At the 2024 Asia New Economy Summit organised by the World Digital Chamber, leaders shared a vision for sustainable growth, underscoring the power of digital innovation and green practices in shaping Asia’s economic future. Across ASEAN, digital transformation is already unlocking economic opportunities while addressing environmental goals. From financial technology to e-commerce, digital platforms empower businesses and individuals alike.

At this event, I was given the privilege to highlight how platforms are turbo-charging industries, enabling new pathways in fields like real estate and digital commerce.

Digital transformation: The path to inclusivity and sustainability

Digital growth in Southeast Asia is reshaping industries, with digital inclusion and accessibility as top priorities. ASEAN’s initiatives in digital literacy and infrastructure foster broader participation in the digital economy, reaching rural and underserved communities.

In Malaysia, digital platforms in real estate and e-commerce are enabling SMEs and individuals to leverage the digital economy through mobile devices. Companies like Xamble are building an ecosystem of 20,000 influencers driving commerce growth.

However, as reliance on digital platforms grows, so does the need for strong cybersecurity and data governance. ASEAN’s focus on digital trust ensures privacy and security keep pace with innovation, critical for maintaining user confidence and sustaining growth.

Green growth and economic opportunity

Green growth is at the heart of ASEAN’s sustainability strategy, as digital technologies facilitate renewable energy, smart city planning, and eco-friendly infrastructure projects. Platforms are being used to monitor emissions and optimise energy usage, with technologies like AI and IoT enabling real-time environmental tracking and transparent reporting on sustainability metrics.

Also Read: Financial literacy in Southeast Asia is set to match industry growth

ASEAN’s carbon tracking markets, powered by blockchain, exemplify the synergy between digital and green initiatives, providing accountability and environmental responsibility.

The synergy of digital and green initiatives

The convergence of digital and green transformation presents new possibilities for ASEAN. Digital tools streamline environmental tracking, while data analytics and IoT improve energy distribution. Digital transparency helps companies meet environmental targets, allowing ASEAN to balance growth with sustainability and showcase Asia’s leadership in this dual transformation.

Public-private partnerships and policy alignment

Policies and partnerships are pivotal to ASEAN’s strategy. Governments are fostering innovation through incentives and infrastructure, while public-private partnerships mobilise capital for digital and green initiatives, advancing Southeast Asia’s sustainable digital economy. Investment in skill development ensures the workforce is ready for the digital and green opportunities ahead, addressing a critical gap as these sectors expand.

Conclusion: Asia’s promise in leading global transformation

Asia stands on the threshold of a powerful transformation, capable of setting global standards in sustainable digital innovation. By merging digital growth with green initiatives, ASEAN is building an inclusive, resilient, and environmentally conscious economy.

This integrated approach not only strengthens economic resilience but also positions Asia as a leader in the world’s digital and sustainable future. Through bold policies, collaborative partnerships, and continued investment in innovation, Asia’s journey forward is both an inspiration and a model for the rest of the world.

—

Editor’s note: e27 aims to foster thought leadership by publishing views from the community. Share your opinion by submitting an article, video, podcast, or infographic.

Join us on Instagram, Facebook, X, and LinkedIn to stay connected.

Image credit: Canva Pro

The post Embracing the future of digital and green growth in Asia appeared first on e27.

Dear reader,

The decline in Singapore’s venture capital market underscores a global funding winter that has cooled deal-making from Silicon Valley to Singapore. With venture funding plummeting to US$4 billion in 2024’s first nine months, half of 2022’s levels, the numbers paint a stark picture. But these figures alone do not capture the full story.

Global economic headwinds—rising interest rates, inflation, and investor caution—are reshaping the VC landscape. Startups are grappling with elongated fundraising cycles and an intensified emphasis on profitability. For deep tech, characterised by capital-heavy, long-horizon innovation, the retreat in investment feels particularly acute. Yet, amid the gloom, there are reasons for guarded optimism.

