INDIVIDUAL WRITTEN ASSIGNMENT (MGT 3533) (NUR SYAFIQAH BT JASMANI) (MDB 19-10-002)

KOLEJ PROFESSIONAL MARA AYER MOLEK

MGT 3533
BUSINESS ETHICS
SEMESTER (SESSION 2/ 2021)

ASSIGNMENT 1: INDIVIDUAL WRITTEN ASSIGNMENT
ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES - ARTICLE REVIEWS
(AIR POLLUTION/HAZE)

NAME PREPARED BY:
CLASS NUR SYAFIQAH BINTI JASMANI
STUDENT ID DBS 6A
MDB 19-10-002

PREPARED TO:
PN. AMALINA BINTI MOHAMAD NOR

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

NO CONTENT PAGES
3
1. Introduction 4-5
2. Summary of the article 6-8
9-10
3. Possible responses for solving the issue 11
12
4. Ethical theories 13-14

5. Conclusion

6. Bibliography

7. Appendixes

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INTRODUCTION

Air pollution is arguably among the pollutants that have the greatest impact on the
environment. Due to air pollution, there is a global warming phenomenon, that results
in natural disasters that threaten our earth. This air pollution has become a global
focus to address and take control measures so that the level of pollution can be
controlled. Developed countries such as China, which focus on manufacturing
industries, directly affect air quality in those countries. The issue of air pollution
emphasized by the World Health Organization (WHO), which has taken various
measures to address this problem.
Air pollution can be classified into two parts namely primary pollution and secondary
pollution. Primary pollution refers to pollution produced by sulphur monoxide and
carbon monoxide as a result, incomplete combustion that causes fine particles to be
suspended in the air. Most of this pollution released through vehicle exhaust, industry
that emits smoke or pollutants and uncontrolled burning of coal, while secondary
pollution is the reaction of sulphur dioxide that combines and forms with gases that
are not needed by living things such as sulphur combination dioxide, sulphur monoxide
and water vapour will produce sulphuric acid.

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A) SUMMARY OF THE ARTICLE: THE SOUTH EAST ASIAN HAZE

The haze pollution that is plaguing Malaysia and some Southeast Asian countries in
2015 to the point of affecting daily life and learning activities is not something new.
In fact, the haze in 1997 caused Malaysia to declare a state of emergency, while the
haze that hit in 2015 said to be the worst in the country’s history. According to the
Wikipedia of The Southeast Asian haze, fires were caused by firms and farmers
engaged in the practice of chopping and burning as a relatively inexpensive way to
clear the soil of unwanted vegetation and peat.

On September 4, 2015, the Indonesian National Disaster Management Board stated
that six Indonesian provinces had declared a state of emergency due to haze. These
are Riau, Jambi, South Sumatra, West Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan and South
Kalimantan. On September 14, a state of emergency again declared in Riau, this time
by the Indonesian government. Thousands of residents in Pekan Baru, Riau city, fled
to nearby towns in Medan and Padang. On October 24, the Pollution Standard Index
(PSI) reached a record level of 3300, recorded in the province of Central Kalimantan.
More than 28 million people in Indonesia alone affected by the crisis, and more than
140,000 reported to have respiratory illnesses.

Sumatra and Kalimantan have large areas of peat soil, which is highly flammable
during the dry season. Peat, which consists of layers of dead plants and other organic
matter, contributes greatly to carbon emissions due to the high density and carbon
content of this material. The haze was particularly severe in 2015 as the El Nino
phenomenon, which caused drier conditions, caused the fire to spread further. At
least, six of the ten countries in the ASEAN region affected by the haze. The country
affected are southern Thailand, Vietnam, and most places in Brunei, Indonesia,
Malaysia, and Singapore. The haze affecting Cambodia and Cebu in the Philippines
also suspected to have arisen from Indonesia rather than local sources.

Research published in the Environmental Research Letter states that 59% of fire
emissions in Sumatra and 73% in Kalimantan come from "outside timber and palm oil
concessions". Environmental rights activists say palm oil activities are still involved in
burning. First, land clearing by burning is cheap and more often chosen by companies

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than any other method of land exploration. Second, most companies want to avoid
the money spent on reforestation. Any company that obtains a license for forestlands
will have to replant them from funds provided by the government. Most companies do
not replant, and to avoid detection, they burn the soil. Third, companies rehabilitate
coconut plantations by cutting down or burning old oil palm trees that are no longer
productive. This rule stipulates that the burning should be done on a bed of concrete
to prevent the spread of fire, but to reduce costs most companies do not do this.
Heavy rains in Sumatra and Kalimantan in the last days of October 2015 significantly
reduced the size and number of fires, and improved air quality in the most affected
areas. Subsequently, the Singapore NEA stopped issuing haze advice from 15
November 2015.
The Indonesian government estimates that the haze crisis will cost it between 300
and 475 trillion rupiah (up to US $ 35 billion or S $ 47 billion) to reduce. School have
to close due to haze that have been implemented in Indonesia, Malaysia and
Singapore. It affects nearly four million students in Malaysia alone. The events that
were disrupted or being cancelled due to the haze, The 2015 FINA Swimming World
Cup in Singapore and the Kuala Lumpur Marathon in Malaysia.

