Skip to content
Sahabat Alam Malaysia
  • Home
  • About
  • Programmes
  • Resources
  • Contact
  • Shop
  • BMBM
  • Donate
  • Archive

Urgent attention needed in adapting to climate change impacts

  • Publication Date | March 26, 2019
  • Document Type | Letter to the Editor
  • Programmes | Climate Change
  • Issues | Adaptation, Biodiversity, Urban Development
  • Tags | carbon emissions, Floods, low carbon cities, NAP, National Adaptation Plan, National Climate Change Act, UNFCCC
Share on twitter
Share on whatsapp
Share on email
Share on facebook
Share on linkedin
PDF

Being close to the equator, the ‘perpetual summer’ in Malaysia is nothing new. In the past few weeks however, the heat of the tropical climate has been amplified – sending many Malaysians (who can afford it) reaching for their air conditioning remote control to cool themselves down. The El Niño cycle, the warm phase of the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) has arrived yet again and is forecasted to remain until May. And although the Meteorological Department of Malaysia (MET) stated it would not be as intense as the ones in 2016 (highest in Alor Setar, Kedah and Chuping, Perlis at 38.5°C) and 1998 (highest in Chuping, Perlis at 40.1°C), the daily maximum temperature between 36°C and 38°C felt in previous week is close enough[1].

Beyond the daily discomfort caused by the sweltering heat, the reduced rainfall during this season is having dire implications on our water supply – whether it is for domestic use, commercial, manufacturing and for food production. The extreme heat and drought will also cause higher incidences of bushfires, which not only increases the localised temperature but also pollutes the air with smoke particles (i.e. haze); bringing about a range of health issues, from temporary conditions such as itchy or burning eyes, throat irritation or runny nose; to aggravating existing respiratory illnesses such as bronchitis and asthma.

Nevertheless, the hot and dry season of El Niño is not a new phenomenon and we are all too familiar with its effects and the measures we take to adapt, which includes staying indoors and keeping cool, drinking more water and reducing water wastage. This reality has been reiterated so many times in the past to the point where we have accepted this rising temperature trend as just a passing annual event. However, to end the narrative with that is to completely dismiss the fact that we are living in an insidiously rising temperature trend that it is intricately linked to climate change.

In September last year, Malaysia submitted its Third National Communication (NC3) and Second Biennale Update Report (BUR2) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). This document contains data which showed that Malaysia’s mean temperature has been increasing (0.13°C to 0.24°C, every 10 years) between 1969 and 2014. This critical and long-term warming trend will continue in the foreseeable years to come, if the clarion call for the world to limit its temperature increase by 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels (i.e. year 1850–1900) by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Special Report falls on deaf ears.

The 1.5°C temperature change may deceivingly appear negligible, but scientists have repeatedly warned of global scale implications with far-reaching and long-term impacts on the climate system. There will be more incidences of intense and extreme weather patterns (i.e. drought, storms surges, typhoons, etc), water stress, food shortage, mass species extinctions, sea level rise, diseases and increased temperature in the years to come. The tangible El Niño heatwave we experience today is just a taster of what’s to come – but its temporary duration may have assuaged us into thinking that we are not already living in the long-term magnitude of global climate change.

While the impacts of climate change affect everyone indiscriminately, populations are disproportionately exposed to its risks. The adverse consequences of climate change are felt the most by disadvantaged and vulnerable populations, which includes indigenous peoples, communities dependent on agricultural or coastal livelihoods, and those who live in poverty – all who have little means to cope with climate change impacts and disasters.

Cities are particularly vulnerable in that they are immobile2, which becomes a barrier for climate adaptation. Climate-induced changes poses threats to food distribution, energy provision, water supply, waste removal, information technology, and increases susceptibility to outbreaks in the urban setting. In the worst-case scenario, there will be social unrest from shortages and price spikes of key commodities, mass migration, high unemployment, and climatic disasters[2].

This is notwithstanding the fact that there are about 360 million urban residents already living in coastal areas less than 10 meters above sea level, all who are vulnerable to flooding due to sea level rise and storm surges. This not only causes widespread loss and damages of land, properties and assets, but also of infrastructure such as roads, rails, sewers, bridges, etc. This cumulative scenario may inadvertently illustrate a fictional Armageddon narrative, but climate change impacts have already been identified in different parts of the world; and it is just a matter of time before the scale of its tangible impact becomes too evident and too frequent to ignore.

