Lawmakers' group moots formation of climate change commission

 

The All-Party Parliamentary Group Malaysia on Sustainable Development Goals (APPGM-SDG) chairperson Rohani Abdul Karim (GPS-Batang Lupar) has mooted the formation of an independent climate change commission.

This commission will act as oversight for all matters related to climate change, including disaster risk management and adaptation, she said.

“In the future, the effects of flooding will worsen with the increase of population, urbanisation and economic development in flood-prone areas, on top of the increasing frequency and intensity of extreme weather due to climate change.

“It should be stressed that sustainable development goals will not be achieved without effectively mitigating the risk of floods,” Rohani (above) said during the special meeting in Parliament today to discuss last December's flood disasters.

Aside from the climate change commission, she said the APPGM-SDG has also suggested the formation of two separate Royal Commission of Inquiry looking into disaster preparedness and the factors worsening the effects of flood, respectively.

This will help with accountability and transparency from the government in handling natural disasters, she added.

Other suggestions include reviewing land use in the country, including the states’ structural and local plans, as well as the process of degazetting forest reserves, fast-tracking the formation of the National Adaptation Plan, and mandating a strategic environmental assessment (SEA) for all policies, plans and programmes.

She also said there is a need to re-examine and stop development in environmentally-sensitive and vulnerable areas, especially high-density locations such as Bukit Nanas and Bukit Fraser.

The government also needs to address issues related to disaster preparedness and recovery, she said.

Among the group’s proposals to address this issue include implementing community-based disaster risk management nationwide based on the ‘no one left behind’ principles. -