THE FEDERATION OF Malaysia, located in Southeast Asia, has a land area of 127,355 sq. mi. (329,847 sq. km.), with a population of 27,278,100 (2007 est.), and a population density of 213 people per sq. mi. (82 people per sq. km.). Three percent of Malaysia's land is arable, and 58 percent is covered in forests, although there has been a rise in the rate of deforestation from the 1980s.

With a large increase in industrialization, and the enlarging of manufacturing industry, the demand for electricity in Malaysia has increased considerably since the 1970s, with 88 percent of its electricity coming from fossil fuels, and only 12 percent from hydropower. As a result, electricity contributes to 28 percent of the country's carbon dioxide emissions, with 23 percent ...