells with a plan to one day create an embryo. What has changed for Ilhan, my son? Which wild animals that he grew up knowing will disappear in his lifetime?” writes the minister.

“Clearly, our hubris in thinking that we could tame nature in our thirst for profit has upset the balance of nature, and now nature is fighting back. Climate change aside, pandemics and human-wildlife conflicts are among the examples of nature’s response to mankind for going beyond the planetary boundaries.”

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