Climate Crisis, Local and Global: Are We Actually Doing Anything About It?
In this article, we are exploring the recent extreme weather events gripping Malaysia and the rest of the world, the impact of climate change, the policies and actions taken by our government, and what we can — and should — do about climate change.
“Aiya, there’s so many plastic containers here. It’s a waste to throw them all away.”
I glance up from the dining table, observing quietly as my mum sifts through the takeaway containers, once filled to the brim with our dinner, now empty with nothing but measly remains of sauce left behind. She sighs and continues to say, “I think it’s best to recycle them; I’ll have to head down to the recycling bins on the lowest floor. Though I hardly see anyone doing any recycling here…” Our apartment is 38 floors high.
It was a moment, albeit a small one, but significant enough to make me ponder about just how much we care for our environment. Sure, daily news reports and op-ed articles blare headlines on the extreme weather events gripping our world, as well as promises made in climate change conferences and the potential consequences of not doing anything to save our environment now. As we begin to suffer the repercussions of our failure to act early, the time to reflect on what we need to do to take climate action has come, lest we sink deeper into a tragedy that will affect not only us, but the thousands of millions of species that inhabit our world today.
To fully understand the weight of this crisis, read on for a clearer understanding of the climate issues clouding our world today.
The Issues
Some of the most evident proof of our climate crisis lies in the extreme weather events happening across the globe. Within this year alone, we have seen the heaviest snowfall in 50 years in Spain, the worst dust storm in a decade in China, and category 4 Hurricane Ida whipping across the USA, amidst other heart wrenching events that have damaged infrastructure and harmed the lives of thousands. (For an extensive report on all significant events that have happened this year, here’s an interactive map.) According to this study by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, more than 20 million people are displaced by climate disasters every year, with more than 80% of them occurring in the Asia Pacific region.
Now, let us look at Malaysia for example. In this tropical country, We have experienced a great deal of destructive flash floods, mudflows and landslides, to name a few. Up until 2018, our nation has gone through 51 natural disasters that have affected at least 3 million lives, and one of the most frequent occurrences amongst these is none other than flooding. As we entered the northeast monsoon season, the most significant development occurred near the end of October, in which heavy downpours in Peninsular Malaysia affected as many as 5 states, leading to the evacuation of more than a thousand people and the destruction of 260 homes. Such flooding may persist until the end of the rainy season next year in March.
The main concern is not just the floods. It’s also the rising temperatures, higher sea levels and heavier rainfall. It’s the devastatingly high levels of deforestation, amounting to a total loss of 23.7% of our tree cover since 2020, a phenomenon that we know leads to greater concentrations of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere. Furthermore, it’s also the great levels of carbon emissions gushing out from our country — at a whopping 7.2 tonnes per person, and representing the second largest emissions in the ASEAN region. The list goes on and on. It has only become more inevitable that Malaysia is facing a grave climate crisis ahead of its time. After all, we are already suffering from the repercussions of our actions.
The Explanation
Whilst it may be conjectural to declare that rising temperatures has led to an isolated extreme weather event in history, the link between these two variables is clear. Statistically speaking, climate trends tracked over several decades have shown a positive correlation between global warming and events such as heat waves, heavy downpours and droughts. With that being said, it can be concluded that the probability of the occurrence of extreme weather events increases with a greater presence of climate factors. An example of this can be seen with category 4 Hurricane Harvey in 2017, where scientific reports found that climate change increased the likelihood of occurrence of the catastrophe by three times than otherwise possible.
As many as 70% of extreme weather events examined were more likely to occur due to global warming. Raised temperatures have been proven to contribute to longer, hotter heatwaves and longer-lasting drought periods. The heavier rainfalls are influenced by more heat causing more water to evaporate and form rain clouds in a shorter span of time. All these shifts in our natural environment are becoming increasingly alarming, and action needs to be taken now to not only prevent these issues from worsening in future, but also to tackle these advances in climate change that our world is already undergoing today.
The Impact
The question at the forefront of your thoughts by now may be this: why does any of this matter? Why should we care so much about taking appropriate climate action?
Admittedly, it’s easy to brush off climate change when it doesn’t affect you, especially if you’re reading this from the comfort of an air-conditioned room in the sweltering hot summer, or a heated home in the cold winter. Yet, the rippling effects of climate change shift the distribution, functioning and biodiversity of different ecosystems. Various animal and plant species are threatened by the rapid changes to our environment, as most do not adapt quickly enough to respond to such shifts, leading to heightened risks of endangerment and, in some cases, extinction. The impact on ecosystems in turn affects our human economy, most especially agricultural sectors whose harvests may be impeded by poor soil quality or changes to rainfall levels. And thus, the lack of food supplies would, in turn, affect our human societies.
“From the ocean depths to mountain tops, from melting glaciers to relentless extreme weather events, ecosystems and communities around the globe are being devastated” — António Guterres, UN Secretary-General
In particular, allow me to shed some light on the impact that climate change has on children, the generation of our future. When exposed to environmental crises, children are greatly, if not most, vulnerable to illness. In a report by UNICEF, children from marginalised communities in Malaysia are especially at risk from being affected by climate change due to several factors such as poverty, geographical location, and poor access to adequate healthcare. Climate change and pollution have proven to disrupt schooling and increase susceptibility of diseases in this age group. All this is worrying, especially when we consider how our children of today are the generation of the near future.
