Are you willing to make a change to save the planet?

In April, Malaysia’s Meteorological Department issued heatwave alerts in several states, and the highest temperature recorded was 38.4ºC in Negri Sembilan – less than 2º off the historic high of 40.1ºC in Chuping, Perlis, in 1998. — Filepic/The Star

LAST year we saw temperatures in Britain soar to 40ºC – breaking all records there. At that time, I counted my blessings that while it’s warm or even hot every day here in Malaysia, we have not seen our temperatures reaching those extremes in recent times.

So last month came as something of a shock. In April, Malaysia’s Meteo-rological Department issued heatwave alerts in several states. The highest temperature recorded was 38.4ºC in Negri Sembilan – less than 2º off the extraordinary national record of 40.1ºC in Chuping, Perlis, in 1998.

This is part of an incredible heatwave across the region, with temperatures in Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam, all exceeding 40ºC for a prolonged period. A really worrying aspect of this extreme heat is that the current La Niña effect, although waning, should have meant a cooler hot season this year.

With a switch to El Niño predicted for later this year, scientists are predicting that things may get even hotter next year. So, ironically, this may be the hottest year we have experienced, but the coolest that we will get to experience compared with what’s in store for the future.

We are moving towards the point where humanity will be unable to adapt to the extreme heat conditions that are occurring. There are already reports of widespread heat stress.

Last month, there was a report of an 11-year-old child dying from a heat-related illness. Citizens are being advised to stay indoors in some states, while schools have suspended outdoor activities to avoid the potential consequences of extreme heat.

At the same time, electricity consumption is peaking as people crank up their air-conditioners, thus increasing CO2 emissions. Of course, it is these emissions that are responsible for the extreme heat we are facing.

This is climate change. This is nature baring her teeth. And she is baring her teeth at us – for it is we who are responsible for these changes to our climate. There’s no one else to pin this on.

And so it was with some concern that I read through a survey by multinational market research firm Ipsos released on Earth Day, April 22. The survey reached 21,000 people across 29 countries, including 500 in Malaysia.

While it was reassuring to see that we have a sense that the country is grappling with climate change, and that combating it is a shared responsibility, we seem to be hesitant to face up to what that shared responsibility looks like.

> A third of those surveyed felt that personal behaviour change won’t make a difference.

> Nearly half felt that Malaysia is being asked to sacrifice too much to tackle climate change.

> A third felt it was too late anyway.

> 40% think now is not the right time to tackle climate change given harsh economic conditions.

> A third thinks the negative impact of climate change is too far off to worry about now.

Our notions of what effective behaviour change looks like is also a bit skewed. Recycling was seen as the most effective way to combat climate change. It isn’t, although it is very important for other environmental reasons.

Living car-free, switching to low-emission cookers, asking our energy provider what it’s doing about cleaning up its electricity generation, taking the bus and train rather than a car, cutting out red meat, and stopping ourselves from buying so much stuff that we don’t really need – all this has a much greater impact on emissions.

I’m worried that we are not connecting the dots. Actions have consequences. We talk about our responsibility to future generations. Well, the future generations are here now, vulnerable to the consequences of our inaction, facing ever more extreme heat – currently the most tangible and visible consequence of the climate crisis, but by no means the only one.

At the personal level we must act; and it seems from the Ipsos survey that we must educate ourselves in order to do so.

It is not too late. The required sacrifice is quite limited when compared with those who struggled for independence, who lived under the yoke of colonialism, who toiled under feudalism. It is our turn to “sacrifice” by changing our behaviour, by accepting that we are responsible, and that this is something that is happening now.

And as a nation we must not shy away from our responsibility to lead. As I wrote last month, Malaysia is playing a key role in the region on planetary health.

On the international stage, the Conference of the Parties to the Framework Convention on Climate Change – COP28 – in November will include a day-long discussion on health and will convene a Health Ministers Meeting to make progress on addressing the health impacts of climate change.

We have an opportunity to showcase the work that Malaysia is doing to mainstream planetary health in all national policies, and how we plan, through a “whole of nation” approach, to address ecosystems, biodiversity, health, and climate change in the push to achieve truly people- and planet-centric development.

We are the first country to take this step.

It’s not too late. We are going in the right direction but too slowly. To accelerate we must accept our responsibilities, acknowledge that this is going to be a bit hard and somewhat painful, but remember that those that went before us suffered so that life would be better for those who came after them. It’s our turn.

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Dr Jemilah Mahmood, a physician and experienced crisis leader, was appointed the executive director of the Sunway Centre for Planetary Health at Sunway University in August 2021. She is the founder of aid organisation Mercy Malaysia and has served in leadership roles internationally with the United Nations and Red Cross for the last decade. She writes on Planetary Health Matters once a month in Ecowatch.