INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
President Ranil Wickremesinghe announced that Sri Lanka is committed to achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2040 while pursuing its
He noted that Sri Lanka is the first country in Asia to incorporate the global objective of zero carbon emissions into its national
policy.He made these remarks during the World Environment Day celebrations held at the Presidential Secretariat on Wednesday (05).The
of the Climate Change Centre will create a comprehensive legal framework for addressing environmental and climate change issues, a framework
on Climate Change and other international platforms
He announced a significant initiative: the draft for establishing the International University on Climate Change in Sri Lanka is expected to
be enacted before June next year.The President expressed skepticism about the financial commitments from the Western world and developed
countries to address climate change
He noted that the money spent by the US and Europe this year on the war in Ukraine could have funded climate change efforts for two
years.President Wickremesinghe urged developed countries to provide relief to low-income African nations, while stressing that tropical
countries must secure their own funding to manage climate change effectively
By doing so, tropical countries can contribute significantly to global climate control.President Ranil Wickremesinghe signed the gazette
announcement declaring the Warnagalawatta Environmental Protection Zone in the Ratnapura District
He also symbolically awarded medals to eight students from four school environmental pioneer brigades.During the event, the first issue of
Additionally, mineral kits were distributed to schools, environment-friendly mining licenses were issued, and certificates and gifts were
awarded to the ten best green railway stations.In conjunction with World Environment Day, a National Environment Week was announced starting
He expressed optimism that focusing on global climate change will help achieve the climate goals outlined in the Paris Agreement.The World
celebrating World Environment Day at a very crucial time
When we focus on global climate change, it gives us hope that we can achieve the climate change goals outlined in the Paris Agreement.Global
temperatures have already risen beyond our expectations
While some developed countries are implementing various programs to combat climate change, nations such as India, China and Indonesia have
indicated they need more time to achieve these goals
Additionally, there are also petroleum-producing countries.Amidst these challenges, small countries like Sri Lanka are struggling to address
We must now take new measures to combat this issue
Limiting ourselves to the initiatives undertaken during the establishment of the Ministry of Environment is no longer sufficient
To achieve our goals, we need to implement several new programs, and we have already begun this work
The first step is to establish a new legal framework
We have already submitted the initial legislation to Parliament.The National Policy on Economic Transformation (a) II, as outlined in
Section 3 of the Economic Transformation Bill, sets the goal of achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050
With this commitment, we have become the first country in Asia to incorporate the goal of net zero carbon emissions into our national
Our focus is on achieving this goal by 2040, a decade ahead of schedule, and we are progressing accordingly.Once this bill is passed, it
will become national policy
All organizations, including those in the non-governmental sector, will be required to comply with it.Additionally, it is necessary to amend
the environmental laws prepared by the Central Environment Authority
These laws, drafted in the 1980s, are now out-dated and need to reflect current conditions
We plan to make these amendments in the near future.Specifically, we are working on introducing the Climate Change Act and the Act
establishing the Climate Change Centre
Once these drafts are enacted, Sri Lanka will have a fundamental legal framework addressing environmental and climate change issues.We have
also planned to establish a dedicated unit within the Ministry of Finance focused on creating a green economy
This unit will be responsible for funding programs aimed at promoting a green economy, and we expect to have the entire system in place by
the end of this year.Additionally, we have directed the implementation of the agricultural modernization program in alignment with our
By integrating environmental policies with the agricultural modernization program, we ensure that these initiatives reach every village
This work will be implemented on a national scale.A country like Sri Lanka cannot remain silent at a time when the entire world is heavily
impacted by climate change
Therefore, I have instructed the Ministry of External Affairs and the Ministry of Environment to actively engage in the Conferences on
Climate Change (COP) and other international platforms to advocate for environmental issues.We are taking significant steps to establish the
University of Climate Change as a key initiative
We have engaged in discussions with several countries and secured 600 acres of land in the Kothmale area for this purpose
The draft plan will be completed next month, followed by discussions with relevant international organizations
We aim to have this initiative legalized by June of next year.We aim to collaborate with these universities to conduct international-level
research on addressing climate changes
However, challenges have emerged in securing the necessary provisions for this endeavour
Many developing countries are requesting financial assistance, citing a lack of funds
However, I believe not every country needs to take this approach
For instance, despite its current economic difficulties, Sri Lanka has not sought such financial aid.Moreover, we have requested the
cancellation of existing debts for economically underdeveloped countries in Africa, and we are collaborating with many other nations to
Additionally, the promised funds from Western and developed countries have not yet been received
Notably, the money spent by the United States and Europe this year on the war in Ukraine would be sufficient to address climate change
The expenditure by Russia is yet to be calculated
Furthermore, if the funds and weaponry costs associated with the Gaza conflict were redirected to climate change efforts, it could
significantly impact the world.However, we cannot expect to receive this money
Therefore, Sri Lanka has proposed that as a tropical region, we should find the necessary funds ourselves.While advocating for developed
countries to provide relief to low-income nations in Africa, we will seek to generate the needed money within our own countries
Several companies are actively working to obtain carbon credits, particularly in the environmental sector
We should initiate projects that can earn carbon credits within our borders
By leveraging our tropical region for this purpose, each country can secure a portion of the required funds
This approach will contribute to controlling a part of global climate changes.The Amazon River Valley in Brazil and the surrounding vast
forests must be protected
Additionally, we are discussing the significance of the Indian Ocean in this context
