Experts: Hot weather not linked to late sunrise

KUALA LUMPUR: Early risers may have noticed something odd this month.

The sun is rising later, and there has been speculation that it is tied to the hot spell the country has been experiencing.

Environmentalists have, however, confirmed that the late sunrise is a natural phenomenon, which typically occurs during the first three months of the year.

It is not related to the current hot and dry weather, and people should thus not be alarmed. It has, however, drawn attention to the need to pay more attention to the environment.

The Meteorological Department said Malaysians should not be worried about the erratic weather condition.

However, environmentalists said more attention should be given to the environment before it was too late.

Senior lecturer Dr Mohd Yusoff of Universiti Putra Malaysia’s Environmental Studies Faculty said Malaysia was facing “unnatural weather situations”.

“But it is manageable if we take precautions.

“There are measures which should have been taken earlier, such as planting trees. But now, the trees that are newly planted are too young to help the environment.”

He said while the situation would only get worse, there were steps that could be taken to help the future generation.

“Development should be carried out properly.

“People must ensure they are not doing more damage to the environment.

“We have not reached the stage (where the country’s temperature) is more than 40°C. But we need to address this situation now.”

Malaysian Youth Delegation capacity building coordinator Kelvin Diong hoped Malaysia would adopt a comprehensive framework towards not just mitigating climate change, but also adapting to it.