The current spate of bad weather has once again brought to the fore the critical issue of climate change, as rainfall and drought patterns have changed to the point where predicting them has become rather difficult. The massive floods in Pakistan and also in certain Indian States is a stark reminder that South Asia is now a climate change hotspot identified as such by the United Nations.
It is, therefore, imperative that we focus more attention on this subject. True, Sri Lanka is facing an economic crisis and some have questioned the wisdom of focusing on climate change, environment and biodiversity at this particular moment. But it is equally true that climate change could drastically affect our economy in more ways than one, if it has not already done so.
Unfortunately, most ordinary people and even well-educated persons in this country lack any knowledge of this subject which could well become an existential threat to humanity by the turn of the century, if not sooner. It is, therefore, vital that the subject of climate change be taught even from primary grades, for it is these children who will inherit the Earth one day. But if that cannot be done immediately as formulating school curricula can sometimes take several years, the next best thing is a university course in climate change studies.
President Ranil Wickremesinghe is a leader who has always taken a keen interest in protecting the environment and reversing the adverse effects of climate change. A few weeks ago, he proposed to the Board of Governors Meeting of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in Manila that Sri Lanka intends to set up a Climate Change University in Colombo to attract climate change and environment researchers from South Asia and all over the globe. This is even better than having a single course on climate change studies in a conventional State university. We hope that our lawmakers will do the needful to make this a reality soon, coupled with foreign assistance.
One of President Wickremesinghe’s first appointments since taking office was related to climate change. Former Minister Ruwan Wijewardene was appointed as a climate change advisor to the President, whereby he would be required to keep tabs on the latest developments in this sphere and advise the President accordingly. No other President has made such a move and it signifies the President’s commitment to this area. The President should seriously consider appointing a Minister for Climate Change in the next Cabinet reshuffle. This has already been done in many countries facing the cataclysmic events of climate change.
Knowing very well that Sri Lanka alone cannot amplify its voice in world deliberations on climate change, the President has also appointed two world-renowned figures as Sri Lanka’s Climate Envoys. Former Norwegian Minister and United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) Director Erik Solheim, a familiar face to Sri Lankans in his role as a mediator in the Sri Lankan peace process, met President Wickremesinghe in Colombo and received his credentials as a Climate Change Advisor/Envoy for Sri Lanka. Solheim said he was extremely pleased to be working in that capacity for Sri Lanka.
The other eminent personality and lifelong friend of Sri Lanka working in more or less the same capacity is former Maldivian President Mohamed Nasheed. The President had in May 2022 appointed Nasheed as a special envoy to coordinate foreign aid for Sri Lanka during the country’s debilitating economic crisis. “I will give it my best shot and look forward to working with Erik Solheim,” tweeted Nasheed referring to his new role. Both men know each other well from their days of international diplomacy and will harness their worldwide contacts and synergies for making Lanka’s case before the international community in terms of climate change developments.
President Wickremesinghe will attend next month’s COP27 (Conference of Parties) Climate Summit in Egypt, probably in the company of former Minister Wijewardene and Climate Envoys Nasheed and Solheim. This will be an opportunity for them to highlight the steps that Sri Lanka has taken and is taking to address the visible and invisible effects of climate change.
For example, Sri Lanka has pledged not to build any new coal power plants and also to be carbon neutral by 2050. Going forward, all of Sri Lanka’s new power plants are likely to be those using renewable energy. The goal is to generate at least 70 percent of national grid power from renewable energy by 2030.
Sri Lanka has already announced a 2035 deadline beyond which new diesel and petrol vehicles will not be registered, although there will be no ban on the use and resale of existing fossil fuel vehicles. In the face of an acute foreign exchange and fuel crisis, Sri Lanka is in any case likely to allow only electric vehicles to be imported henceforth.
Climate change (plus global warming) is a vast and complex subject about which scientists are making new discoveries each passing day. But there is no doubt whatsoever it is manmade and that only humankind can stop it. This is an urgent requirement, probably a task that should be accomplished within our lifetimes.
Even a temperature rise of 1.5 degrees celsius could have disastrous consequences especially for coastal communities and over a period of time, for inland communities as well. Any studies, research or computer models that can put a spanner in the wheels of climate change is welcome at this rather crucial stage. In this context, Sri Lanka’s ambition to become a global study centre for climate change could well be a harbinger of good things to come.