LETTER | Navigating the depths of climate crisis

LETTER | The planet is at a turning point, on the verge of a climatic catastrophe that requires our immediate response.

It was known years ago that extreme climate events drastically changed and happened to every region in the world - even long before humans came into the picture.

Hurricanes and wildfires, among other extreme weather events, melting ice caps are occurring more frequently and with greater intensity, uprooting communities and destroying ecosystems.

The issue of climate change is not limited to environmental concerns; it also involves social fairness.

For example, flooding has occurred year after year in Malaysia, particularly during high rainfall or monsoon season.

We were then caught up with the biggest tragedies on Dec 16, 2022, with 31 persons killed: 18 adults and 13 children. The tragedy occurred at a popular resort campsite near the Genting Highlands and began with a storm of earth and soil coming down, burying tents filled with tourists, and cars falling down the slope.

According to research, Malaysia has designated an area 100 times the size of Kuala Lumpur for deforestation, which includes both legal and criminal land activity, and real estate.

Many Malaysians were displaced by floods in 2021, when roads turned into rivers and homes were washed away by rising water.

According to Serina Rahman, an environmental anthropologist, the tragedy took five lives, forced the evacuation of at least 400,000 people, and resulted in financial damages of approximately RM6.1 billion. Flood damage has left the country’s economy vulnerable.

Climate change is also having an increasing impact on the ecological equilibrium of marine life, just as it is in agriculture. For example, rising ocean temperatures have harmed the growth of plankton, which is the primary food supply for fish such as Ikan Kembung, whose catches are dropping by 60 percent to 70 percent.

The importance of the situation cannot be overemphasised. Each passing day without decisive action brings us closer to irreversible damage. It is our duty to address the global catastrophe now, not just for the benefit of future generations.

Together, governments, corporations, communities, and individuals must take decisive action to protect the Earth and its people from climate change.

In the face of this global challenge, the call to action is clear: we must act swiftly, decisively, and collectively to mitigate the impacts of the climate crisis. The decisions we make now will influence the planet in the years to come. Now is the moment to take action.

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