This case study uses nature-based solutions to enhance urban resilience to climate change impacts and extreme weather events such as flooding, heat waves and loss of biodiversity in Malaysia

The Nature-based Climate Adaptation Programme for the Urban Areas of Penang Island aims to enhance urban resilience and reduce human and ecosystem health vulnerability to climate change impacts and extreme weather events. George Town and Bayan Lepas, two sub-districts in Penang state, have been selected for the project based on a combination of likely climate change impacts, land use and community vulnerabilities. 

The project involves the implementation of nature-based solutions aimed at reducing surface temperatures and stormwater runoff. Examples of these solutions include the installation of street trees, rooftop gardens, pocket parks, blue-green corridors, swales, and infiltration wells. The analysis of the impact of climate change on public health will involve measuring the effects of extreme heat on hospital admissions and mortality rates.  

Additionally, climate-sensitive communicable diseases will be correlated with climate data trends. Health professionals and administrators will undergo training to enhance their recognition of relevant symptoms and to shape their community outreach and education programs. Furthermore, the project aims to enhance social resilience and institutional capacity.  

The programme is executed by the Ministry of Environment and Water (KASA), Majlis Bandaraya Pulau Pinang (MBPP), Jabatan Pengairan Dan Saliran (JPS) and Think City in collaboration with several stakeholders including the local government, scientific institutions like the National Water Research Institute of Malaysia (NAHRIM), University of Science, Malaysia (USM) River Engineering and Urban Drainage Research Centre (REDAC), and civil societies under the coordination of a steering committee. 

The project funding totals $10 million spread over five sub-themes, including: adaptation to the urban heat island effect through urban greening ($3.1 million); storm water and flood management ($2.7 million); comprehensive vulnerability, baseline assessment and action plans in target communities ($0.16 million); strengthening social resilience ($1 million); and enhancing institutional capacity and supporting the knowledge transfer platform ($1.4 million).  

The project was initiated in 2022 and is currently in its early implementation stage. Its primary objective is to achieve economic, social, and environmental benefits directly impacting some 320,000 people in George Town and Bayan Lepas, and indirectly impacting 1.8 million individuals residing across the entirety of Penang state. 

Additional projects complementing this initiative have been launched in Penang, funded by the Penang government. These projects predominantly focus on mitigation measures, such as tree planting in George Town and Bayan Lepas, back lanes greening in Kampung Malabar, and several others. These will be co-funded as part of the nature-based components of the program. 

As the program is conceived as a proof of concept, it incorporates a robust knowledge management component. This aspect involves a partnership with the National Water Research Institute of Malaysia for monitoring, modelling, and effective consolidation of knowledge. This approach will facilitate the comprehensive tracking of all adaptation benefits derived from the project. Furthermore, the knowledge management-related activities will serve as a model for replication and scaling of strategies within Malaysia and other regions.