Climate and energy forum: Towards energy efficiency & safe options

Statement by the Organising Team, Climate and energy forum: Towards energy efficiency & safe options

Greetings! CAP, Sahabat Alam Malaysia (Friends of the Earth Malaysia), Friends of the Earth Japan and Third World Network have the pleasure of inviting you to attend a 2 day Climate & Energy Forum with a focus on nuclear energy on the second day of the forum. This forum is co-organised with the Faculty of Law University Malaya and is open to the public with free admission.

Details of the forum are as follows:
Date: 08 & 09 October 2011
Time: 9:00am to 5.30pm
Venue: Dewan Kuliah B (8th October) and Auditorium Tun Mohamad Suffian (9th October), Faculty of Law University Malaya, 60503 Kuala Lumpur.

Introduction
The Government of Malaysia had announced its plan last year to build two 1,000MW nuclear power plants with an operation date set for 2021. The move was met with considerable public outcry and a promise from the Government that the public would be consulted on the issue.

Following the Fukushima nuclear disaster in March this year, many countries have been persuaded to rethink their nuclear energy plans. However, unlike countries like Germany which has resolved that it will drop nuclear energy, Malaysia appears committed to the plan to adopt nuclear power as an energy source of the future.

Objective
A comprehensive public discussion on the country’s energy issue is necessary to highlight the challenges and opportunities available to develop a sustainable energy policy.

The objectives of this 2 day forum are to:
• Know Malaysia’s actual energy needs
• Raise public awareness on the impacts of the various power plants and the dangers of subscribing to nuclear power from other countries;
• Understand the Renewable Energy policy and the Act;
• Explore creative ways in promoting renewable energy;
• Explore strategies in moving forward with a nuclear free Asia Pacific agenda

The first day of the forum will focus on Malaysia’s energy policy and will hear from communities sharing their respective experiences with power plant projects that had affected their livelihoods, health and other rights. There will also be a roundtable discussion on Malaysia’s readiness to accept renewable energy as a solution towards any energy crisis.

The second day of the forum will be dedicated to international issues on nuclear energy. Experts and resource persons from Japan, South Korea and Australia will be present to speak on the Fukushima crisis, the adverse effects of proliferation of nuclear power plants and the socio-environmental problems of uranium mining.

Target Audience
This forum is open to everyone. Tea breaks and lunch will be provided to all participants. Due to the fact that we need to ensure that there is enough food, we would like those who are interested in attending to register their attendance with us.

Registration
We would appreciate early registrations. Please email Shujata [email protected] and [email protected]. Kindly confirm with us on or before 01 October 2011 your attendance to this forum. You may also contact us at 04-8299511 to speak with Shujata or Geetha to confirm your attendance.