With eight in 10 youths anxious about floods and heatwaves, here are five things demanded from state polls candidates

KUALA LUMPUR, July 13 — Election candidates looking to win votes in Malaysia’s six state polls next month should adopt five key demands from youths as solutions for the climate crisis, youth-based advocacy campaign MyHutan has said.

MyHutan pointed out that 83 per cent of Malaysian youths in its recent survey said climate change was an important issue for them, while 83 per cent in the same survey also said they feel afraid for their future with climate change risks (such as flash floods, heatwaves) in the horizon.

“The state elections would be a golden opportunity to push environmental issues to the mainstream of Malaysian political discourse. Environmental and climate issues will give an impact to all Malaysians and action must be taken as soon as possible to ensure the natural bounty enjoyed by the current generation will last for our children and grandchildren.

“If not now, when? If not us, who?” said the group in a statement released yesterday evening.

For the 83 per cent who felt anxious or fearful, MyHutan said the respondents’ anxiety was over the impacts and risks of climate change, especially those resulting from “extreme weather events which are now “occurring with worrying regularity”.

“The anxiety expressed by Malaysian youth is likely fuelled by a combination of factors, including scientific reports and media coverage highlighting the adverse effects of climate change, personal experiences with extreme weather events, and a growing awareness of the long-term implications of environmental degradation,” MyHutan, which advocates for environmental and climate change issues, said in its survey report released together with the statement.

In the same survey, 88 per cent of respondents also believed that climate change is currently causing a direct impact on Malaysia, while 86 per cent said climate change affects the frequency of natural disasters.

At the same time, more than two-thirds of the Malaysian youths (70 per cent) polled said protecting the environment is more important than growing the economy, with only three per cent disagreeing with this view and 27 per cent opting to take a neutral view.

“In the context of the state elections, politicians should balance economic offerings with safeguards related to environmental protections,” MyHutan said.

Based on the survey results, MyHutan listed five demands for the candidates in the six state elections in Kedah, Kelantan, Negeri Sembilan, Penang, Selangor and Terengganu, including an immediate pause on logging and a comprehensive review of all logging laws to curb illegal and unsustainable logging.

The other demands include pushing for a comprehensive public transport policy covering sustainability and pedestrian-oriented urban planning; and implementing fiscal policy — including carbon tax instruments and the use of environmental financial tools, especially ecological fiscal transfer.

The youth-based campaign also pressed for an overhaul of agricultural sector laws and implementation of agriculture policy focusing on small modern farmers and their rights in order to ensure Malaysia’s food security; and a full government commitment to ensure that half of all government buildings’ energy needs are powered by renewable energy.

In the six state elections on August 12, a combined total of 9,773,571 or over 9.7 million voters are eligible to cast their votes.

For all six states which last held state polls in 2018, it will be the first time that voters as young as 18 will be able to vote to choose candidates to represent them as state assemblymen. This is because the minimum voting age of 21 was only lowered to age 18 from December 15, 2021 onwards.

MyHutan’s “Youths’ Climate Demands Survey” was carried out online by research firm Vase.ai involving 1,103 Malaysian voters aged between 18 and 35 years old nationwide from March 29 onwards, with the central question revolving around “how do young Malaysians feel about Malaysia’s trajectory regarding climate change?”

In the same survey, 37 per cent believed the Malaysian government is taking climate change seriously, while only 39 per cent believe the government can be trusted to handle climate change issues.

The survey saw 43 per cent believing Malaysians are taking climate change seriously, 39 per cent who think Malaysia is prepared to handle extreme weather and other effects of climate change, and 49 per cent who felt Malaysia is taking the necessary steps to address the risks of climate change.

In analysing the lack of trust in the government for climate change issues, MyHutan suggested it could possibly be due to factors such as the government’s policies, actions or implementation of measures being viewed as inadequate; or that youths feel that not enough government resources are being allocated to mitigate the impacts of climate change.

“There may also be a perception that the government is not effectively engaging with youth or incorporating their perspectives and ideas into decision-making processes,” it said.

As for policies, an overwhelming 86 per cent supported increasing Malaysia’s use of renewable energy, with the second-highest policy backed being the view that Malaysia should significantly reduce or stop logging (76 per cent), followed by 57 per cent who said Malaysia should declare a climate emergency while 12 per cent disagreed that such a declaration should be made.

While a climate emergency declaration is a symbolic move recognising the urgency of the threat of climate change, MyHutan suggested that some youths had reservations possibly due to concerns about the implementation of emergency measures, potential economic impact or perhaps due to prioritising other pressing issues.

The survey also found 50 per cent of youths polled agreed that Malaysia should explore nuclear energy as an alternative source of energy while 19 per cent disagreed with this.

Only 40 per cent agreed to pay higher taxes to fund projects to address the risks of climate change, while 39 per cent were neutral on this, and 21 per cent disagreed with paying more taxes.

“The preference against higher taxes among Malaysian youth highlights the need for transparent communication and effective engagement regarding the costs, benefits, and alternatives for financing climate action,” MyHutan said.