Addressing Climate Disasters in Malaysia with a Rights-Based Approach and Climate Justice Principles
ABSTRACT
Malaysia lacks a clear direction for climate disaster management. While climate change affects people from all walks of life, marginalised communities such as low-income families, rural areas and households located in climate vulnerable regions are exposed to disproportionate impacts.
Accumulating systemic factors such as slow disaster response, outdated flood warning and mitigation systems, lack of transparency in flood mitigation plans, inadequate compensation framework, as well as lack of community preparedness caused the outcomes of the 2021 floods which can still be felt by affected communities today. Bearing witness to an unprecedented volume of rainfall, the incident recorded at least 50 deaths, 125,000 displaced people, and cost millions of ringgits in tangible damage.
The right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment should set the direction for climate disaster management. Given that loss and damages due to climate disasters are set to increase in frequency and severity over time, it is pertinent that the circumstances surrounding the incident are thoroughly examined, and that our national approach towards disaster management as well as wider social safeguards at both the systems and community level is adequately prepared for future incidences.
Hence, employing a lens of rights-based approach and framing of climate justice principles, this commentary aims to take stock on Malaysia’s flood and disaster response measures since 2021, as well as explore how legal mechanisms and human rights protection strategies address the social consequences of climate disasters in Malaysia.
Cutting across the climate justice principles, recommended ways forward include freedom of information and transparency, access to aid and compensation, procedural reforms including legislating the right to a clean, safe and healthy environment, as well as multistakeholder engagements.