Singapore’s dominance in ASEAN deal activity remains unchallenged, accounting for 68% of regional deal value. The government’s proactive approach is commendable: initiatives like the expanded Startup SG Equity scheme and the formation of SG Growth Capital reflect an unwavering commitment to nurturing innovation. Stage One, a one-stop platform for startups, signals a forward-thinking effort to bridge global connections.

Singapore’s strength lies in its adaptability. By doubling down on deep tech and leveraging robust public-private collaboration, it positions itself to weather the funding winter and emerge with renewed vigour. The country’s resilience reinforces its standing as a global startup powerhouse—one eye firmly on the challenges, the other on the future.

Sainul,
Editor.

—

NEWS & VIEWS

Singapore’s VC market cools down in 2024, mirroring global trend
Despite a declining VC market, Singapore leads in ASEAN deal activity, accounting for 58% of deal volume and 68% of deal value in the first nine months of 2024.

Japanese crypto exchange DMM Bitcoin to shut down
This follows a security breach in May, which led to the theft of ~4,503 bitcoins, valued at US$306M at the time; By March 2025, the exchange will transfer its customer accounts and custodial assets to SBI VC Trade, the cryptocurrency division of SBI Group.

Maybank revises up GoTo revenue forecasts
Maybank has raised the firm’s target price to IDR 105 (US$0.0066) from IDR 95 (US$0.006); GoTo’s revenue beat its forecast due to the stronger-than-expected on-demand services (ODS) segment and expansion into the lending business.

Taiwan’s TMYTEK secures US$40M Series B to boost 5G, satellite tech
Amazing Microelectronic Corp. and EZconn Corporation led the round; TMYTEK offers innovative devices, beamforming development kits, and phased arrays with antenna-in-package tech, enabling faster industrial innovation and time-to-market.

UnaBiz secures strategic investment from Sunseap co-founder Frank Phuan
The customised IoT solutions provider claims to have achieved over 10x increase in recurring revenue and added over 5 million new devices to its global 0G Network.

Rakuten to raise US$500M via bond sale
The company intends to issue hybrid perpetual notes, which can be called after five years; Additional details about the bond sale are yet to be disclosed.

Malaysia’s Catcha Digital acquires 51% stake in Nexible Solutions for US$2.56M
This marks Catcha Digital’s expansion into the IT sector, specifically in SaaS and AI solutions; Nexible’s product Outperform is an AI-powered sales automation platform that enables businesses to effectively manage leads and customer relationships.

Employee is suing Apple over monitoring employee personal devices
The suit claims Apple’s policies allow it to monitor workers even when off duty; The employee claims Apple used its policies to harm his employment prospects.

Indian online ID verification firm Signzy confirms security incident
The Bengaluru-based startup, which serves over 600 financial institutions globally — including the four largest Indian banks — was hit by a cyberattack last week.

Elon Musk files for injunction to halt OpenAI’s transition to a for-profit
The motion is the latest salvo in Musk’s legal battle with OpenAI, which, at its core, accuses the company of abandoning its original nonprofit mission to make the fruits of its AI research available to all.

1337 Ventures Partners with GX Bank to lead TeXnovasi Accelerator
This six-month programme invites Malaysian seed-stage startups passionate about developing impactful solutions to address Malaysia’s critical financial challenges.

FEATURES & INTERVIEWS

From lab to fab: Inside Applied Ventures’s stage-agnostic deep tech investments
Applied Ventures’s Global Head Anand Kamannavar speaks about the key focus areas, investment criteria, trends, and expansion.

Super app remains primary driver of AI innovation in Asia’s fintech industry: Money20/20
Prevalent in China, Indonesia, and India, super apps thrive where users expect a single platform to handle multiple aspects of their lives.

Echelon PH 2024: Pavel Fedorov discusses Salmon’s entry into the Philippines
The Echelon Philippines fireside chat delved into Salmon’s approach to bridging the gap between digital solutions and traditional rural banking.

