This article first appeared in The Edge Malaysia Weekly on August 22, 2022 - August 28, 2022

Each of the last four decades has been successively warmer than any decade that preceded it since 1850, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) sixth assessment report published earlier this year.

The risks of extreme weather disasters have been amplified because of global warming. The number of disasters — weather, climate and water hazards — increased by a factor of five in the past 50 years, according to a 2021 report by the World Meteorological Organization. Climate and water hazards accounted for 45% of all reported deaths, and over 91% of these occurred in developing countries. 

These incidents have led to the emergence of “climate refugees”. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), 21.5 million people are displaced annually because of hazards presented by extreme weather events. 

“There are also indirect consequences of climate change. For example, it affects food and water security, human mobility, displacement, migration and health. In countries where social conflicts are embedded, such as Sudan and Somalia, these kinds of impacts exacerbate the conflicts,” says Ili Nadiah Dzulfakar, chairperson of climate activist group Klima Action Malaysia (KAMY).

In Malaysia, expected natural disasters include floods and heavy rain as well as storms at the tail end of typhoons and cyclones, which could lead to landslides. 

“Landslides mostly occur because of overdevelopment. It is the combination of unsustainable development, unethical practices and the impact of climate change over time,” says Professor Datuk Dr Ahmad Faizal Mohd Perdaus, president of Mercy Malaysia. 

“[Landslides] can be deadly, and over the last 10 to 20 years, we have seen more of them occurring. In rural areas, the loss of water catchment areas due to unsustainable logging and deforestation activities can cause these landslides.”

There will also be a higher number of hot days. This will result in more rainfall, as higher temperatures increase the evaporation rate and the amount of water in the atmosphere. 

Dr Zelina Zaiton Ibrahim, climate change lead at the Centre for Environment, Technology and Development Malaysia (CETDEM) and an author of the IPCC report, gives the analogy of a person who built his house by the side of the river with the assumption that flooding would occur only once every 10 years. 

Owing to the impact of climate change, however, flooding now occurs every two to three years. Now, homeowners and developers have to reconsider where they purchase land and how it will be affected by the weather. 

“Extreme weather events will become a normal occurrence. What we used to consider extreme will become the new normal, while the new extremes will be catastrophic. So, we are moving into a riskier world,” warns Zelina.

While many nations are taking action to reduce carbon emissions to mitigate climate change, strategies to adapt to climate change are crucial as well. 

This could take the form of a sea wall to combat rising sea levels or early-warning systems for flooding and bad weather. 

For instance, Bangladesh, a low-lying country often hit by disastrous cyclones and floods, has installed weather monitoring equipment and communications systems as well as mobilised a network of volunteers to inform people of weather risk warnings ahead of time, according to a BBC report. These efforts have resulted in a lower death toll.

In Ghana, farmers are adapting to the increasingly erratic rainfall by diversifying their sources of income and producing agricultural products such as soy milk. Meanwhile, farmers in Bosnia and Herzegovina have adjusted their choice of crops from apples to peaches, which can grow in warmer weather, to deal with droughts, according to the United Nations. 

However, the rate at which climate change is occurring is faster than the adaptation responses globally. Many environmental groups have criticised governments for failing to introduce sufficient measures for climate adaptation. 

“Imagine taking out a loan from a bank and having to pay the interest. We have taken a loan out from the environment by developing [it] and causing [global] warming, and this is the interest we have to pay. That’s why the call for net-zero, reducing [emissions] and mitigation [of climate change] in the next 20 to 30 years is so important,” says Zelina. 

In Malaysia, a National Adaptation Plan for climate change is in the works, according to the Ministry of Environment and Water (KASA). Additionally, after the devastating floods earlier this year, the Kuala Lumpur Drainage and Irrigation Department (DID) announced that it would roll out the National Flood Forecasting Warning System (NaFFWS). Comprising three phases, it is expected to be completed by end-2023, according to reports. 

To prepare the masses for the increasing occurrence of natural disasters, Mercy Malaysia has committed to conducting disaster preparedness and community-based disaster risk management programmes. 

“We are working on building resilient communities against disasters. We engage with communities directly, especially in areas that are prone to natural disasters. We also engage with institutions like schools. We’ve had a school preparedness programme since 2007,” says Ahmad.

In April, a coalition of environmental groups in Malaysia demanded that the government declare a climate change emergency by Malaysia Day in 2022. The group — Gabungan Darurat Iklim Malaysia — issued 12 demands to the government, which include a call to devote all resources necessary to establishing a robust National Adaptation Plan that takes into account human rights and up-to-date scientific future scenario projections. 

“We are in a crisis. So, why are we not taking it as a crisis? If we can allocate budget and action for the Covid-19 crisis, why can’t we do the same for the crisis that is resulting in the destruction and degradation of our forests, and all the climate impacts we are seeing?” says Ili, who is part of the coalition. 

According to the Climate Emergency Declaration campaign, which is operated by volunteers, 18 national governments and the European Union had declared a climate emergency as at August 2022. 

Declaring climate change as an emergency would put governments on the record to take action. A legally binding declaration of climate emergency would enable coherent policymaking and ensure that actors in all sectors streamline their agenda. 

“Climate emergency cannot be just a declaration. It has to come with a legally binding plan. We have marginalised vulnerable communities, and we need to address these issues so that people who often fall through the cracks when it comes to implementation of policies have their issues addressed,” says Ili. 

“We have to improve the way we design policy and include meaningful participation where the concerns of the rakyat are being heard. There should be measures to ensure these concerns are being addressed and not only heard. There has to be deliberative inclusion.” 

The declaration of a climate emergency has to come with political will to address the problem and greater understanding of climate change among the general public, says Ahmad.

“It is not difficult to declare a climate emergency. However, in the first place, do we have enough understanding of the impact of climate change and natural disasters among Malaysians? I don’t think we have reached a minimal critical mass of understanding among the general population … Second, is there political will in the government — among the political class and civil servants — to actually move policy and strategy towards climate change adaptation and sustainable development?” 

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