The application was filed at the High Court here on Feb 28 by Abe Lim, Sitti Fatimah, Winona Elisha Jemak, Lee Yu Dong, Adom Teh, and Amira Aliya.
They are seeking a mandamus for the government to take all necessary measures, including through the National Land Council, to achieve and maintain 50% forest cover, with progress updates every 90 days.
They also want a declaration that their rights to life and equality under Article 5(1) and Article 8(1) of the Federal Constitution have been violated.
They claimed that the government’s inaction violated principles, including the doctrine of legitimate expectation, based on decades of promises to maintain 50% forest cover, and the public trust doctrine, which requires that natural resources be protected for the public and future generations rather than given to private interests.
The application comes in the context of Malaysia’s pledge to maintain at least 50% of its land mass under forest and tree cover, first made at the 1992 Rio Earth Summit.
However, the six youths cited a 2024 European Commission scientific report showing that 4.27 million to 4.51 million hectares were earmarked for commercial conversion, which could drop forest cover to below 50%.
Lim Wei Jiet, representing the six applicants alongside Ambiga Sreenevasan, said the youths had stepped forward not only for their own sake, but also for future generations and all children in Malaysia.
“This is a nationwide effort, and we are proud to be part of it,” he said.
Ambiga said she wanted to apologise on behalf of her generation, which created the problem the youth were now facing.
“Today’s youth are anxious about the future and uncertain even about having children. This is a terrible legacy, and the problem must be urgently addressed. I am proud of the plaintiffs for stepping forward,” she said.
One of the applicants, Abe, said a significant portion of Malaysia’s natural forests had already been earmarked for conversion to commercial use.
“Our natural forest in Malaysia has already been earmarked for conversion for commercial ventures across Malaysia, totalling between 4.27 million and 4.5 million hectares,” she said.
She added that deforestation was driving rising temperatures, biodiversity loss, and increased flooding, which caused RM933.4 million in losses in 2024.