FROM THE ARCHIVES

Why we need to stop glamourising startups with fancy labels and focus on real metrics
If we look closely at these words and all the associated buzz around them, we’d see that something is clearly rotten in the startup world.

How big data in healthcare influences better patient outcomes
By organising and analysing health information, healthcare providers can find ways to significantly improve outcomes for patients and effectively save lives.

Fractional helps startups figure out marketing leadership with its fractional CMO service
Fractional curates the region’s top marketing leaders to work for companies on a fractional or part-time basis.

The art of AI integration: Growing your business with chatbots and human expertise
By learning how to balance AI integration and human touch, businesses will be able to handle complexities and be more customer-focused.

A new insights attitude for SMEs in the era of the ‘insights engine’
Adopting an all-hands-on-deck insights attitude, SMEs can reach new horizons with sails as effective as insights engines.

Will flexitime become the norm in Southeast Asia?
In light of Singapore’s new flexitime guidelines, it’s time to rethink the traditional nine-to-five work model and embrace agile hiring practices.

Conquer the B2B SaaS game: 10 content marketing strategies for startups
Content marketing is a powerful tool for B2B SaaS startups looking to generate leads and establish a strong market presence.

Beyond competition: Harnessing the power of partnerships in business
The philosophy of proactive partnership is integral to our agency and partners’ progress, serving as more than just a strategy but a core business practice.

Malaysia’s digital dilemma: Stuck in the past or embracing the future?
Malaysian businesses can emulate successful strategies from global rivals by integrating martech systems into their operations.

Coded in your DNA: How Singapore can help avert a global data storage crisis
Using DNA to store data could help to avert a looming data storage crisis – and Singapore could play a key role in making this method viable.

Bursting the big data bubble: Why we don’t need more data scientists
Deciding to become data-driven can be a long, difficult process that, once decided, can spur a rush to try to attract data specialists and make scientific inferences before knowing the real problem.

Become a millionaire investor while scaling sustainability impact in the world
Impact startups have increasingly contributed to addressing challenges such as climate change, poverty, gender inequality, and the pandemic.

9 things you never knew about DAOs
Now that DAOs have started creeping into wider company governance conversations, let’s look at what you may not know about DAOs.

The future of recruitment in Web3 era
Web3 can provide an ecosystem where a credential holder can share a zero-knowledge proof presentation without sharing the original credential.

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

Remote hiring in 2024: The pros, cons, and everything in between
The impact of remote hiring in the post-pandemic era: discover why companies are reevaluating their strategies for 2024 and beyond.

Strategies for effectively integrating AI into your organisation
Integrating AI into your organisational strategy demands vision, planning, and adaptability to drive meaningful outcomes.

Bridging generational gaps: Leadership in the evolving tech workforce
Adapting to change and meeting diverse workforce expectations can drive significant short and long-term business benefits.

The post Ecosystem Roundup: Singapore’s VC market cools down in 2024 | Japan’s crypto exchange DMM Bitcoin to shut down appeared first on e27.

KPay Group, a Hong Kong- and Singapore-based financial management and business operations platform, has secured US$55 million in its Series A funding round.

This round was led by Apis Growth Markets Fund III and Apis Global Growth Fund III, managed by Apis Partners, a UK-based ESG and impact-native global private equity asset manager.

Also Read: Money travelling: Insights from Singapore Fintech Festival on travel and finance

The investment will fuel KPay’s expansion plans across key Asian economies, including Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Thailand. The company will also utilise the capital for organic growth and strategic mergers and acquisitions.

This funding round is significant given the current state of fintech funding in Asia Pacific. Fintech funding in the region hit a six-year low in the first half of 2024.

Founded just over three years ago, KPay empowers businesses with technology solutions. Its one-stop platform helps merchants with financial management, business operations, and digital transformation across Asia.

The company says it serves over 45,000 merchants across Hong Kong, Singapore, and Japan and has achieved a 166 per cent revenue compound annual growth rate (CAGR).