It is worth noting that Malaysia is among countries with highest urban populations living in low-elevation coastal zone – therefore sea level rise and erosions will inevitably cause a huge loss of value in land and infrastructure, economic activities, as well as the need for massive population relocation. The same goes with extreme precipitation from prolonged rainstorm. In retrospect, Malaysia was overwhelmed with a massive flood in December 2014, where the continuous rain caused the water levels in the rivers to exceed the safety level in Kelantan, Pahang, Perak and Terengganu. An emergency evacuation was urgently required, which saw about 60,000 people leaving their homes behind to seek safe shelter. The damages from the flood aftermath was estimated at a staggering RM1 billion; from which, RM100 million were disposed to repair roads in Kelantan and RM132 million to repair roads in Terengganu[3].

Although Malaysia, a party to the Paris Agreement, has committed to reducing its carbon emission intensity per capita GDP by 45% by 2030 relative to its 2005 levels, its actions towards climate adaptation is sorely underwhelming. There are various guidelines, roadmaps and policies towards carbon emission reductions and in decarbonizing the economy, deliberations on adaptation strategies are still inadequate.

To date, Malaysia has yet to produce its National Adaptation Plan (NAP) which several developing countries in the UNFCCC have embarked on, and for which the UNFCCC’s Green Climate Fund has resources for.

The objective of the NAP is to reduce the country’s vulnerability to the impacts of climate change, by way of building adaptive capacity and resilience. The NAP also facilitates the coherent and comprehensive integration of climate change adaptation into relevant new and existing policies, programmes and activities, especially development planning processes and strategies, within all relevant sectors and at different levels as appropriate.[4]

At present, the adaptation efforts in Malaysia appears inadequate, mainly because the elements of climate adaptation are embedded sporadically across various plans, mostly silo in nature and therefore fragmented. In the NC3, various climate change vulnerabilities and its adaptation measures has been identified according to sectors and to some extent, implemented at different scales, despite not being captured holistically in the form of a NAP.

To name a few, there is the Integrated Flood Management (IFM) which aims at efficient use of flood plain to minimise loss of properties and life which includes flood mitigation projects. There is also an Integrated River Basin Management (IRBM) and Flood Hazard and Flood Risk Mapping to aid systematic planning and development to reduce the risk of flood; and the Urban Stormwater Management Manual (MSMA) which provides design criteria for urban stormwater management. The National Coastal Erosion Study (NCES) and Integrated Shoreline Management Plan (ISMP) studies contain adaptation measures for critical erosion coastal areas around the country. But to articulate these plans in a larger strategy, one has to go through all these documents and find areas for resources and institutional integration to allow for a more streamlined and efficient implementation.

Perhaps the document that comes close to integrating climate adaptation plan is the Third National Physical Plan (NPP3), where three broad strategies towards sustainability and climate change resilience is presented which are: (i) Sustainable management of natural, food and heritage resources; (ii) Holistic land use planning; and (iii) Low carbon cities and sustainable infrastructure. Nevertheless, whether these strategies are faithfully reflected in the subsequent State Structure Plans and Local Plans remains arguably missing, inadequate or inconsistent, faced with major implementation barriers despite having all these plans spelt out.

Examples include deforestation, which is still widespread; clearing of hill-lands; destruction of important coastal ecosystems, such as mangrove forests which are nursery grounds for fishery and act as buffer zones against storm surges; promotion of intensive transportation networks which focus heavily on private vehicles instead of public transportation; large scale land reclamation which destroy fishing grounds; and no real commitment to include green infrastructure in urban planning. These are just some of the problems impeding Malaysia from being truly prepared in undertaking adaptation and in building resilience to climate impacts. 

While this is not to dismiss the existing good work that are being carried out in states like Kedah in protecting the central forest spine project, we must confront the truth that Malaysia is just not doing enough domestically on its climate actions.

The Ministry of Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change (MESTECC) has been given the huge task of coordinating our climate actions. It is encouraging that the new Minister Yeo Bee Yin, has acknowledged at the climate talks in Poland last year that Malaysia is “ready to do more”, indicating the nation’sability to take aggressive climate change action.

We must therefore quicken our pace in coming up with the proposed National Climate Change Act, speed up the setting up of the long overdue Climate Change Centre and put in place our NAP. These are just some measures that are essential to get our act together. Malaysia must do better in ensuring that our planning and economic decisions are viewed through a climate-change lens, as business-as-usual measures will not protect us from the new climate change trends. The future will be harsh if we are not compelled to place the climate change reality and its impacts at the core in shaping our future. We have to act now, before it is too late.

S.M.Mohamed Idris

President

Annex

Figure 1  – Heat wave maps to update the public, with indication of the level of heat wave based on temperature range for three days at a time. (Source: MET)

Figure 2  – Annual temperature trends for Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak (NC3-BUR2)


[1] Status Terkini ENSO, Updated on 19 March 2019, Meteorological Department of Malaysia.

