Cost of not addressing pollution will be catastrophic

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. Sri Lanka faced this reality this week, when the air quality in Colombo and several other cities was noted as harmful with the possibility of moving towards hazardous. 

The South Asian region has been recording some of the worst air pollution and due to a number of manmade and natural reasons it has now reached a dangerous level that requires immediate action.

Whatever the regional and global courses of climate change and environmental degradation Sri Lanka 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 these environmental changes. Consequences of climate change and pollution such as temperature rise, rainfall variability and sea level rise are critically affecting almost all economic sectors of the country. A single anomaly in the rainfall could have catastrophic effects on the food security and push the country towards severe malnutrition. Occurrences of natural disasters due to extreme weather conditions such as prolonged droughts, flash floods and landslides deprive lives and livelihoods of people.

It is encouraging that the President’s Senior Advisor on Climate Change, Ruwan Wijewardene, has deemed climate change the most serious challenge that Sri Lanka will have to face in the future. In the aftermath of the recent concerns over air pollution the former minister stated that that President Ranil Wickremesinghe initiated a discourse on climate change having foreseen such situations well ahead of time. Sri Lanka has previously been noted as one of the five worst marine polluters with plastic waste. The level of forest degradation has been alarming and the loss of endemic biodiversity irreversible. 

The Climate Change Prosperity Plan of the Government is expected to address this issue in a more cohesive manner. The 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.

Unfortunately, there had been several previous policies that were meant to address the climate challenge that never materialised. 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.

The events of last week have once again proven that climate policies cannot just be limited to policy documents but need to be translated into action. The Government must have a better cohesion in its policy implementation and entrust greater resources to address climate change and environmental degradation. The reality and risks of not doing so should now be abundantly clear.