Davis Chan, co-founder and CEO of KPay, said: “We are excited to use this funding to not only expand our existing markets’ SME merchant base, but also broaden our reach into new merchant industry categories, merchants of all sizes, and merchants operating in other underserved markets across Asia. This will bring us closer to our ambitious goal of supporting one million merchants over the next five years.”

Also Read: The future of payments in SEA: Regional cooperation remains critical in pushing for progress

Christopher Yu, President and CFO of KPay, added: “Securing this funding gives us financial strength and flexibility to enhance our product innovation, go-to-market speed, customer experience, and operational excellence.”

The post KPay nets US$55M for expansion amid Asia’s fintech slowdown appeared first on e27.

The semiconductor industry in Singapore plays a pivotal role in the global chip supply chain, contributing approximately 7 per cent to the nation’s GDP. Renowned for its robust ecosystem, the industry includes significant investments from global leaders like Applied Materials, GlobalFoundries, and Soitec. Singapore is home to over 60 semiconductor companies, supported by a highly skilled workforce and advanced infrastructure.

Recent developments underline Singapore’s strategic importance. For instance, GlobalFoundries is building a US$4 billion fabrication plant, while Applied Materials is expanding its Singapore footprint with an advanced facility in Tampines, slated to open in 2024. This facility will focus on developing innovative semiconductor technologies, including 3D chip integration, in partnership with local research institutes.

Also Read: SEA’s role in the global semiconductor supply chain is poised to strengthen: GlobalFoundries’s Siah Soh Yun

Similarly, Soitec is enhancing its operations in Singapore to meet the growing demand for energy-efficient chips in sectors such as automotive and mobile communications.

Singapore’s neutral geopolitical stance and efficient logistics system make it an attractive hub for chipmakers looking to diversify their supply chains. Government initiatives, such as tax incentives and R&D support, further bolster the sector’s growth, positioning Singapore as a critical node in addressing global semiconductor demands.

We have compiled a list of top startups that transforms the island nation’s chip industry below:

Silicon Box

Silicon Box aims to bring affordable, high-performance, power-optimised, scalable solutions that enable next-gen large language models (LLM), generative AI, automotive, data centres and mobile computing. The startup enables chiplet architecture, allowing chip designers freedom from the constraints of a single, monolithic chip for processing. By leveraging multiple smaller chips interconnected in a single package, chip designers can create the equivalent of a “system-on-a-chip” (SoC) in a package.
Founding year: 2021
Total funding raised: US$407.6 million
Investors: BRV Capital Management, Event Horizon Capital, Hillhouse Capital Management,
Lam Capital, Maverick Capital, Praesidium Capital, TDK Ventures, UMC Capital, Tata,
Grandfull Convergence Fund, Ally Capital Holdings, and Ignite Innovation.

Divergent Technologies

Divergent Technologies provides turn-key operation, technology consultation, equipment trading, design and services to the worldwide semiconductor industries. It distributes MPI Corporation’s Advance Semiconductor Test System probing solutions for South Asia Pacific, Korea and China.
Founding year: 2024
Total funding raised: US$330 million
Investor: Hexagon.

Zero-Error Systems (ZES)

ZES develops space-grade IC solutions. The company offers QML-qualified, gain flight legacy, and is radiation-hardened for deep space. It also provides autonomous vehicle products. It provides various pending patents regarding the development of IC solutions for autonomous vehicles.
Founding year: 2019
Total funding raised: US$9.35 million
Investor: Airbus Ventures, Dart Family Office, Nanyang Technological University, Seeds Capital,
Silicon Solution Partners, and SEEDS Capital.

Endofotonics

Endophotonics is a medical device company that has developed an endoscopic system based on Raman Spectroscopy. The integrated molecular diagnostic system (IMDX) consists of a Raman Spectroscope, a proprietary specially designed fibre-optic confocal Raman endoscopic probe that comprises a central light delivery fibre for laser light delivery and collection fibres for in vivo tissue Raman signal collection of tissue spectra and can be inserted into the instrument channel of conventional endoscopes and a proprietary control software that enables epithelial molecular information to be extracted and analysed in real-time.
Founding year: 2014
Total funding raised: US$8.5 million
Investors: ZIG Ventures and SEEDS Capital.