[2] World Bank. Cities and Climate Change: An Urgent Agenda. The Impact of Climate Change on Cities. Pg 8.

[3] Estrada, M. A. R., Koutronas, E., Tahir, M., & Mansor, N. (2017). Hydrological hazard assessment: THE 2014–15 Malaysia floods. International journal of disaster risk reduction, 24, 264-270.

[4] UNFCCC. Overview – National Adaptation Plans. https://unfccc.int/topics/resilience/workstreams/national-adaptation-plans/overview

Latest

Development & Planning

In Memoriam – Trade Unionist Balakrishnan Nadeson

On 11.01.2023, we lost one of our very own former staff, Balakrishnan Nadeson, who succumbed to his illness. Balakrishnan, or rather Union Bala as we

Read More »
January 18, 2023
Development & Planning

Set up Commission of Inquiry for the landslide tragedy in Batang Kali

SAM is shocked to learn about the horrific landslide tragedy in Batang Kali which has claimed several lives including children. Time and again we have

Read More »
December 16, 2022
cable car, isolated, winter-3989542.jpg
Forests & Biodiversity

Be transparent on cable car project

Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM) is very alarmed to learn about the announcement by the Chief Minister of Penang that the cable car project to Penang

Read More »
December 14, 2022
Forests & Biodiversity

CBD COP15 – How it has fared so far

Week one (03 – 10 December 2022) of the 15th session of the Conference of Parties (COP 15) to the Convention onBiological Diversity (CBD) taking place

Read More »
December 14, 2022

In Memoriam – Trade Unionist Balakrishnan Nadeson

  • Publication Date | January 18, 2023
  • Document Type | Articles & Stories
  • Programmes | Development & Planning
  • Issues | Development, General, Pollution, Toxics
Read more

Set up Commission of Inquiry for the landslide tragedy in Batang Kali

  • Publication Date | December 16, 2022
  • Document Type | Media Statement
  • Programmes | Development & Planning
  • Issues | Adaptation, Development
Read more
cable car, isolated, winter-3989542.jpg

Be transparent on cable car project

  • Publication Date | December 14, 2022
  • Document Type | Media Statement
  • Programmes | Forests & Biodiversity
  • Issues | Conservation, Development, Urban Development
Read more

CBD COP15 – How it has fared so far

  • Publication Date | December 14, 2022
  • Document Type | Articles & Stories
  • Programmes | Forests & Biodiversity
  • Issues | Biodiversity, Conservation, Deforestation, Genetic Engineering, Indigenous Peoples, International Treaties, Land Rights, Mitigation, Wildlife
Read more
Development & Planning

In Memoriam – Trade Unionist Balakrishnan Nadeson

Read More »
January 18, 2023
Development & Planning

Set up Commission of Inquiry for the landslide tragedy in Batang Kali

Read More »
December 16, 2022
cable car, isolated, winter-3989542.jpg
Forests & Biodiversity

