Sri Lanka needs to take climate action seriously

This week President Ranil Wickremesinghe launched the country’s ‘Climate Prosperity Plan’ (CPP) at the UN Climate Change Conference of Parties (COP) in Egypt. Sri Lanka’s CPP expects to accelerate climate adaptation and bring down the country’s greenhouse gas emissions as it transitions towards net negative emissions. 

Sri Lanka’s Climate Prosperity Plan is expected to deliver an economic growth rate that is 1% per year higher, resulting in GDP that is 34% higher by 2050. The Sri Lankan plan sets a target of increasing Sri Lanka’s renewable energy generation from 35% to 70% by 2030. The plan provides a pathway for Sri Lanka to become a carbon negative economy before mid-century.

There is no parity or justice when facing the effects of climate change and often countries that are least responsible for causing global environmental change are facing the brunt of the resulting challenges. It is for this very reason that countries such as ours must take the necessary precautionary measures in advance and prepare for eventualities. As a small island and a developing nation now amid an economic meltdown, Sri Lanka is highly vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change. Consequences of climate change such as temperature rise, rainfall variability and sea level rise are critically affecting almost all economic sectors of the country. Occurrences of natural disasters due to extreme weather conditions such as prolonged droughts, flash floods and landslides deprive lives and livelihoods of people.

This is not the first time that Sri Lanka has launched ambitious plans to tackle the effects of climate change. In 2010 the Government initiated the development of a National Climate Change Adaptation Strategy and in 2012 adopted a National Climate Change Policy. The National Adaptation Plan was presented in 2016 identifying several key areas including agriculture, fisheries, water, human health, coastal and marine, ecosystems and biodiversity, infrastructure and human settlements as the most vulnerable sectors to the adverse effects of climate change. This was intended to focus on policy development, strengthen cooperation, enhance institutional setup, and effectively mobilise resources to face this challenge.

Like many policies and development initiatives in the country, the National Adaptation Plan was never implemented and there does not seem to be any cohesive policy making that takes the threat of climate change with the seriousness it deserves. The costs of inaction in this regard can be devastating and the price to be paid would be steep. In that context it is encouraging that President Ranil Wickremesinghe has launched Sri Lanka’s CPP at a high-level international gathering, simultaneously making a pledge to both the Sri Lankan people and the community of nations on the necessity to address this issue.

The upcoming budget will also be an opportunity to demonstrate the seriousness of addressing this matter. Irrespective of the economic crisis that is preoccupying policymakers, it is imperative that they also focus on the real threats posed through climate change which can have serious ramifications on food security, water resources and the general survival of the populace. Undermining the vulnerability of Sri Lanka to effects of climate change would be a serious mistake which would have even worse consequences than the current economic crisis. Therefore a cohesive and comprehensive policy that is implemented with the seriousness it deserves is imperative.