KUALA LUMPUR: Floods that resulted from torrential rain in many states of Peninsular Malaysia over the weekend exposed the reality of extreme weather patterns caused by climate change, according to environmental experts interviewed by CNA.
With such events expected to happen more frequently in the future, experts also urged the authorities to do more in terms of disaster planning and promoting sustainable development.
Environmentalist Renard Siew said that the floods that hit several states, including Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, Kelantan, Pahang, Melaka and Terengganu last Friday (Dec 17) and Saturday is a clear example of an unpredictable weather event as a result of high carbon emissions.
Dr Siew, who is the climate change advisor to the Centre for Governance and Political Studies (Cent-GPS), a Malaysia-based behavioral and social science research firm, explained: “When we pump out carbon dioxide to the atmosphere, what tends to happens is that this creates a global seeping effect where greenhouse gases trap heat and under warmer conditions, our atmosphere is able to hold more vapour and moisture.”
“When you have an accumulation effect, the longer-term impact of this is that you have sudden downpour of rain in certain localised areas, and that is what you have seen in the floods over Malaysia in the last few days,” he added.