Use your votes to push Malaysian politicians for action on the climate crisis

Floods are still occurring since the December 2021 disaster. This is a view of Kuala Lumpur after a flash flood on May 25, 2022. — Integrated Transport Information System/Kuala Lumpur City Hall

For weeks since the middle of September, we’ve heard political leaders argue over when to hold Malaysia’s next general elections.

There are legitimate concerns over the threat of floods in a year-end election, given this could affect voter turnout and demand manpower and resources that might be diverted to polling.

But timing aside, there’s a bigger picture, which is that the floods are a contentious issue. It’s to be expected: the trauma of the December 2021 floods, which displaced 70,000 people and caused RM6bil in losses, is still fresh. There are indelible memories of hip-high waters, roads becoming rivers, wildlife swimming in houses and floating cars.

The floods mark a significant shift. Issues connected with climate change are becoming increasingly important to voters, as seen in other countries. And they will continue to be, as the effects of climate change escalate. Tomorrow, water crises or food production might be issues. For the rest of our lives, the climate crisis will probably remain a major election issue.

People may argue that the December 2021 floods were a “once in a century” event, and all weather events can’t simply be attributed to climate change. Indeed, natural phenomena such as La Niña and El Niño also affect weather (although these too are more extreme now). And many factors can contribute to flooding, such as loss of forest cover and poor drainage.

But we’re seeing a pattern here. The warmest seven years on record globally have occurred since 2015. Warmer temperatures lead to more rainfall, due to more moisture held in the air. In Kuala Lumpur, there has been a 35% increase in extreme rainfall in the last three decades.

In August 2022, a third of Pakistan was under water, displacing eight million people and killing 1,500; alarmingly, many areas are still under water in October. From event attribution studies, scientists believe climate change is driving most extreme weather events, including droughts, wildfires and hurricanes.

This is why climate change should be an election issue.

So concurs Ili Nadiah Dzulfakar, chairperson and founder of Klima Action Malaysia (Kamy). She says climate issues are “really important” for young people in Malaysia: “It is very dangerous if we don’t talk about it. Every time it rains, somewhere in Malaysia will be flooded.”

Yet few politicians prioritise climate issues; some are even dismissive. Environment and Water Minister Datuk Seri Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man has said there’s no need for the government to declare a climate emergency yet, since there are several initiatives to combat climate change.

Yet declaring a climate emergency would be a proactive move, says Ili Nadiah. This would help us allocate funds and mainstream climate action into all areas.

Frankly, our current measures to mitigate climate change are so inadequate that I dare say they’re cosmetic. On energy, Malaysia’s main source of carbon emissions, the government has put on hold plans to reform the sector and is barely lowering the use of fossil fuels (which under current plans will still make up 83% of our energy mix in 2040). Clear and transparent data on our forests is lacking, degazetting forests is too easy, and over 70,000ha of primary forest are being lost every year.

Our unimpressive national effort leaves us trailing behind other countries in climate action – in the Climate Change Performance Index, we’re embarrassingly ranked near the bottom, at 57th place out of 64 countries.

But mitigation is just one of three pillars of climate action; we are still in our infancy on the pillars of adaptation (preparing and adjusting to climate change impacts) and loss and damage (helping people deal with these impacts). How are we, for example, adapting to increasing flood risks?

“We don’t have a single policy on adaptation, which is really important. We also don’t have a loss and damage agenda,” says Ili Nadiah, adding that there are areas where we can no longer adapt, such as the loss of coastal areas and arable land.

By contrast, in Bangladesh, a country that has fewer resources but is prioritising climate change, extensive action has been taken on climate adaptation and loss and damage.

Efforts include increasing the capacity of government agencies to respond to emergencies, implementing early warning emergency systems and providing rural homes and shops with solar home systems.

In Malaysia, people are adapting in their own way. Some are already busy preparing for floods, buying needed items in bulk for example.

“People aren’t waiting for the government. I’m being approached by foundations asking about plans to distribute items before the floods [arrive],” says Ili Nadiah.

“Whenever it rains at night, I call people on the ground, asking if they’re OK.”

Politicians need to realise that the reality of climate change is already upon us. The public, in turn, needs to push politicians to act. The future of our planet is fragile, and all of us need to act to protect it.

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Human Writes columnist Mangai Balasegaram writes mostly on health but also delves into anything on being human. She has worked with international public health bodies and has a Masters in public health. Write to her at [e-mail]. The views expressed here are entirely the writer's own.