Executive Summary
Located in Southeast Asia, Malaysia is divided in two geographic parts: Peninsular Malaysia in the west and East Malaysia on the northwestern part of Borneo Island. It is a member-state of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
Malaysia lies outside of the "Ring of Fire" and of historical tropical cyclone paths and, thus, is at relatively lower risk for earthquakes and direct hits by cyclones, though these events still sometimes occur. The country much more frequently grapples with floods, storms, landslides, heatwaves, and droughts. By far, floods are the most frequently occurring disaster, and the country is experiencing more extreme weather that brings heavy rainfall and leads to floods as climate change influences precipitation patterns.
Malaysia's 32.4 million people are diverse ethnically, linguistically, and culturally, and they combine to form a unique country. Ethnic Malays comprise the majority, and they benefit from minimum quotas in business, education, and civil service due to policies intended to prevent their disenfranchisement. Malaysians of Chinese or Indian descent, and Orang Asli and other indigenous peoples comprise much of the remaining citizenry.
Malaysia's economy has grown and developed dramatically in the last half century. It has diversified away from agriculture and commodities and now includes strong manufacturing and services sectors. Openness to trade and foreign investment have played a role in how Malaysia's economy has grown. A key investment that has powered the country's growth is infrastructure development with the country's ports providing critical transshipment and import-export hubs for the region writ large. Moreover, Malaysia's keystone role in the region is bolstered by its investment in energy trade and infrastructure, and the country is connected to neighbors by electricity networks.
Disaster management efforts have expanded since the 2015 reorganization of federal government structures and creation of the National Disaster Management Agency (NADMA), a founding that marked a proactive approach to disaster risk and response. Malaysia's urban search and rescue (USAR) team is trained according to United Nations (UN) International Search and Rescue Advisory Group (INSARAG) guidelines. The INSARAG-certified Special Malaysian Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team (SMART) has extensive operational experience and has deployed domestically and internationally.1 Alongside the government, MERCY Malaysia, the country's most prominent non-government organization (NGO), continues to work around the world and with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and the UN. Malaysian disaster management has also made progress building its early warning systems for flooding, earthquake, and tsunami; in particular, it has expanded its capability to detect and disseminate warnings about flooding over more of the country.
These expanded capabilities will be needed as Malaysia gears up to mitigate against and adapt to climate change. Thus far, climate change effects have been varied although flooding, droughts, and heat waves have all worsened. Climate hazards and extreme weather will also affect water quality and provision, agriculture, and outbreaks of infectious and vector-borne diseases. Coastal areas face inundation risks as sea levels rise. Moreover, Malaysia is home to several vulnerable groups who may be at significantly greater threat as climate change-influenced hazards become more extreme. The challenges faced by people living in poverty, refugees and stateless persons, people with disabilities, and others will require greater policy consideration. Malaysia is well aware of the increasing risks that climate change brings, and the 12th Malaysia Plan (12MP, 2021-2025), the current five-year national development plan, devotes attention to the impacts of climate change.