The Actions Taken (and Not Taken)
It’s evident that the topic of climate change has become a blazing headline, especially in this year around the time of the commencement of COP26, or the 26th United Nations Climate Conference, where world leaders gathered to negotiate and lay down the Glasgow Climate Pact. There were some promises made, including pledges made by 151 countries to cut down on carbon emissions by 2030, and the establishment of the new Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance signed by 7 countries aimed to moderate production of fossil fuels.
Yet, the conference has also been deemed as a failure by many climate activists. For one, many countries have not advanced on their promises made to contribute to the climate funding goal of US$100 billion by 2022, and even then, the budget set has been said to be insufficient. Moreover, the 2030 targets established during the discussions have been said to be weak, seeing as how the goal has remained at limiting warming to 1.5°C — when temperatures have been projected to rise by 2.1–2.4°C by then.
How about actions taken by our Malaysian government? In the tabling of the 12th Malaysia Plan, our Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob announced that Malaysia pledges to become a carbon-neutral country by 2050, a plan that has been considered to be the most ambitious in Southeast Asia. Other pledges included the establishment of a National Energy Policy aimed to achieve the nation’s carbon-neutral goals, reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and the implementation of carbon tax. Aside from these notable plans, according to our Minister of Water and Environment, our country has achieved some successes in climate action.
“We’ve succeeded in keeping 50% of our forests. That is the government’s commitment and this can offset our carbon emissions.” — Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man, the Minister of Water and Environment
However, whether or not the government takes action upon their promises is still a question left in a grey area. Several environmentalists have pointed out that the goals are too ambitious for the nation to take on, as pledges are being made at a time when Malaysia does not yet have effective technologies and mechanisms to alleviate the current climate issues it faces. Additionally, the need stands for public-listed corporations to go net-zero, too, an issue that requires a greater-detailed campaign plan.
To ensure that no community is left behind, a comprehensive adaptation strategy is needed, too. As mentioned, societies are already feeling the impact of climate change — most of which are irreversible — through the extreme weather gripping Malaysia. Even if the government does abide by the pledges made, it will take years before the effects of our actions can stabilise the environment. In the meantime, citizens would need to adapt to the current situation, lest more people would have to shoulder the greater brunt of inaction upon their shoulders now and in the very near future. For example, finance needs to be put aside to fund initiatives to help citizens mitigate the effects of flash floods, especially those residing in remote areas at times of heavy rainfall.
And then, here comes the question — what about us? What have we done for the environment? Let’s reflect back at the situation I mentioned at the beginning of this article. The most perceptible reason behind the inaction taken lies in our complacency. We run with the common notion that flying less or recycling our trash does as much as a sprinkle of salt thrown into the ocean. It has been argued that a single person’s actions will make no difference to the world, because truly, what can a speck of a human in the grand scheme of the universe really do?
Yet, it is the individual who propels the issue of our climate crisis to the fore, who raises awareness for others to take notice, who demands change to be made and who changes the trajectory of climate action. By pinning all the responsibility on governments or corporations, we are ignoring the small but necessary changes we, as individuals, can make. In the face of the climate crisis, there is no time to waste in pointing fingers and collective ignorance. Any action, be it a discussion on the recent shifts in our climate with family members, or reducing our individual carbon footprint, can all culminate in an inspirational great move forward in tackling our climate issues right now.
In Malaysia, climate activism organisations and young people have certainly done much to bring the issue of climate change to the fore. A survey done by the NYCC has shown that 9 out of 10 youth acknowledge climate change and are already taking individual action. Of course, there is much space for improvement from all of us, and through collective action, we too can contribute to the slowdown of our climate crisis.
“The problem requires sustained contributions from every corner of industry, every level of government, every academic institution, every foundation and philanthropist, and from all of us as individuals.”
The Future
As we peek more and more into the future, the need for climate action has only become inextricably persistent day by day. As mentioned, we as individuals can — and should — do our part as well. We don’t need funding or finance or manpower to start initiating our own actions. Here’s a brief list of things we can do to alleviate this crisis:
- Cut down your energy use. Think about that lightbulb you forgot to switch off before you headed off for school/work, or the half-filled dishwasher you loaded the other day. By switching off all our lights and appliances, filling our dishwasher to the brim each time, or reducing our use of the tumble dryer, we can reduce our energy consumption, and thus our carbon footprint.
- Carry out the 3Rs (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle). Studies show that the production and delivery process of goods that we consume all generate some form of carbon emissions. By reducing both our consumption and waste, we would be saving energy and reducing pollution, all of which would help improve the current state of our climate and environment. The smallest of actions can just be gathering all those plastic containers from our takeout dinners and heading to the recycling bin, or saving glass jars for storage purposes.
- Contact your local MP. By bringing up this issue with our Parliament Members, who are representatives for us, the people, the need for more talk and more urgent action on climate change can be pushed forward to our government, and could lead to more effective policies and legislation laid down for the future.
- Discuss with anyone and everyone. Initiating in-depth discussions with your family over dinner, or including climate change in conversations with friends, are all effective actions we can take to ensure that as many people as possible are well-informed about our climate crisis. By spreading the word, we are pushing the agenda for more people to be conscious of our climate crisis, and thus, take action to battle against it, too.
This is most certainly not an exhaustive list, and there is plenty more that needs to be done if we aspire to save our planet. However, I would like to go down the optimistic road and say that, with enough drive and motivation to save our communities and wildlife from the grips of climate change, we can and will make positive changes to our environment, our planet — our home.
“We can still choose to go down the better pathway.”
Written by: Siow Chien Wen. Edited by: Suhana Kabeer
