DEVELOPING solutions to real-life problems is not only for adults.
Young people, too, can contribute practical, scaleable and financially viable solutions, as demonstrated by participants of the River Flooding Adaptation & Resilience (RIFAR) University Challenge.
Their climate adaptation ideas were recently presented at a showcase, with winners taking home RM57,000 in cash prizes for their innovations.
Launched by Securities Commission Malaysia (SC) in April, the RIFAR Challenge drew around 400 students from 46 universities in Malaysia and abroad, competing across two tracks.
In the Marathon track, students developed tangible and financially viable flood mitigation solutions that deliver transition co-benefits for Taman Sri Muda in Selangor, an area highly exposed to flooding and facing significant socioeconomic vulnerability.
Over two months, participants took part in webinars with experts and a site visit to observe firsthand the area’s exposure to fluvial, pluvial and tidal flood risks.
Team BDR, comprising students from Universiti Malaya and Monash University Malaysia (MUM), emerged as champion. Team Anak Sungai, comprising students from Sunway University, MUM, the National University of Singapore and the University of Hong Kong, came in second, while Team Blues Bond from MUM finished as second runner-up.
In the Sprint track, students produced creative social media videos promoting river health in Selangor.
Out of 21 submissions, Team Ban Banjir, comprising students from Sunway College, the University of Nottingham Malaysia and MUM, was named champion.
SC chairman Datuk Mohammad Faiz Azmi said he hoped RIFAR would build on the success of last year’s Coastal Flooding Adaptation & Resilience Challenge, which involved collaboration among industry players, policymakers and academia to address coastal flooding.
He added that the capital market must serve as a bridge that channels finance towards building resilience for the nation, businesses, communities and people.
“Achieving this requires not only regulators and financiers, but also the innovation and leadership of the next generation.
“I hope students will continue advancing the conversation on climate adaptation and financing,” he said in his speech at the showcase, which brought together 250 attendees, including representatives from the government, financial institutions, academia, as well as climate experts and university students.
Featuring focused discussions on climate resilience, the RIFAR Showcase, held on July 30, underscored the growing urgency of climate adaptation in Malaysia. It also highlighted the need to unlock private capital for adaptation financing in line with Malaysia’s adaptation priorities, as well as the importance of climate literacy among youth.
The initiative, conducted in partnership with ICAEW Malaysia, Lembaga Urus Air Selangor, Landasan Lumayan Sdn Bhd and the Jeffrey Sachs Center on Sustainable Development, supports the Capital Market Masterplan 2026-2030, specifically its sustainability pillar, by strengthening the capital market’s role in financing climate transition, adaptation and resilience, a press release read.
