Adapting to climate change

Inundated: Aerial view of a flooded Kota Baru after Sungai Kelantan overflowed in 2014. — File pic

BEING close to the equator, the “perpetual summer” in Malaysia is nothing new. In the past few weeks, however, the tropical heat has been amplified, prompting many Malaysians (who can afford it) to reach for their air-conditioning remote control to cool themselves down. The El Nino cycle, the warm phase of the El Nino-Southern Oscillation, has arrived yet again and is forecast to remain until May.

The hot and dry season of El Nino is not a new phenomenon and we should all be familiar with its effects and the measures we take to adapt, which includes staying indoors and keeping cool, drinking more water and reducing water wastage.