Environmental law encompasses the study of the laws that regulate the impact of human activities on the environment. As we continually seek to protect the earth we live on, the ideal is to find ways of conducting human activity which do not destroy the environment. The study of environmental law is necessarily multi-faceted, more so in Malaysia where environmental law is made more complex as it involves constitutional and administrative law, federal and state laws, common law, subsidiary legislation, policies, guidelines and human rights. It is a dynamic area of the law with changes occurring rapidly.

 

This book comprehensively covers key areas of environmental law in Malaysia. Beginning with an overview of the sources of law, both local and international, the book moves on to survey the very topical concern of climate change before considering the important relationship between the Federal Constitution and the environment. A chapter is specifically devoted towards the prosecution and enforcement of environmental law.

 

The key applicable statute – the Environmental Quality Act 1974 – is given detailed analysis and study to cover its general administration, its regulation of pollution and the conduct of environmental impact assessments. The subjects of waste, forestry and wildlife are carefully discussed as these constitute significant aspects of the environment. Closing the comprehensive coverage of this book is the survey of human rights and the environment, a topic of current focus which has generated landmark cases that have reached the Federal Court.