COMMENT | The politics of climate change

COMMENT | Since I have previously written about climate change and the environment through personal and industry lenses, the next one to peer through is that of politics. 

In a brief interview with Dr Michael Jeyakumar Devaraj, chairperson of Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM), we recently discussed a few of the existing political challenges, of which there are many.

The short answer is that the issue is not being ignored or dismissed out of hand, even if Covid-19, economic malaise and the political flux occupy the spotlight. Journalist Tashny Sukumaran has written more on this matter in the South China Morning Post.

However, whether state and federal promises – such as hitting a certain percentage decrease in the intensity of greenhouse gas emissions per unit GDP, the installation of solar panels, replanting trees, carbon capturing and using bio-methane in the palm oil sector – turn out to be solid commitments or just rhetoric, is another matter.

Climate itself is multifaceted, and...