KUALA LUMPUR: Climate activists have urged the government not to prolong a nationwide climate emergency being declared in response to the deadly floods, which has claimed the lives and displaced many recently.
This comes after Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said in a statement yesterday that the current flood situation is still under control, and there is no need for such actions.
Klima Action Malaysia (KAMY) chairman Illi Nadiah Dzulfakar questioned the action and argued on how many more deaths must happen, before a climate emergency is declared.
"He (Saifudin) is only looking at the current flood situation, but climate impacts are more than just floods.
"We have sea-level rise, coastal erosion, people being displaced and eventually, some of these living areas are not liveable anymore. People can only adapt to a certain level," said Illi.
"Our government needs to act now, and start moving people to safe living areas," she stressed.
According to her, the reason why a climate emergency needs to be put out is because it would be a measure for policy reforms, "ranging from our institutions to constitutions."
"We can pool the resources needed, and create a task force that could come up with insights on how to deal with these issues," said the KAMY program coordinator, when contacted.
Ecological association of Malaysia's president Prof Dr. Ahmad Ismail said that Malaysia must get ready to face the scale of the current climate impact, which would increase over time.
He highlighted that a better plan to handle the impact can be made by gathering thorough data.
"Probably, we would need a well organised emergency response and temporary shelter for flood victims in the future," said Ismail.
"We cannot depend on facilities such as schools, community halls and other unplanned facilities to place flood victims.
"A climate emergency may not seem to be important now but we need to be ready for the future by managing our environment to address wildlife and human conflict," he added, noting that a detailed study of the climate, the risks and impact should not be overlooked.