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Transitioning to sustainable development

In 2015, proponents of sustainable development hailed it as a momentous year with all countries agreeing to adopt the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as the global development agenda. On top of that, nations came together to sign the Paris Climate Agreement to catalyse global climate action.

As many gladly say goodbye to 2020 and more than five years on, it would be understandable that some people would be pessimistic in aiming for such lofty goals. However, it would be a mistake if short-term aims ignore longer-term goals, such as climate change, and the beginning of 2021 has already provided ominous signs of what may lay ahead.

Amid the continued increase in Covid-19 cases, the east coast faces a high-tide phenomenon that wreaked havoc, with those living in coastal areas facing floods and high winds of up to 60kph and waves of up to 2.7m.

In the longer term, a report by the National Hydraulic Research Institute of Malaysia projected that Terengganu will experience significant climate-related events with severe drought between 2025 and 2030, and more frequent floods between 2030 and 2035.

Despite the warnings, scientists and experts should be sympathised for feeling like Cassandra, the daughter of the King of Troy in Greek mythology. Due to her refusing Apollo's romantic advances, she was cursed with the knowledge of future events, but could not convince others of its validity.

Covid-19 is a case in point. Although some believe that the pandemic was unpredictable, scientists have warned about the possibility of such an incident due to zoonotic transmissions caused by wildlife habitat destruction and illegal trade.

As scientists warn of a climate and biodiversity crisis, it is wise to heed their call. The new year and the recovery from the pandemic offer an opportunity for a change of paths towards building back better.

The challenge is that we are often locked in and dependent on the paths that were already laid, making change extremely difficult to catalyse. Technologically, we are locked in to the choices that we have made. Long-term power purchasing agreements based on fossil fuels means that transitioning to renewable energy will remain a challenge.

Institutional lock-in will also occur, whereby organisations are set up to fulfil a certain mandate and will continue to strive for it, despite it being in conflict with other emerging objectives. For example, if producing more cars is an objective, increasing the share of public transport to reduce carbon emissions will go against its institutional mandate.

Furthermore, we are also locked in behaviourally, where our everyday practices can be contributing negatively to sustainability. In the case of Malaysia, the consumerism culture that is tightly linked to social status, for example, will need to shift to more sustainable living practices that consume less raw materials and produce less waste.

The good news is that 2021 provides many opportunities for transitioning to sustainable development. Internationally, two mega United Nations meetings will be held on biodiversity and climate change.

The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change Conference of Parties (COP26) will be held in Glasgow and COP15 of the Convention on Biological Diversity will be held in Kunming, China. Both meetings are expected to produce major outputs including a commitment to higher ambition for climate action and an agreement akin to the Paris Climate Agreement on biodiversity and nature.

Furthermore, observers have commented that Joe Biden's presidency is likely to herald a global green transition. Domestically, the 12th Malaysia Plan will be aligned closely to the SDGs, providing an opportune time to embark seriously on sustainable development for the next five years and beyond.

In terms of the market, the cost of renewables has been reported to be cheaper than fossil fuels. Additionally, while Covid-19 has been devastating, its economic investments for large scale infrastructure is cheaper for governments to make with low interest rates. In Malaysia, it currently stands at a record low of 1.75 per cent.

These developments show that like it or not — change is coming. And in the words of Bob Dylan: "You better start swimmin', or you'll sink like a stone, for the times they are a-changin".

The author is a Director of Research at the Institute of Strategic and International Studies (ISIS) Malaysia


The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times

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