Atomionics

It provides Quantum sensors for environmental sensing applications. The company’s product is a gravimeter named “Gravio” which senses the underground infrastructure for land, sea, etc. It can be attached to vehicles for surveying lands, etc. The product is said to provide navigation assistance where GPS doesnt work.
Founding year: 2018
Total funding raised: US$1863640
Investors: Paspalis, Wavemaker Partners, SGInnovate, Cap Vista, Entrepreneur First, 500 Durians, and RISE.

Also Read: Driving semiconductor innovation: AMD’s vision for AI and sustainability in Singapore

Nanolumi

Nanolumi is an advanced materials company that provides optical materials and optical material platforms for challenging but diverse applications. It uses a host of proprietary nano- and molecular technologies.
Founding year: 2018
Total funding raised: US$1 million
Investor: NUS Enterprise

Microtube Technologies

Impact Sensors is a manufacturer of impact sensors. The firm develops stretchable microfiber sensing elements that can be embedded in wearable items. These elements have applications in fitness, healthcare, augmented and virtual reality, and metaverse.
Founding year: 2018
Total funding raised: US$809,800
Investor: Greenwillow Capital Management

Attonics Systems

Attonics Systems, a spinoff from the National University of Singapore, has developed miniature, ultra-fast spectrometers that can be used in areas such as medical diagnostics, environmental screening, and defense and security.
Founding year: 2015
Total funding raised: US$700,000
Investors: SEEDS Capital, Apsara Capital, Moveon, Wavemaker Partners, and Venturecraft.

GridComm

It provides power line communication solutions. These solutions transform meters, streetlights, homes, industrial buildings, and other appliances into energy-aware smart devices that react to grid conditions. Additionally, it offers street lighting solutions, light management software, and components.
Founding year: 2012
Total funding raised: US$555291
Investors: Get2Volume, LCR Hallcrest, Unreasonable Capital, Ontrack Advisory, Miniata Management, Futurity, TYLT Ventures, Tornado Sprayers, and Bismarck.

Plunify

Pulnify is a platform that focuses on the FPGA design flow of the semiconductor chip design industry. It uses big data and machine learning to manage the design of FPGA flows. Plunify’s products include the EDAxtend platform, a cloud platform that integrates chip design flows, and Intime, software that solves FPGA design problems through machine learning without the need to modify source code.
Founding year: 2009
Total funding raised: US$478,970
Investors: Kumpulan Modal Perdana, Lanza techVentures, Get2Volume, and Solidum Solutions.

Also Read: From keypads to chips: How Polymatech advances semiconductors with sustainability at the core

Nanoveu

Nanoveu provides 3D Displays and screen solutions based on nanofilms. Its technology is based on thin film-based nanostructures that shape our vision when viewed through high-resolution smart devices. Its screen protector can transform any mobile device into a portable 3D screen.
Founding year: 2012
Total funding raised: Undisclosed
Investors: Bergen Asset Management and GIG

WaveScan Technologies

WaveScan provides cloud and AI-enabled sensors for structural health monitoring of infrastructures. It offers a suite of NDT sensors mounted on drones for autonomous inspection of buildings and infrastructure facilities to detect cracks, corrosion in pipelines, pests, rodents behind walls, and wiring defects, among other things. The firm also performs AI-enabled analytics and generates inspection reports with defect type and location.
Founding year: 2018
Total funding raised: Undisclosed
Investors: Silicon Solution Partners, Enterprise Singapore, She1K, Plug and Play Tech Center, Leave a Nest, Plug and Play APAC, and SEEDS Capital.

