A Different Kind of Sea-Level Story from Malaysia

In many countries of Southeast Asia, the sea is the primary source of food and center of the community. Life is very simple and intertwined with the ocean’s moods. So many people depend on this sea, day after day, generation after generation, despite monsoons, typhoons, erosion and flooding, death and hardship. Surprisingly, little study had been undertaken to help these communities anticipate the impact of coastal change on their lives and livelihoods. My study of nearly every Malaysian island, shore and coastal plain stream allowed me to interpret past coastal influences and predict future impact. It also allowed me to experience this amazing country and her people under every conceivable circumstance, some warm or amusing, some perilous and some death-defying.