LETTERS: Malaysia is currently undergoing a heat wave. The weather is hotter than usual that it is rather uncomfortable to engage in everyday activities. But, in no time will thunderstorms come, and heavy rain will then cause floods.
This extreme weather is not just a seasonal change; it is the impact of climate change. But, Malaysians don't talk or even acknowledge it enough. Yes, we're in the middle of a pandemic, and people are more concerned about the number of cases every day and whether or not they get vaccinated.
But, while the pandemic is causing a tragic death toll, keeping people at home and leading to a dire economic crisis, climate change is expected to hit us much more seriously. To understand the kind of damage that climate change will cause, look at Covid-19 and spread the pain over a much longer period of time.
Surface temperature, sea level and extreme weather events in Malaysia are on the rise. Global warming and climate change have caused droughts that lead to water shortages, forest fires and floods that cause death and affect the livelihoods of hundreds of communities every year, particularly in the East Coast.
Although climate change will push the overall death rate up globally, a dramatic increase will be more evident in countries near or below the Equator, where the weather will become even hotter and more unpredictable. Malaysia is one of these countries.
While there will be vaccines to fight Covid-19, there will be no quick and easy solution to climate change. The only way to avoid the worst possible climate outcomes is to speed up our efforts now.
Climate change must be mainstreamed and mitigation efforts must be integrated so that all Malaysians can understand their roles and responsibilities in building a sustainable future.
Mainstreaming climate change refers to incorporating climate change considerations into established or ongoing development programs, policies or management strategies, rather than developing climate change initiatives on a stand-alone basis.
The critical aspect of this is the sufficient involvement of the public, decision-makers and a wide range of stakeholders at all levels to minimise the impact of climate change. Information on climate change must therefore be made available and placed high on the public agenda.
The mainstreaming of climate change initiatives is linked to the public understanding of climate change issues that people need to gain through intensive education, information, warning, persuasion and mobilisation.
Effective climate communication is therefore key. Climate change must be explained in terms that are experienced in people's everyday lives and not in abstract ideas. The public must be made aware that climate change is inevitable and is already deadly; that every flood, hot weather and landslide is the result of climate change.
The public must also be made aware that the effects of climate change are not simply environmental, but every aspect of human and non-human life on this planet. When rain causes floods and spoils their cars, homes and businesses, that's climate change, and when extreme heat causes their children to have rashes and nose bleeds, that's partly climate change.
When the tap suddenly runs dry because the water plant has been contaminated, it is not just the fault of the water supplier alone, it is the general insensitivity to the environment that is the main cause of climate change.
Climate change must therefore be communicated to the public in ways that have less to do with the environment or science, but more to do with their livelihoods, such as their comfort, health and economic sustenance.
Climate change needs to be communicated everywhere, in the media, in schools, in parliament, in coffee shops and, most importantly, at home. While Covid-19 dominated news and conversations, the time has come for climate change to be discussed as much, if not more.
DR SHAFIZAN MOHAMED
Media and Communication Centre, International Islamic University Malaysia
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times