COMMENT | Are we on the verge of extinction?

COMMENT | This year is a very important year and while you are reading this article, the 26th Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC COP-26) is taking place in Glasgow, Scotland.

It is being attended by world leaders from nearly 200 United Nations (UN) member countries to discuss and formulate climate change impact management strategies especially in reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions globally. 

Recently, Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob announced the government's intention to reduce the intensity of GHG emissions by 45 percent and reach zero as early as 2050.

As a developing country and with the majority of its population being young, Malaysia is one of the countries that is most vulnerable to the climate crisis. Therefore, immediate and effective action is needed to ensure the country's readiness not only to mitigate but also to adapt to the effects of climate change. 

It is also important for all parties to understand that if swift action is not taken, we will experience far worse impacts than now such as extreme global warming and rising water levels that could even drown parts of the world by 2050 as reported by the Center for Governance and Political Studies (Cent- GPS) in 2019.

Since the youth age limit was lowered from 40 to 30 years old, various issues have been raised including the right to vote, involvement in politics, and the unemployment rate. 

Among other issues that are increasingly being fought not only by young people in Malaysia but also globally is the involvement of youth in environmental issues, especially in terms of support in the form of capacity building, funding, and participation in the decision-making process. 

Last September, I was selected to represent Malaysia at the Youth4Climate Programme in Milan, Italy which was attended by nearly 400 youths from at least 200 countries around the world. 

The summit was held to provide a space for young people to discuss actions taken at the regional level in addressing climate change and formulate a document containing global youth demands urging world leaders to take action which was then submitted to world representatives attending COP26.

Our demands were based on four main themes, namely driving ambition, sustainable recovery, non-state actors engagement, and environment-conscious society. 

Some of the key calls made included youth involvement in the decision-making process, urgent energy transition, increased capacity for youth involvement in climate policy formulation, transparency in climate financing, and integration of climate education in the national curriculum. 

In addition to being an excellent platform to expand the network of activists from around the world and which also allowed us to exchange views from various perspectives, the programme is a testament to the strength of the global youth climate movements and that young people are willing to step forward and help world leaders to face this climate change crisis.

However, are they willing to listen to the voices of young people? Are they ready to stand shoulder to shoulder with them to tackle this increasingly dire issue? 

I think that we have had way too many conversations and I am sure that we have also got the solutions in hand. Not to forget scientific evidence which shows how serious and how desperately an aggressive action is needed to prevent the effects of climate change from getting worse. 

The only question is if we are willing to implement the solutions at the rate that the crisis demands as we do not have much time left.

For example, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report that was released last August showed the global climate crisis was getting worse.

The report also stressed that global temperatures could rise by 1.5 degrees Celsius in the next few decades if greenhouse gas emissions resulting from human activities are not reduced immediately.

UN secretary-general António Guterres in a statement said that the report is a “red code for humanity” which means the facts gathered in the report that is published every six to seven years show human survival is in a very critical state. 

We are already experiencing extreme weather conditions, significant global temperature rise, sea-level rise, loss of living species, more frequent occurrence of natural disasters, spread of disease, and more.

This situation reminds me of when I was in university when learning about endangered animals, looking at what is happening now gives me the impression that we are also on the verge of extinction because if the issue of climate change is not addressed properly today, most likely there will be no tomorrow not only for the future generations but for us as well. 

This is because we must understand that what we are facing now is the result of our negligence and mistakes not since a year or two but over the past few decades. It is also a clear warning of what could happen if we allow this climate crisis to continue until it gets worse. 

If we look at this from a different angle, as we say everything happens for a reason, so is the critical situation we are going through now that gives hope to start making a transformational shift to reduce the effects of climate change.

So this year we have a very important choice to make. Why I say choice, is because change will not happen without political will, economic stability, effective policies, and cooperation by all parties. 

I hope to see the government move more progressively and remain committed to making a difference. 

My call to the government is to create a mechanism that enables the involvement of the Malaysian community more inclusively, especially in terms of providing a platform to voice out opinions, access to climate education, and recognise the position of young people to contribute to climate governance. The future of the world is in our hands!

MOGESH SABABATHY is the co-founder of Project Ocean Hope. 

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.