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Zuraini Anang · Jaharudin Padli · Noorhaslinda Kulub Abdul Rashid · Roseliza Mat Alipiah · Haslina Musa ·Jurnal Ekonomi Malaysia ·2019

Water becomes a crucial issue in the 21st century because of rising population and increasing development. Water is needed for agriculture, energy production, recreation, and manufacturing. This study investigates the impact of economic indicators and climate change on water demand for 13 states in Malaysia. Using annual data from 2007 to 2015, the panel data approach is used to assess the impact of these determinants on water demand. The dependent variable is water resources, and independent variables comprise real income, total consumption per capita, agriculture sector, population density and climate change. The real income is a nonlinear equation and indicates a threshold in economic development because the welfare of residents and industry will decline after the optimum point due to the shortage of water resources. The results indicate that total consumption per capita, agriculture, and population density have a positive impact on water demand. The agriculture sector exerts high demand on water resources. The climate change is a correct sign that represents an increase in demand for water resources during dry periods and leading to water stress. This fnding is useful for improving the prediction of climate change to managing the water resources sustainably, particularly in the agriculture sector

Saeed Solaymani ·Environment, Development and Sustainability ·2018

This study attempts to analyze the short- and long-run impacts of the probable change in rainfall and temperature simultaneously on food availability and access to food issues, as the two dimensions of food security, in Malaysia. It uses an integrated method comprising of a stochastic method and a computable general equilibrium model using the latest (2010) input–output table published in 2015. The stochastic method, which relates to the Monte Carlo simulation, provides the probable changes in rainfall and temperature patterns and their probability of occurrence based on historical data of rainfall and temperature and crop productivity. It was found that, simultaneous variation of rainfall and temperature, in both the short- and long-run, contracts the economic performance of Malaysia. Findings also show the negative impact of rainfall–temperature variability, in both time periods, on food availability and access to food due to a reduction in the supply of agricultural products, a commodity inflation pressure and a reduction in household income. Moreover, results suggest that the climate variability shocks lead to a reduction in the consumption and welfare of all household groups, particularly in rural areas.

Kerstin K. Zander · Supriya Mathewa ·Ecological Economics ·2019

Higher temperatures linked to climate change lead to people feeling increasingly heat stressed compromising their health and reducing economic activity. In this paper we assess the potential economic impact of heat stress on working people in urban Malaysia by analysing the loss in productivity that they associate with heat stress. We found that nearly every respondent (99%) from a sample of 514 drawn from an online survey sometimes feels heat stressed and also less productive as a result. The median number of days in a year on which people felt their productivity had been compromised because of heat stress was 29. On those days half of the respondents felt their work capacity had been at least halved. The estimated median annual loss from reduced productivity was 257 €, nearly 10% of respondents' median annual income. Respondents who work in mentally challenging jobs are more affected by heat than those in physically intense jobs. They also receive the highest incomes, so suffer the highest losses. Our research suggests that the real economic costs of heat has probably been under-estimated because most research has so far focused on people working in physically intense outdoor jobs or those performed in very hot environments.