Let's all save our environment

Faisal abdur Rani Founder, Malaysia Ecobrickers Community

The fight for our planet and climate change comes with a sacrifice. We need concrete action and commitment from each individual to reduce our carbon footprint.

Unpredictable weather patterns are a concern, as they impact our agricultural industry, food security, and Malaysia’s development. We have also seen the floods at a record high this last few years. We can expect more of this due to rising sea levels.

The need to purchase trending lifestyle items has resulted in an unrealistic fight for climate change. But unfortunately, in a world where money talks and as long we consume at the rate we are, we will always be part of the problem. So let’s walk the talk.

Dr Renard siew Climate change advisor, Centre for Governance and Political studies

I hope that we will invest time and resources to nurture a thriving planet. But, it’s essential to be reminded that there is no Planet B. There is only one planet that we live, breathe and work on to sustain ourselves -a place that we all call home. And we must take care of it.

Malaysia is not excluded from extreme weather events such as floods and prolonged droughts, which will worsen over time. The evidence is clear that this directly impacts crop yields and healthcare services. The climate crisis is a threat multiplier that continues to disrupt livelihoods, especially the marginalised and vulnerable communities.

We need to encourage communities to adopt a ‘conscious’ mindset of wanting to do the right thing for the benefit of people and nurture a thriving planet for future generations. When the intent is right, there is no limit to what we can achieve together.

Nithi Nesadurai President, Environmental Protection society Malaysia

Our precious planet is under unprecedented stress.

We are using resources of more than 1.7 planets, have exceeded four of the nine planetary boundaries, and are in a climate emergency. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change indicates humanity has a brief, rapidly closing window to secure a liveable future. Our primary hope for Earth Day 2022 is for a transformational shift for everyone to put the Earth’s health and live well within one planet’s ecological limits as our top priority and principle for sustainable living. We need to think, feel and act. We only have one Earth.

We have been experiencing various climate change issues recently – unpredictable, intense rainfall leading to unprecedented floods and flash floods; sea-level rise leading to coastal erosion; hotter and drier weather leading to drought; and the shrinking of water resources.

Environmental and climate change considerations have to be mainstreamed into all the decisions and policy-making of governments and corporations, mainly to reduce emissions quickly. They have to understand the science and knowledge on climate change and the connections between their actions and policy decisions and their impacts on the environment. People must accept that time is critical and realise the urgent need to reduce our ecological footprint.

Tasha sabapathy Marketing and communications executive, Zero Waste Malaysia

According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change 2022 report, the sea levels around Asia will increase more rapidly than the global average. In addition, we’ve seen disastrous floods and a shift in weather patterns in the past few months.

People must rethink their habits. At ZWM, we want to teach consumers to practice BYO (bring your own) and composting and reduce consumption. Earth Day should be celebrated daily, practising actionable steps that lead to sustainability.

ZWM encourages Malaysians to take small steps to create lasting sustainable habits. ZWM’S Trash Encyclopedia (trashpedia. zerowastemalaysia.org) provides information about proper waste segregation and zero-waste

alternatives.

Clytia Wong Founder, Kita Refill

I hope that Malaysians can make a more conscious effort to reduce their single-use plastic and disposable packaging usage. But unfortunately, the rate of such waste entering our landfills has increased tremendously due to the pandemic.

The increased occurrence of scorching temperatures and flash floods is an issue of concern here in Malaysia.

We seriously need to look into our forest reserves. Please make sure the current ones are protected and restore our nature to absorb more carbon. Plant more trees!