MARCH 6 — I would probably respect our politicians more if they took a pledge to remove all air conditioning from their homes.
That is as likely as Umno ceasing their regular sob fests about how much they miss a certain former prime minister, which in the context of Malaysian politics is like that husband who won’t stop reminiscing about his secondary school crush.
It’s irritating and it’s also even more irritating that no one in government, or heck, the Cabinet has foreseen how we will face an energy crisis as people struggle to not die from heat stroke.
While in colder countries we have witnessed people grappling with high gas and heating bills and even more people dying from exposure to the cold, air conditioning might end up becoming more of a need than a luxury in warmer climes.
We have been spoiled by the relatively low cost of electricity in the country and I worry there is no future plan for what will happen when we need more of that power to not boil alive in the heat.
A brief interlude for a PSA: learn the difference between heat exhaustion and heat stroke.
Heat exhaustion is the initial reaction to excessive exposure to high temperatures and that means you need to find shade ASAP and hydrate.
Heat stroke is what happens when you let heat exhaustion go on too long thus turning you red as internally your organs are being cooked like rotisserie chicken.
If it’s that bad, do not attempt to hydrate yourself out of it but immerse yourself in cold water or cooling packs.
Heat stroke requires you to lower your entire body’s temperature quickly before you become a human shrimp on a barbie.
I think it’s necessary for me to write this here to remind myself and anyone who happens to read this.
That’s also what the government needs to be doing. It’s our reality now; temperatures in the high 30s and possibly low 40s are going to be the norm and not anomalies.
I grew up watching a lot of American TV and media, which were useful in teaching me English and about the existence of heat stroke.
With the consumption of electricity only going to rise, it bothers me a lot that it hasn’t been taken into account when promoting electric vehicles as well as generative AI.
In a Scientific American article, I read that if current trends continue Nvidia could be shipping 1.5 million AI server units per year by 2027.
1.5 million AI server units at full capacity would use up at least 85.4 terawatt hours of electricity per year, exceeding the usage of some small countries.
In comparison, according to Statista, Malaysia used up 145 billion kilowatt hours in 2021 — so those AI servers alone would use up more than half of what we use annually .
Energy use in Malaysia is projected to increase even further and yet we are still reliant on the use of coal to power even our electric plants, with solar panel use not as evolved as it should be considering how much sun we get daily.
Instead we continue to rely entirely too much on fossil fuels, as well as our municipal councils aggressively cutting down trees and reducing shade to both lessen tree maintenance and oh, protect cars.
At the very least we should be adopting cultural changes including rethinking the clothes we wear on a daily basis whether to work or school.
It might be time sandals become acceptable daily wear for every occasion and perhaps instead of school uniforms, in future perhaps our children should just be in PE clothes all the time except for specific formal events.
We need more effort put into letting people know when temperatures are unsafe so people can take the proper precautions when going outdoors.
It’s hard not to feel disheartened about this government’s approach to climate change when it seems more focused on gimmicky AI and filling our highways with electric cars.
What can the average person do then? For now, it makes sense that Malaysians now do as in Europe — check the weather outlook before leaving the house so you won’t be caught in blistering heat or torrential rain without protection from the elements.
As the typical Malaysian auntie would say, drink more water lah.
* This is the personal opinion of the columnist.
