Make Malaysia resilient

Less of this: Illegal logging busted in Sedilu National Park in Sarawak in February 2020. — Sarawak Forestry Corp

IN light of the poor response by the authorities to the floods currently ravaging several states in Peninsular Malaysia, Gabungan Darurat Iklim Malaysia (GDIMY; or Climate Emergency Coalition of Malaysia) demands that federal and state governments prioritise climate resilience to address the issue of extreme weather events immediately with concrete, people-centred – and not false – solutions.

The latest IPCC (Intergovern-mental Panel on Climate Change) report states that climate change is “widespread, rapid and intensifying”, and this is exactly what we are seeing playing out in Malaysia today. However, we are hopelessly unprepared. Not properly protecting the people from the full impact of disasters is a violation of our rights to life, health, food, water, shelter, a safe and healthy environment, and a sustainable livelihood.