Air Pollution

Clean air is a right, not a privilege. Air pollution threatens our health and environment. And, we are defending our right to breathe clean air, one action at a time.

Across the country, millions inhale toxic air every single day. Haze from forest fires, industrial emissions, and outdated regulations are quietly eroding our health, our economy, and our future.

Haze and Human Rights Activity in Malaysia. © Darshen Chelliah / Greenpeace

What We’re Facing

Many of our environmental laws and policies are severely outdated. As the climate crisis grows and its impacts of extreme weather and devastating disasters escalate, we’re not just facing pollution. We’re facing systemic failure. Outdated laws. Weak enforcement. Polluters acting without consequence. This isn’t just bad for the planet — it’s a direct attack on our health, safety, and basic rights. Clean air is not a luxury. It’s a non-negotiable right to life.

Petronas tower covered by haze in Kuala Lumpur city, Malaysia. Malaysia is hit by haze from forest fires that came from Indonesia Borneo island and Sumatra. Many forest areas and palm oil concessions in Indonesia were burned this year including the concession belonging to Malaysian and Singaporean companies.

A silent public health crisis

32,000 lives are lost every year in Malaysia due to air pollution. Deaths that are entirely preventable. (Source)

Plantations around Riau, owned by the two giant pulp and paper producers, Asia Pacific Resources International Holdings Ltd. (APRIL) and Asia Pulp and Paper (APP). In order to accommodate this industrial activity the natural peat and boggy environment is cleared, creating the perfect environment for fires. The forest fires in Sumatra, Indonesia, have now become an annual phenomenon, thanks to the effects of unsustainable logging. They cause a thick smog-like haze over the entire region, threatening the health of millions of people and contributing to the problem of climate change.

The cost of inaction

Air pollution costs Malaysia an estimated RM303 billion annually, about 20% of our GDP. (Source)

An office worker endures the thick smog in Singapore's worst ever haze in history. Many have to cover their nose and mouth using bare hands or handkerchiefs as N95 mask supply is running low. The Pollutant Standards Index (PSI), Singapore's main index for air pollution, has hit record levels. These measurements are classified as "hazardous" and can aggravate respiratory ailments.

We’re all breathing it in

99% of people in Malaysia are exposed to unhealthy air, every single day

What We’re Building Together

We imagine a Malaysia where clean air is a given, not a gamble.

Picture this: stepping outside and breathing deeply, without hesitation. The haze is gone. The sky is blue. You feel safe. Alive. In this future, clean air isn’t a privilege. It’s a guarantee. Protected and shared by all.

No more “haze is back”

Seasons pass without smoke. We wake up to blue skies, day after day, year after year.

Forests aren’t burned

Lush, living forests thrive protected by people, policy, and purpose.

Polluters are held accountable

Those who harm our air face real consequences and cleaner ways forward.

Fresh air, everywhere

Every breath, from city streets to quiet villages, is safe, clean, and shared.

Our Work for Clean Air

We’re working alongside communities to protect our right to clean air through campaigns, creative activism, and collective action that address pollution at its source.

Greenpeace activists put the climate change onus on the ASEAN Summit today by unfurling a banner that says "Ten Nations, One Vision -- Climate Action Now" at a large billboard opposite the summit venue. Heads of ASEAN member states arrive in Thailand for the annual talkfest that sadly lacks climate change in its agenda in spite of worsening climate-related disasters in the region.

ASEAN Malaysia 2025

We’re working to ensure Malaysia leads in shaping ASEAN’s commitment to transboundary air pollution solutions, from policy alignment to public pressure.

Learn more
Ahead of the 2021 International Human Rights Day, a broad alliance of civil society organisations led by Greenpeace Malaysia and local NGO CERAH Anti-Haze Action file a pioneering complaint at the Malaysian Human Rights Commission (SUHAKAM) in Kuala Lumpur as a proactive countermeasure to address the chronic and persistent haze pollution. Representatives from the coalition joined Greenpeace Malaysia volunteers for an offline action in front of the Human Rights Commission building to demand for the recognition of clean, haze-free air as a basic human right.

Clean Air for All Campaign

Since 2020, this campaign has rallied people across Malaysia to demand a Clean Air Act, pushing for stronger laws, real enforcement, and transparency.

Learn more

How You Can Help Us

Together we can take on the world’s worst polluters and solve its biggest problems.

  • Policy & Justice

    Environmental Rights for Malaysia

    Help us call on PM Anwar to show bold leadership in ASEAN 2025, delivering a strong, binding declaration on environmental rights.

    Sign petition
  • Haze and Human Rights Activity in Malaysia. © Darshen Chelliah / Greenpeace
    Climate & Pollution

    Clean air for Malaysia

    Sign the petition today to fight for clean air. Air pollution is a silent and indiscriminate killer, affecting all of us. And, we need our government to act swiftly to protect our basic right to clean air.

    Sign petition
  • Community & Activism

    Every donation counts.

    We can’t do this without your help. Take action for environment protection, please make a donation today.

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    Together we are part of a growing, global movement determined to bring about the changes our planet desperately needs.