PETALING JAYA: Climate change action should not be viewed as a costly obligation but as a long-term investment to protect Malaysia’s economy, food security and future prosperity, says the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
UNDP Resident Representative to Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei Darussalam Edward Vrkic said the world is experiencing increasingly unpredictable weather, making adaptation just as important as cutting greenhouse gas emissions.
“What climate change really means is less predictability.
“We are seeing more frequent disruption. In Malaysia, we’re experiencing more intense and more frequent flooding, longer dry spells and increasingly erratic weather patterns,” he said in an interview after a courtesy visit to Menara Star where he toured the facilities and engaged with The Star’s management team here yesterday.
Vrkic said Malaysia’s average temperature had risen by about 1°C over the past two decades, amplifying extreme weather and threatening agriculture, food security and livelihoods.
He noted that many of today’s climate impacts stem from greenhouse gases emitted decades ago, meaning the effects of past emissions will continue to be felt even as countries accelerate efforts to reduce carbon emissions.
“The gases that we’re trying to mitigate today went up into the air in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s,” he said.
Vrkic also said governments and businesses should stop treating climate preparedness as an expense and instead recognise it as an investment that prevents much larger economic losses in the future.
“If you don’t have climate-proof infrastructure, if you don’t protect crops from saltwater intrusion or redesign cities for future conditions, the socioeconomic costs 10 to 30 years from now will be far greater,” he said.
He said Asean countries collectively need to invest about US$200bil (RM815bil) annually until 2035 to cushion the immediate impacts of climate disruption but current spending stands at only around US$12bil (RM48.9bil) a year, leaving a significant financing gap.
Vrkic said developing countries would not be able to bridge that gap through public funds alone, making greater private sector participation crucial.
Rather than asking who should pay for climate action, Vrkic said the better question was how much countries could save by investing early.
“It is everyone’s responsibility. Looking at climate action as a bill rather than an investment is problematic.
“The return on that investment will be greater well-being, greater profitability and less disruption for societies,” he added.
Despite calls for Malaysia to accelerate climate adaptation, Vrkic said the country was already making meaningful progress.
“There is a lot of good work going on. The question is really about scaling up coordination, financing and integrating climate considerations across every sector,” he said.
He added that Malaysia was emerging as a regional leader in climate discussions with both the government and private sector showing a growing willingness to embrace sustainable development.
“Malaysia is emerging as a leader in the region. South-East Asia and Malaysia in particular, are stepping up this dialogue while some parts of the world are stepping back,” he said.
However, he cautioned that the challenge remained enormous.
“The outlook is quite bleak. The global 1.5°C target is likely to be missed which means the disruptions we are seeing today will become even more severe,” he said.
“Malaysia has to continue its leadership role on climate action, preserve its natural resources and ensure future generations see sustainability not as climate action but simply as the way things should be done.”
