Climate change issues and Malaysian initiatives

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to describe Malaysian climate change experiences, to highlight the lack of Malaysian initiatives in drafting a national policy on climate change, the structures, activities and national agenda of climate change issues. A description of possible climate change impacts on Malaysia, some facts and figures together with activities, structures and the national agenda are provided in this study. This study emphasises that sustainable long-term economic policy requires a workable framework for climate change and vulnerabilities that have not yet been covered in the national economy. Malaysia must visualise appropriate futures and frameworks on climate change issues, potential changes and national initiatives for planning strategies to reduce vulnerabilities. This study draws attention to the fact that Malaysia ranked 52 out of 57 in the Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI) in 2009. Malaysian climate protection performance still lags behind other countries in the region. This study evaluates and discusses current information about on-going policy preparations on climate change issues, and provides a critical review to improve Malaysian climate change-related initiatives.