TAKING a serious view on climate change, Think City, in collaboration with the Penang government, has launched the Penang Climate Action Week (PCAW) in the state.
State Welfare, Caring Society and Environment Committee chairman Phee Boon Poh said the programme marked not only a first for Penang but also for the country.
“The programme is aimed at creating public awareness on climate change, to promote sustainable production and consumption, and to encourage discourse on climate actions and solutions,” Phee said in his speech at the launch of the Penang Climate Action Week at UAB building in China Street Ghaut in George Town today.
“Rising temperatures, rising sea levels, extreme winds and flash floods – we here in Penang are experiencing all of that.
“Mass urbanisation, mass consumption, rapid urban development, use of plastics, our CO2 emissions from planes and auto vehicles, deforestation, agricultural waste, industrial waste affect either our atmosphere, rivers or oceans.
“All these things are killing Mother Earth, and in turn, will kill us.”
But Phee said everyone could do something to nurse our ailing planet back to health.
On a national level, he said there could be regulation to make large-scale activities that affect our planet illegal.
On a state level, he said they were looking at various plans to mitigate the disastrous effects of climate change by working with Think City and other organisations passionate about taking action on the climate crisis.
Phee also said urban citizens could make changes on a personal, household, neighbourhood and even community level.
“We all need to change the way we do things. This is what Penang Climate Action Week is all about – us gathering together as a community, as a State, to discuss, share information, formulate strategies and take action,” he added.
Also present were Think City programme director Matt Benson, Think City consultant (Brand & Communications) Maya Tan and Penang Green Council general manager Josephine Tan Mei Ling.
Benson, who also spoke at the programme launch, highlighted the connection between cities and climate crisis.
“For centuries, cities have been centres of commerce, culture and innovation but today, evidence points to urbanisation and mass communication as one of the largest causes of the climate crisis,” said Benson.
“Large cities consume two thirds of the world’s energy and create 70% of global CO2 emissions.
“While 70% of cities are already dealing with the effects of climate change – nearly all are at risk. Over 90% of all urban areas are coastal, putting most cities on Earth at risk of flooding from rising sea levels and powerful storms.
“There are opportunities, however, to create a better quality of life while lowering the carbon footprint through better planning and investment into nature-based solutions and behavioural change.”
He added that Think City was developing a nature-based Penang Climate Adaptation Plan for the urban areas of Penang island, together with the Penang Island City Council, endorsed by Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change Ministry (MESTECC) and supported by multiple players.
He also cited the example of the city of Medellin, Colombia, in justifying nature-based solutions.
“Why nature-based? It has proved to be the most effective, carbon-neutral way to combat climate change.
“When the city of Medellin in Colombia made the decision to create 30 green corridors along roads and waterways to reduce the heat island effect and followed with action, the temperature was reduced by more than 2°C,” he said.
Benson added that PCAW was also part of Think City’s year-long 10th anniversary celebrations and that they were grateful to be allied with George Town Literary Festival to reach out to more people.
PCAW started with off with Malaysia’s first Climathon yesterday (from 10am yesterday to 10am today), in which 12 teams took part in a 24-hour hackathon to find solutions to climate change.
Inventech, led by founder Lim Chee Wooi, emerged the champion team. The other team members were Alice Woo, Hor Mun Hong, Wan Choon Yean and Tan Chang Yong.
Besides winning the top prize of RM4,000, the technology-based company won a trip to Paris to attend the global Climathon competition in January next year.
“We did some brainstorming before the competition. It’s teamwork that won us the competition,” Lim said.
Other events lined up for the PCAW programme are a talk by the highly respected Jane Goodall at USM (jointly supported and organised by Jane Goodall’s Roots and Shoots and the Habitat Foundation), a series of locally directed and produced short film and documentary screenings, many of which will be graced by their directors and producers for a Q&A session.
There will also be a community river clean-up session and a number of family-friendly climate-change related workshops for kids.
Story by K.H. Ong
Pix by Njur Afiqah Zainudi