LightSpeed Photonics

The firm manufactures optoelectronic systems, designing and developing modular processors and interconnects for data centres and near-edge computers.
Founding year: 2021
Total funding raised: Undisclosed
Investors: YourNest, GrowX Ventures, Entrepreneur First, Luminate, Enterprise Singapore, and 8X Ventures.

Core Semiconductor

Core Semiconductor provides IPs for SoCs and ASICs for IoT applications. Backed by the security of the QTUM blockchain, it has developed an open-source hardware platform that provides access to necessary tools for developing IoT applications. The firm has created J-Core, an Open-Architecture CPU core, which serves as a foundation stone for its SoC platform.
Founding year: 2018
Total funding raised: Undisclosed
Investors: SpaceChain

Silicon Cloud International

Silicon Cloud International provides secure cloud computing solutions for semiconductor design and collaboration. It also provides a cloud-based scalable computing environment for universities and research institutes.
Founding year: 2013
Total funding raised: Undisclosed
Investors: SPRING Singapore, Get2Volume, Singtel, CyLon, and TYLT Ventures.

MEMSing

It is the provider of IoT-based pipeline monitoring systems. The firm offers underwater acoustic sensing modules for water and oil pipeline leak detection. It also offers technologies for data processing, analysis, security, and communication for low-power wide-area networks.
Founding year: 2018
Total funding raised: Undisclosed
Investors: Accelerate Technology, JCS Venture Lab, and Transfong Ventures.

Niyam

Niyam AI is a cutting-edge technology company that provides AI-powered hardware design validation solutions for the electronics manufacturing industry. Its platform offers real-time design validation, risk assessment, and netlist and Gerber simulations to streamline the design process. This enables manufacturers to reduce development cycles and costs and fix supply chain issues more efficiently.
Founding year: 2024
Total funding raised: Undisclosed
Investor: Iterative.

FlexoSense

FlexoSense provides a flexible sensor that can be customized into different forms for industrial applications. It claims that the sensors have the ability to be customized for measuring dynamic pressures & strain with adjustable range, precision, accuracy, and resolution. It can be used as an enabler in sensing for healthcare devices, robotics, and consumer electronics.
Founding year: 2016
Total funding raised: Undisclosed
Investors: PIER71 and Modern Aging.

Also Read: From lab to fab: Inside Applied Ventures’s stage-agnostic deep tech investments

Cloptech

Cloptech develops a 60GHz multi-gigabit wireless solution designed based on IEEE 802.11ad WiFi standard and WirelessGigabit Alliance MAC/PHY specification. It has up to 4.2 Gbps peak data rate and enables uncompressed HD video streaming. The firm supports 802.11ad IP networking. It has collaboration with Singapore Government Research Agency A*STAR for R&D and partners with industry players to develop customised solutions.
Founding year: 2015
Total funding raised: Undisclosed
Investors: NTUitive, Silicon Catalyst, Accton Technology Corporation, Seeds Capital, IncuVest, and PlanetSpark.

Hertzwell

Hertzwell offers hyper-resolution radar for self-driving cars. The company claims to be developing a low-powered radar system that can track machine movements and even human gestures to millimetre-scale precision. It also offers solutions for industrial robots and VR/AR technologies.
Founding year: 2017
Total funding raised: Undisclosed
Investors: Entrepreneur First and Vertex Ventures.

EnvironSens

EnvironSens provides connected water quality monitoring systems. It develops a biosensor-based water toxicity monitoring technology. The startup has developed a proprietary solution based on microbial electrochemical sensor technologies, which can continuously detect the illegal or accidental discharge of heavy metals into trade effluent wastewater, which is liquid waste discharged from business or industrial processes, water bodies, and sewer networks in real-time. It collects and analyses toxic samples and the data is transmitted in real-time via a telecommunications system. Upon detection of heavy metals in the water, SMS alerts are sent to relevant personnel, to ensure immediate action to minimise downstream pollution.
Founding year: 2018
Total funding raised: Undisclosed
Investors: Imagine H2O, NUS Enterprise, JCS Venture Lab, and PIER71.