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B) POSSIBLE RESPONSES FOR SOLVING THE ISSUE

Individual

For individual, the easiest way is to reduce the have by avoiding outdoor activities. If
we want to exercise, there are various types of exercises that can we do at home.
Cardio exercises that involve excessive breathing should be reduced due to poor air
quality. It is also important to avoid smoking at this time, as it will cause your heart
to become more sensitive to air pollution.

Next, keep the air in the house clean. Sit at home and make sure the windows of the
house are always closed. If you have an air conditioner, install it and make sure the
air filter is clean. The use of air filters in enclosed areas also helps in this situation. Air
purifiers can also clean the air in the house to keep you and your family safe.

Moreover, if you have to go out, wear a mask. The mask worn while outdoors should
be an N95 mask designed to ensure your breathing is not affecting by air filled with
smoke particles. Make sure you change the mask every time it gets dirty or deforms.
In fact, some masks have an expiration date for reference. For information, surgical
masks and paper masks cannot protect you from sniffing dirty air as they work to
prevent the spread of body fluids instead of haze.

Society

Apart from the actions taken by the government and the authorities, the public should
be responsible and equally take care of this environment. Among the actions that can
be taken is to avoid using a private vehicle instead of using public transport or car
sharing and at the same time the owner of the vehicle must ensure that their vehicle
does not emit black smoke by taking ideal measures such as sending the car to a
workshop for inspection and maintenance. Especially for carburettors and oil pumps
to be in good condition. The public can also make a complaint to the Royal Malaysia
Police, Fire and Rescue Department and the nearest Local Authority if there is solid
waste burning and reports can also be made to the DOE on any open burning by
industry, trade and plantations.

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Then, as Malaysian, we can play our part by not burning rubbish openly. This is
because the smoke produced by burning garbage is one of the contributors to the
haze and as a result, human health will be affected and leads to various diseases such
as sore throat, asthma, pneumonia, lung cancer and so on. In addition, we can engage
in environmental saving activities by planting plants around the home area. With the
cooperation from the community, the haze problem can definitely be addressed before
we were late.
Government
Among the proposed actions that Malaysia can take is to emulate Singapore by
gazetting the ‘Cross-Border Haze Pollution Act’ where the act criticizes actions that
cause or contribute to haze pollution in the country, and also provides related matters
such as preventive measures. Other proposals include urging the Malaysian
government to enact several relevant acts to address the haze phenomenon that is
plaguing now and finally, we should also work to urge the government to identify the
real masterminds and bring them to justice.
Then, environmental awareness campaign can be carried out by non-governmental
organizations (NGOs) such as the Association of Environmentalists (MNS) and the
World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Malaysia in tackling the problem of haze. NGOs through
talks and seminars can provide awareness to the public to better appreciate the
environment. This awareness campaign is not only able to make the public aware of
their actions that contribute to the haze problem, but the campaign is also able to
provide them with information on the steps that should be taken by each individual to
assist in overcoming the haze phenomenon.

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Furthermore, step that can be taken in overcoming the problem is law enforcement
by the government. The government agency responsible for the environment, namely
the Department of Environment, needs to be more aggressive in carrying out this task.
Factories should be required to install smoke filters in the chimney. The chimney
should be elevated 30 meters above the earth's atmospheric layer. Strict cross -border
action needs to be taken against plantation companies that burn oil palm plantations
in Sumatra, Riau or Sumatra, which have caused severe haze incidents in the region.
Ultimately, the government is the prime catalyst to ensure that the haze problem can
be addressed in an effective manner.

Companies
Stop forest fires. Indeed, there is no denying that immediate action to stop open and
large-scale forest burning is needed. Action collectively with the use of sophisticated
and scientific fire extinguishers can help reduce the haze problem. In addition, strict
laws should be imposed on certain parties or companies that intentionally burn forests
for agricultural purposes

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C) ETHICAL THEORIES

There are three primary ethical theories explored in the literature that can be
characterised such as, utilitarianism, deontology, Kant Ethics and anthropocentrism.
Utilitarianism brought to you by Jeremy Betham, which is a moral doctrine, which
states people always act to produce the greatest possible balance of good, happiness
and pleasure over bad for everyone affected by our actions. The action is right if it
can create the greatest happiness of all. It maximize something good overall or
produce good in large quantities. It relies on two elements, namely goodness and
rules in evaluating actions and rules. If an action can maximize a good effect, it
considered ethically appropriate, but if otherwise, it is ethically unethical.

