KUALA LUMPUR: A social activist has urged the government to hold a special Dewan Rakyat sitting to table the climate change bill and pass it into law by this year.
Alliance for Safe Community chairman Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye said the country urgently required the legislation to mitigate the adverse effects of climate change.
"Globally, climate change is ravaging nations, with the northern hemisphere facing severe droughts, while the southern hemisphere is getting battered by floods.
"The Meteorological Department has recently raised alarms on the prospects of a deluge during the upcoming northeast monsoon period.
"As such, the government must speed up the tabling of the climate change law and get it approved as soon as possible.
"We do not want places like Taman Sri Muda to suffer the same fate as they did during the December 2021 floods," he told the New Straits Times.
Environment and Water Minister Datuk Seri Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man had, on Monday, said the ministry was hoping to complete the draft of the climate change bill by the end of this year and table it in the Dewan Rakyat by 2023.
The new law, he said, would strengthen all relevant institutions and enable the ministry to hire more staff to tackle climate change.
Lee also called on the local authorities to beef up enforcement and roll out action plans on climate change.
"Local councils play a pivotal role in our response to climate change. They must clean up, widen and improve the drainage systems in every neighbourhood. They must plan early and allocate sufficient funds for this.
"Local authorities should also inspect construction sites because most of these places do not have proper drains, and this leads to flash floods.
"Under the climate change law, the government should educate and train local communities to brace for flash floods and other disasters.
"The government should also invest in the latest equipment and facilities to enhance its disaster management response."
Besides disaster management, Lee said, the climate change law should also look into ways to help farmers and other vulnerable groups cope with challenges associated with climate change.
Global Environment Centre director Faizal Parish said parliamentarians across the aisle should vote and pass the climate change bill as soon as the government tables it.
Faizal said the law should cover adaptation to climate change and mitigation measures, as well as the regulation of greenhouse gas emissions.
"The climate change law must also look into regulating carbon finance projects.
"Regulations to control key sectors related to greenhouse gas emissions, including land use, and peat land development and management should also be included in the legislation.
"Peat land, especially, is one of the most important source of greenhouse gas emissions from the land-use sector," he said.