Urgent need to place equal emphasis on environment and economy

Cars trapped in floodwaters in the vicinity of Jalan Kia Peng near the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre on March 7, 2022. — Bernama

WITH the December 2021 floods on Peninsular Malaysia, and again on March 7, 2022, when Kuala Lumpur suffered more flash floods, Mother Nature issued yet another reminder to us about the urgency of preserving our environment, keeping our cities clean and reducing carbon emissions.

First of all, make no mistake, floods are not a singular act of God. Instead, climate scientists say severe floods in general, like other extreme weather events, are increasingly a result of human-caused global warming and ensuing rising sea levels.