MALAYSIA NEEDS TO DEAL WITH CHALLENGES BROUGHT BY CLIMATE CHANGE

KUALA LUMPUR, March 30 (Bernama) -- Malaysia, whose socio-economic
development is closely linked to its natural resources, needs to focus on
dealing with the challenges and potential distruptions brought by climate
change, especially in agriculture and fishery-related activities.

Natural Resources and Environment Minister Douglas Uggah Embas
said Malaysia was vulnerable to global climate changes as records showed
that the country was experiencing an increase in temperature and rise in sea
levels.

According to a Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment report in
in 2000, temperature records from 1951-1996 showed an increase of 0.18 degree
Celcius per decade while the rise in sea levels from 1986-2006 was approximately
1.25mm per year (UTM, 2007), he said.

Sharing his thoughts on environmental issues at the Environmental Asia
conference here today, Uggah told the floor that based on the National Hydraulic
Research Institute of Malaysia's assessment in 2006, the temperature in
Peninsular Malaysia might rise by two degrees Celcius by mid and end of the
century.

Uggah said every one degree Celcius increase in temperature, for example,
would result in a 10 per cent reduction in rice yields, while prolonged droughts
or floods would also impact the commercial agriculture sector.

"We cannot separate environment from economic and social progress. It
becomes all the more evident if we take into consideration that the world is
facing its current climate change predicament because in the past, countries in
their zeal to pursue economic development had neglected the enviromental aspect
of growth."

He said the private sector should together with the government make changes
to the way they operated so that they could leave the future generations with an
environmentally-sound world.

Uggah also urged the business community in Malaysia to be more proactive in
making strategic decisions and investments by taking into consideration the
environmental aspect, thus creating future competitive advantage to further
drive national economic development.

-- BERNAMA