Digital Tools in Climate Adaptation Governance in Malaysia

This study analyzes Malaysia’s first climate adaptation program, the Nature-based Climate Adaptation Program for the Urban Areas of Penang Island, which focuses on nature-based solutions (NbS). The benefits of NbS extend beyond climate change adaptation to public health, urban biodiversity, and social and financial sustainability. The program includes the creation of four digital tools. The first is the Knowledge Transfer Platform, part of the institutional capacity component. This is a key tool for scaling the program’s benefits to other cities in the region. The second digital tool is a Climate app for informing the public about extreme weather events and existing climate risks and assisting them in making informed choices. The third digital tool, part of the Women & Girls program, includes peer-to-peer support for caregivers. The fourth digital tool is an open-access, collaborative platform for sharing and documenting the climate resilience of urban tree species in Malaysia, Singapore, and Kalimantan, the Atlas of Climate Resilient Trees Species (ACResT). ACResT, a world first, has two main goals: (1) providing crucial information for future-oriented urban forestry management, targeting urban planning professionals and city government officials; and (2) providing ongoing documentation of climate impacts on tree species by registered experts.