From UK graduate to environmental leader: Nithi Nesadurai's journey

SHAH ALAM - Environmental activist Nithi Nesadurai marks four decades of unwavering commitment to environmental causes in 2023.

Nithi, president of the Environmental Protection Society Malaysia (EPSM), said he joined the society as a member in 1983 after returning from the United Kingdom with a degree in Mathematics and Computing.

"I wanted to contribute back to society for the privileges I had experienced in my life by offering my services as a volunteer to a non-governmental organisation.

"After careful thought, I decided I wanted to join the environmental movement and become an environmentalist activist because there was harmony between environmental protection and my values," he told Sinar Daily in an interview recently.

Nithi said he is a vegetarian and does not smoke or drink alcohol.

"Being a vegetarian, abstaining from smoking and alcohol, and adopting sustainable household practices like composting and recycling were natural choices for me.

"I was drawn to the EPSM, especially inspired by its leader at the time, Gurmit Singh," he said.

Nithi said the main environmental issue he is most passionate about is ecological sustainability.

"Living well within the ecological limits of one planet, based on ecological footprint analysis.

"Currently, the global community is consuming the resources of 1.7 planets, which is a serious problem.

"There is an urgent need for those (both countries and individuals) consuming the resources of more than one planet to reduce their consumption," he added.

He's also deeply committed to combatting climate change, a concern he's been actively involved with since the late 1980s.

In 2017, he took a more prominent role, becoming the regional coordinator and later the director of the Climate Action Network Southeast Asia (Cansea).

As a vegan, Nithi also advocates for shifting to plant-based protein from meat-based protein.

"Current livestock production processes globally are unsustainable; they contribute about 15 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions which cause climate change," he said.

Nesadurai champions the power of individual actions in making a positive impact on the environment.

He cited Greta Thunberg as a notable example, highlighting that one's influence isn't limited to personal choices but extends to broader communities like schools, corporations, and cities.

"There are many examples of this worldwide; climate activist Greta Thunberg being one of them. An individual can take actions themselves.

"The individual is also part of a school, university, community, corporation or business, and city. They can address environmental concerns at all these levels and promote solutions," he said.

Reminiscing on the EPSM's past campaigns, he cited the 1997 initiative titled "I Can Make a Difference," which introduced the Local Agenda 21 in Malaysia.

He ended with a call for collaborative action, quoting, “If you want to go fast, go alone, but if you want to go far, go together.”