Where's the climate plan, Malaysia?

Taman Sri Muda, Shah Alam, was among the hardest hit areas during the floods disaster in December 2021, with people trapped on upper floors and roofs of houses where floodwaters rose up to the first floor. — FAIHAN GHANI/The Star

Floating furniture, houses submerged to their roofs, cars under water and reptiles swimming in kitchens: these were some shocking scenes from the recent floods in Malaysia, which killed 54 people (as at Jan 5, 2022, according to the police) and affected 125,000 at the end of December 2021.

Such extreme weather events now happen far more frequently. In 2021, there were megafloods in Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, New York, South Sudan and Turkey. In China’s Henan province, a year’s worth of rain fell in just three days in July 2021, killing 300 people. Also in 2021 there was a megaheatwave that melted power lines on the American West Coast and a megadrought in Chile.