THE government must declare a climate emergency to effectively deal with natural disasters before another tragedy occurs, environmental groups said. 

They said the nation could not afford to suffer the loss of more lives and further damage to properties and places. 

They also said the suggestion to declare a climate emergency was not new as climate action groups have been pushing the previous governments to look at the issue closely. However, their calls have fallen on deaf ears. 

Environmental groups said Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim should prioritise climate issues as natural disasters are happening more frequently now. 

On Saturday, Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change Minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad said his ministry was pushing a few key initiatives to tackle climate change. 

Klima Action Malaysia chairman Ili Nadiah Dzulfakar said the issue in Malaysia was not just the yearly floods but also the lack of urban planning and disaster-proof infrastructure to help save lives. 

She said by declaring a climate emergency, Malaysia could gather all resources and identify a fiscal plan that could include getting local talents abroad to come home and help build a better environment for the country.  

“The government has to declare a climate emergency because there have been so many deaths this year, the year before and previous years. But no action has been taken by the government.  

“It is not just about floods and landslides; we are also talking about the heatwave. There’s a whole season of heatwave, and then a whole season of rain but the infrastructure, the education on climate and the efforts to make our environment better have not been done. 

“We are just waiting for something to happen before we act and try to solve it. That is not the way. We have to prevent a tragedy from happening,” said Ili. 

Last week, a landslide that struck in the early morning of December 16 took the lives of 31 victims: 18 adults and 13 children. There were 61 survivors.   

The body of the last victim, believed to be a boy aged between seven and 12, was found at 4.53pm on Saturday, the ninth day of the search and rescue effort. 

In August, the then environment and water minister Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man said there was no need for the government to declare a climate emergency, with the authorities having rolled out several initiatives to combat the effects of climate change. 

Tuan Ibrahim said Malaysia had given its commitment to reduce the intensity of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions as well as aimed to achieve net zero GHG emissions as early as 2050. 

Despite the change of government last month, Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail also said the massive floods that hit the country did not warrant declaration of a climate emergency. 

He said there were processes and evaluations to be carried out before such a declaration could be made. 

Awareness needed

Responding to Saifuddin’s view, Ili said the new government must work to save lives.  

“It is wrong to say that we are still under control despite losing lives yearly to natural disasters. Are we prepared to stop a landslide or are we prepared to help the people save their belongings each time there is a flood? 

“The answer is no, we are not prepared. Many things have to be reformed; we have to improve our infrastructure; we need lawmakers to understand climate change better and support any kind of reform in parliament. 

“If we say we are under control, did we manage to control the deaths in the Batang Kali landslide?” asked Ili. 

Gabungan Darurat Iklim Malaysia said the first order of business for Anwar’s new government should be to deliver on Budget 2023 promises dealing with post-Covid-19 economic recovery, and climate, environmental and human rights crises.  

EcoKnights vice president Amlir Ayat, on the other hand, said while it is good for the government to declare a climate emergency, there were aspects that needed to be synchronised. 

He stressed that the matter should be carefully planned and must involve experts and activists from various fields.  

“It includes clear criteria for the implementation of the emergency, the actions that need to be taken that are relevant to Malaysia and our local situation, and its effects on various social and economic aspects of the country. 

“Depending on the content, the declaration may have an impact not only on the economic sector but also socially.  

“What is important is not the declaration but our awareness, especially at the national management level, to take measures that match our situation and capabilities,” he said. – December 26, 2022.