Be transparent on cable car project

Read More »
December 14, 2022
Forests & Biodiversity

CBD COP15 – How it has fared so far

Read More »
December 14, 2022

Testimonials

Sahabat Alam Malaysia adalah satu badan bukan kerajaan (NGO) yang telah sekian lama berjuang mempertahan kelestarian alam. Ia juga mendidik masyarakat tentang pentingnya kebersamaan dalam pemikiran dan tindakan agar alam ini dapat kita wariskan kepada generasi hadapan dalam keadaan yang elok dan terpelihara. Dalam pada itu juga SAM giat membantu golongan nelayan pantai dalam memperjuangkan hak-hak mereka sehinggalah tertubuhnya Persatuan Pendidikan dan Kebajikan Nelayan Pantai Malaysia (JARING). Nelayan pantai sepenuh masa ini dididik oleh SAM sehingga mereka mampu memainkan peranan sebagai pemimpin nelayan yang meneruskan kesinambungan memperjuangkan hak-hak nelayan pantai lainnya. Sebagai contoh SAM telah berjaya menyedarkan masyarakat nelayan keperluan menjaga hutan paya bakau untuk kebaikan hasil tangkapan nelayan itu sendiri.
Jamaluddin Mohamad Bualik
Jamaluddin Mohamad BualikPersatuan Pendidikan dan Kebajikan Jaringan Nelayan Pantai Malaysia (JARING)
During the 1980s, I used to read about the Consumers’ Association of Penang (CAP) in the news. After retirement, some time in 2001, while lazing around, I read news about the construction of a carbon in leach plant using sodium cyanide to extract gold in Bukit Koman. My friends and I visited CAP and we were introduced to SAM and her legal team. We discussed the details of filing a case against the gold mining company and the department of environment with Ms Meenakshi Raman and her legal team. That was the beginning of a beautiful friendship between lawyers from SAM and many of us from Bukit Koman. We had many ups and downs in our struggle to shut down the gold mine that was causing a nuisance in our village. But, as a community we never gave up because SAM had our backs.
Hue Fui How
Hue Fui HowSecretary, Bukit Koman Ban Cyanide in Goldmining Action Committee (BCAC)
Sahabat Alam Malaysia adalah sebuah NGO yang memperjuangkan nasib masyarakat luar bandar khasnya. SAM menerima aduan-aduan masyarakat dan menyelesaikan masalah yang dihadapi. SAM telah mewujudkan ramai aktivis-aktivis sosial dan alam sekitar. Pada era 1980 dan 90an SAM sangat dihormati oleh masyarakat dan agensi kerajaan. Apabila media sosial menguasai maklumat maka SAM pun terkesan dan masalah masyarakat terus disalurkan dengan pelbagai cara. SAM perlu mewujudkan aktivis-aktivis pelapis yang muda untuk terus membantu masyarakat. SAM juga perlu membuat perubahan supaya banyak turun kelapangan dan jangan mengharapkan laporan media sahaja. Tingkatkan prestasi sebagaimana pada zaman kegemilangan SAM di era 80-90an.
Che Ani Mt Zain
Che Ani Mt Zain
SAM taught me the importance of social activism and the role it plays in upholding the rights of people and the protection of the environment. In my experience, SAM has never hesitated to speak up in defence of people and their environment, and has gone the extra mile to champion their rights, by helping communities take their battles to the higher ups and even to the courts.
Jessica Binwani
Jessica BinwaniPublic/Private Interest Lawyer
Semenjak kami kenal SAM, banyak pengalaman dan pengetahuan yg kami dapat. Kami telah belajar cara membuat baja asli daripada SAM. Semenjak itu, bermulalah minat kami dalam aktiviti pertanian. Dengan memperolehi kemahiran dalam membuat baja asli dan penanaman lestari, kami juga telah dapat menambahkan pendapatan sampingan kami. Ini lebih baik daripada tanah kami terbiar dan tidak diusahakan. Terima kasih SAM kerana sudi memberi bantuan dan tunjuk ajar kepada Persatuan kami.
Chedo Anak Nyuwen
Chedo Anak NyuwenPersatuan Penduduk Sg Buri, Bakong, Marudi
My journey with SAM started when her community organisers took me to the meet the paddy farmers of Kedah, connecting my growing interest in environmental law with our people who struggle to work the land in the face of pollution, replacement of traditional seeds with commercial hybrids and their accompanying chemical package of fertilisers and weedicides. I then had the honour to work with SAM in the struggle for the rights of the native communities of Sarawak, in defence of their forests from massive logging and destructive mega-projects. In every issue that SAM takes up, she combines rigorous research with the realities and voices of the communities to advocate for policies and laws that care for people and nature. From the courts to the elected legislators to policy makers and implementers and to the United Nations, SAM walks side by side with the communities in Malaysia. How can I not be inspired by the vision and passion of the generations of women and men who coalesce to form SAM?
Chee Yoke Ling
Chee Yoke Lingstudent of SAM, Executive Director of Third World Network, SAM’s sister organisation

Support our mission

Do your part for the environment with your donations. Each contribution enables our organisation to create more impact towards environmental justice.

Donate here

Sahabat Alam Malaysia (Headquarters)
No. 1, Jalan Joki,
11400 Penang,
Malaysia
Tel: +604 827 6930
Fax: +604 827 6932

Sahabat Alam Malaysia (Marudi Office)
129A, First Floor,
Jalan Tuanku Taha,
P.O.Box 216,
98058 Marudi,
Baram, Sarawak,
Malaysia
Tel & Fax: +6085 758 973

Sitemap

  • Home
  • About
  • Programmes
  • Resources
  • Archive
  • Donate
  • Shop
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy
  • Usage of the Website Content

Get the latest news

Facebook Twitter Youtube Instagram

Sahabat Alam Malaysia (Headquarters)
No. 1, Jalan Joki, 11400 Penang,
Malaysia
Tel: +604 827 6930
Fax: +604 827 6932

Sahabat Alam Malaysia (Marudi Office)
129A, First Floor,
Jalan Tuanku Taha,
P.O.Box 216,
98058 Marudi, Baram, Sarawak,
Malaysia
Tel & Fax: +6085 758 973

Sitemap

  • Home
  • About
  • Programmes
  • Resources
  • Archive
  • Donate
  • Shop
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy
  • Usage of the Website Content

Get the latest news

Follow us here

Facebook Twitter Youtube Instagram
Copyright © 2023 Sahabat Alam Malaysia