Kuala Lumpur:Malaysia must urgently rethink its development strategy to prioritize nature, as environmental degradation increasingly endangers human health, biodiversity, economic resilience, and societal wellbeing. This was the consensus among experts at the Planetary Health Forum organized by the Academy of Sciences Malaysia (ASM).
According to BERNAMA News Agency, Professor Datuk Dr. Looi Lai Meng, chair of the Environment and Health Pillar under the ASM National Planetary Health Action Plan (NPHAP) Expert Group, highlighted Malaysia's failure to appreciate its ecosystems as vital life-support systems. Despite being a megadiverse country, Malaysia has lost about 30% of its forests over 50 years. Species such as leatherback turtles are functionally extinct, and rhinoceroses were declared extinct in 2019, with only around 150 tigers remaining.
The environmental degradation has led to increased floods, air and water pollution, and destruction of peatlands and mangroves, raising health concerns. Professor Dr. Mahendhiran Sanggaran Nair, chair of the Framework and Integration Pillar under the ASM NPHAP Expert Group, emphasized the need for Malaysia to move beyond development models centered on economic returns, advocating for the integration of environmental and societal values into development planning.
Dr. Gary Theseira, chairman of the Climate Governance Malaysia Council, stated that Malaysia possesses sufficient local climate data to transition from understanding climate risks to taking concrete action. He pointed out that existing flood simulation models and data from extreme weather events could guide assessments of potential climate impacts.
ASM President Datuk Dr. Tengku Mohd Azzman Shariffadeen stressed the need to translate scientific evidence into clear policies and actions. He noted that climate change was no longer just an environmental issue, with its impacts imposing significant social and economic costs on the country. The NPHAP, developed by ASM, aims to provide a national framework for action on planetary health, involving collaboration between government, industry, academia, civil society, and communities.
The forum, in collaboration with Climate Governance Malaysia, gathered experts to discuss contextualizing global climate evidence for Malaysia and converting it into strategic national action. The program included a screening of the UK National Emergency Briefing and an expert dialogue on environmental change's implications for human health, ecosystems, and societal wellbeing.