The current assailing rainfall and flood occurrences remind us of climate change through changing weather patterns. These events brought indirect changes in water and air quality that have serious impacts on the ecosystem, agriculture and the economy.

At the recently concluded Asia Pacific Regional Water Conference in Kuala Lumpur, the co-ordinating lead author of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), Dr Wong Poh Poh of Singapore stated that Asia Pacific is especially vulnerable to climate change that may result in two extremes, floods and drought.

Global warming leads to a rise in sea level due to melting polar ice caps and scientists have predicted that sea levels might rise by around 50 and 100cm by the year 2100 based on a 4 C temperature increase.

A rise in sea-surface temperature intensifies tropical cyclones through changes in wave and storm surges and ocean acidification, leading to coastal flooding damaging the coastal ecosystem, coral reefs and estuaries.

The 2007 IPCC report had seen an increased in monsoon precipitation, resulting in a five percent increase in discharge into major rivers.

Rapid urban development and squatter settlements located in areas subject to landslides as the one that occurred in Bukit Antarabangsa may accelerate the prospect of floods and natural hazards facilitating the emergence of water-borne diseases.

Global warming, urbanisation and changes in natural vegetation effect the distribution and abundance of mosquito vectors. Rainfall increases may lead to a proliferation of mosquito breeding sites and transmission of parasites.

Salt-water intrusion into estuaries extends malaria vectors in coastal areas with the peak malaria season generally occurring in April and May in Peninsula Malaysia. However, this is expected to become longer as temperatures rise in the future.

The Anopheles maculate, a malaria vector, has a biting rate of 20 people per night and these tropical mosquitoes generally feed on people at regular intervals of 2 to 5days. This clearly establishes the relationship between high temperature, rainfall and the occurrence of dengue Stegomyia (previously called Aedes) aegypti outbreaks as a consequence of climate change.

The warming of the sea may double growth rates of harmful phytoplankton, intensifying the frequency of algal blooms that can negatively affect human health.

Changes in atmospheric circulation patterns caused by elevated release of ozone (toxic) concentrations involving nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds and particulate air pollutants by vehicles, significantly contribute to poor air quality that expose us, especially children, to illnesses of the respiratory system such as asthma, allergic rhinitis and other respiratory diseases.

Temperature and humidity changes the concentrations of air pollutants and fine particulate matter in response to climate change. Consequently, certain atmospheric circulation conditions increase the long-range transport of air pollutants including aerosols, carbon monoxide, ozone, dust, mould spores and pesticides which can lead to adverse health impacts.

Depending on the location and present exposure, climate change alters human exposure to ozone and solar ultraviolet radiation, causing non-communicable diseases like skin cancer and lung and heart disease.

Other quantified effects of temperature sensitive consequence of climate changes include food poisoning, such as salmonellosis, contact between food and pest species, especially flies, rodents and cockroaches and methylation of mercury and its subsequent uptake by fish and human beings.

Based on the IPCC’s third assessment report projections, climate change could alter the incidence and geographical range of malaria and climate-sensitive dengue largely confined to urban areas.

Urban air quality will suffer from rising ground-level ozone caused by increasing emissions of methane, carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxides and this trend is expected to continue over the next 50 years, assuming population, economic development, regulatory actions and energy use remain at the current pace.

Adapting to climate change requires diverse strategies that should include physical modifications to the environment. Based on the projected global sea-level rise, the population is at risk of flooding by storm surges throughout the 21st century.

Interventions through community responses planning by means of public education and awareness campaigns on climate change will be effective in reducing the risk of diarrhoeal and vector-borne diseases.

Augmented by relevant expertise, local councils should take advantage of community residents' local knowledge and perspective to build awareness of climate-related health impacts, take measures to improve water and food hygiene and ensure that the construction sector places importance on human health.

In anticipation of environmental changes, local councils must promulgate adaptation strategies, policies and measures at different levels and scales for the benefit of local communities to include climate-change-related disease monitoring, surveillance systems and preparedness.

Local councils must embark on a continuous campaign stressing on energy efficiency and renewable energy, including implementing transport measures to reduce air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions for the benefit of public health.

Strengthening the call on climate change requires local councils to create a ‘Climate Change/Clean Energy Office’ to co-ordinate and promote interactions among researchers, policy-makers and residents to facilitate the incorporation of research findings into policy decisions to protect community health no matter what the climate brings.