SYNOPSIS

Environmental pollution remains one of the most pressing global challenges, raising critical concerns about the feasibility of true sustainability. This presentation explores the paradox of sustainability in a world increasingly burdened by industrial waste, plastic pollution, deforestation, and climate change. While governments, industries, and individuals advocate for sustainable practices, the growing scale of environmental degradation suggests that these efforts may be insufficient or even contradictory. Are current sustainability initiatives genuinely effective, or are they merely mitigating symptoms rather than addressing root causes? By examining real-world case studies in Malaysia and elsewhere, technological innovations, and policy frameworks, this discussion aims to assess whether sustainability is an achievable goal or an idealistic illusion. Ultimately, we will consider whether true environmental balance is possible or if humanity is merely delaying an inevitable crisis.


BIODATA OF SPEAKER

Prof. Dr. Mohamad Pauzi Zakaria

Prof. Dr. Mohamad Pauzi Zakaria is an expert in environmental organic geochemistry. He holds a Bachelor's degree from Western Michigan University and two Master's degrees from the Florida Institute of Technology and the University of Massachusetts. He earned his Ph.D. from Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, receiving a Gold Medal for Best Thesis in 2002.

Prof. Pauzi is a Fellow of the Malaysian Academy of Professors and has held visiting positions at institutions in Qatar, China, Taiwan, Korea, and Japan. He is an Associate Member at the Institute of Ocean & Earth Sciences (IOES), University of Malaya, and an Associate Fellow at the Institute of Oceanography & Environment, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu. He is also the Founding Director of the Environmental Forensics Research Center (ENFORCE) at Universiti Putra Malaysia.

With extensive research in marine pollution, environmental forensics, oil pollution, microplastics, and climate change, he has supervised over 30 Ph.D. students and participated in research expeditions to Antarctica and the Arctic. He has published widely in peer-reviewed journals and contributed to book chapters on oil pollution and environmental forensics.