The role of environmental impact assessment in addressing marine environmental issues arising from oil and gas activities: Examples from Malaysia
Malaysia being a maritime nation is well endowed with valuable resources found within her marine waters, notably that of oil and gas. These conventional sources of energy, which are being actively exploited, contribute significantly to the nation’s economic growth and industrialization. However, i...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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IACSIT Press
2011
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| Online Access: | http://irep.iium.edu.my/24826/ http://irep.iium.edu.my/24826/ http://irep.iium.edu.my/24826/1/maizatun.pdf |
| Summary: | Malaysia being a maritime nation is well endowed with valuable resources found within her
marine waters, notably that of oil and gas. These conventional sources of energy, which are being actively
exploited, contribute significantly to the nation’s economic growth and industrialization. However, in the
context of marine protection, oil and gas activities have the potential for a variety of adverse environmental
impacts. As a developing country, the challenge here is how to balance the conflicting needs for economic
development and environmental protection. Resolving this issue means finding a strategy that can take into
consideration the importance of both needs. For this reason, Malaysia adopts a strategy known as the
environmental impact assessment (EIA) enforced as a mandatory legislative requirement on selected
activities including that of oil and gas. This paper seeks to explore the role of EIA in addressing the marine
impacts from oil and gas activities. This paper argues a strong case for the application of EIA in a developing
country like Malaysia as a preventive approach against environmental impact with the aim of striking a
balance between development and the conservation of the environment. |
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