Next is deontology. It brought by Immanuel Kant. Derived from the word “deon” which
means task. It is an ethic that emphasizes the concept of human responsibility. This
deontology emphasizes the principle of what is right is what is accountable.
Deontology emphasis on the relationship between duty and the morality of human
action. It also bring moral beings perform responsibilities without regard to the
consequences of their actions. For example, the philosopher Kant argued that it is
wrong to tell a lie in order to save one from a murderer. Do the right thing! Do it
because it is the right thing to do! Do not do the wrong things! Avoid them because
they are wrong.

Then, Kant Ethics. Theories about the behaviour of human actions that viewed in
terms of good or bad, right or wrong determined by reason. In Islam, it is called
Akhlak. Ethics used in social life, national to international level, which requires an
international system in which human beings must interact. The regulatory system

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includes mutual respect, courtesy, protocol of good conduct and so on. The purpose
of the association guide is to safeguard the interests of each person involved so that
they are happy, calm, peaceful, protected from things that harm their interests and
ensure that their actions are in accordance with the prevailing customs and not in
conflict with fundamental rights. Ethics is the rules of conduct or behaviour, the
customs of human behaviour in their interactions with each other and asserting which
is right and which is wrong or bad. Habit is a pattern of behaviour that repeatedly
formed through repeated interactions.
Lastly, anthropocentrism. Anthropocentrism is from Ancient Greek ἄνθρωπος,
ánthrōpos, "man" and Ancient Greek κέντρον, kéntron, "center" the belief that man is
the most important entity of the universe. Anthropocentrism interprets or considers
the world in terms of human values and experiences. The term can be used
interchangeably with humanity, and some refer to the concept as human superiority
or human privilege. Anthropocentrism is considered deeply ingrained in many modern
human cultures and conscious actions. This is a key concept in the field of
environmental ethics and environmental philosophy, where it is often considered to
be the main cause of problems created by human actions in the ecosphere. However,
many proponents of anthropocentrism state that this is not necessarily the case. They
argue that a good long-term view recognizes that a healthy and sustainable
environment is necessary for human beings and that the real issue is superficial
anthropocentrism.

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CONCLUSION

Haze can cause people's health problems. Weaker groups such as children and the
elderly are more likely to get sick. This is because the haze causes the body to become
weak and immunity to be lower. Colds and coughs can spread easily. For example,
patients with asthma and respiratory diseases are susceptible to other respiratory
diseases. This happens because their breathing becomes bad and in addition to the
less clean air then their health will be easily threatened. In the long-run, we may also
have a sore throat, itchy skin, redness of the eyes and so on. Thus, it is clear that the
haze has a negative impact on public health.

If viewed from another perspective, the haze problem can affect the flora and fauna
in our country. When haze occurs, the carbon dioxide content is many times more
than the normal content. Otherwise, the oxygen content will be less than normal. This
will cause the plant to take longer to grow. Crop quality and yield will also decline.
This is due to the process of photosynthesis affected due to excessive carbon dioxide
content. This process of respiration, which involves the absorption of oxygen gas and
the release of carbon dioxide causes green plants to grow longer. For example, a log
tree will take longer to mature. Strictly speaking, agricultural yields and quality can be
affected by up to 30 percent. Farmers' resources and the country's economy, which
depends on agriculture, will be affected. As for the fauna, aquatic life also will be
affected because the oxygen content dissolved in the water will be reduced and
aquatic life such as fish will not get enough oxygen. It is clear that the haze problem
will affect the flora and fauna of the country.

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In conclusion, when you want to fight the haze phenomenon, prevention is better than
cure. Make sure you learn about this phenomenon in more depth so that we can
reduce pollution activities. We should work together, encourage and encourage the
government, companies and society to urge the government to be more responsible
for the well -being of the beloved earth.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

1. Haze article
https://th.boell.org/en/2018/10/29/asean-smoke-haze-and-hidden-solutions

2. New WHO Global Air Quality Guidelines aim to save millions of lives from air
pollution
https://www.who.int/news/item/22-09-2021-new-who-global-air-quality-
guidelines-aim-to-save-millions-of-lives-from-air-pollution

3. 2015 Southeast Asian Haze
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2015_Southeast_Asian_haze

4. The South East Asia Haze: Cause and Effects
https://www.ge.com/news/reports/the-south-east-asia-haze-cause-and-
effects

5. Southeast Asia haze problem
https://www.newsecuritybeat.org/2013/09/southeast-asias-haze-problem-
harbinger-challenges/

6. Southeast Asia haze news
https://news.mongabay.com/list/southeast-asia-haze/
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APPENDIXES
The country that affected by the haze

The rescue in Indonesia trying to extinguish fire that caused haze
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The view from Malaysia The view from Indonesia

The view from Philippines The view from Singapore

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