—
Image Credit: 123RF.

The post Singapore’s semiconductor stars: A look at key players and startups appeared first on e27.

All across the globe, it seems that no one is breathing easy. In fact, the World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that 99 per cent of the global population breathes air that contains high levels of pollutants. With polluted air leading to increased health risks and even deaths, becoming the second leading cause of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) globally after tobacco, it’s imperative that everyone must play a part in literally clearing the air.

Malaysia in particular is a country that has battled air pollution for a long time, and while we’ve come a long way from it being enough of a problem to prompt a state of emergency declaration — back in 2005 when our Air Pollution Index (API) exceeded 500 — we still have a long way to go, as our API readings still aren’t particularly healthy.

In addition, our recent monsoon season has seen a lot of trees not only being naturally uprooted, but also cut down for safety purposes. While that removes risk in one way, the lack of greenery in both agricultural and urban areas also contributes to increased air pollution as a whole due to the uptick in carbon dioxide emissions.

So what are the main causes of air pollution in Malaysia? How can we not only fight it at its source but also make moves to breathe clean air in our own homes?

The hazy origins of air pollution

There are three main causes of air pollution in Malaysia. Firstly, forest and peatland fires are a major contributor to hazy weather, with 22,000 open burning incidents reported in 2021 alone; the agricultural sector, peatlands, and both legal and illegal landfills are all listed as primary hotspots for open burning between 2020 and 2023.

Next, our commutes have a massive impact on air quality. Malaysia’s urban areas have consistently recorded the highest levels of air pollution compared to non-urban areas, which has inevitably been impacted by the growing number of vehicles on our nation’s roads leading to a massively increased output of exhaust gas.

Also Read: Smarter Cities will help, but not solve, global pollution crisis

Furthermore, air pollution is also caused by industrial activities, with pollutant emissions coming heavily from the energy, waste, and industrial processing sectors burning fossil fuels in mass quantities, which include coal, natural gas and oil.

With these massive sources of air pollution, what can Malaysians do to combat this issue on both a micro and macro level?

A variety of pollution solutions

Knowing all this, it’s clear that Malaysians need to take targeted actions at multiple levels. Firstly, to address haze caused by open burning, increased monitoring through satellite technology and patrols could help detect and control fires swiftly; and while strict enforcement and penalties for illegal burning could serve as strong deterrents, providing farmers with alternatives — like composting and crop rotation — is also crucial to reduce their need for open burning.

Meanwhile, the increase in vehicle emissions could be managed by investing in public transport systems that are reliable, affordable, and convenient, as well as promoting carpooling initiatives and developing pedestrian-friendly walkways. Of course, there’s also the need to create better infrastructure to better accommodate both electric vehicles (EVs) and hybrids, making those more environmentally-friendly options more accessible.

Also Read: Is Singapore ready for the EV revolution?

Looking at industrial emissions, enforcing strict emission standards that are backed by regular inspections and fines would hopefully hold industries accountable for their environmental impact.

Additionally, with the upcoming Budget 2025 predicted to be greener overall, ideally there can be governmental funds dedicated to streamlining and speeding up the adoption of more energy-efficient technologies and implementing energy management systems, which not only reduce air pollution but can also cut operational costs.

At the individual level, Malaysians can contribute by reducing, reusing, and recycling waste, which helps lower landfill use and reduces the need for burning. For indoor air, installing air purifiers would also contribute to healthier breathing in general, with multiple levels of filtration that accounts for all manner of allergens, pathogens, and other harmful particles.

All in all, by combining policy changes, sustainable practices, and personal responsibility, Malaysians can work towards cleaner air, healthier living, and a more sustainable future for everyone.

—

Editor’s note: e27 aims to foster thought leadership by publishing views from the community. Share your opinion by submitting an article, video, podcast, or infographic.

Join us on Instagram, Facebook, X, and LinkedIn to stay connected.

Image credit: Canva Pro

The post Clearing the air on Malaysia’s air pollution appeared first on e27.