Turning green

The world is watching the Doha Climate Change conference with little hope. Despite the participation of 190 countries, the latest analysis by the UN Environment Program shows that current pledges to 2020, even interpreted in the most favourable way possible, would only get the world halfway towards a 2°C trajectory. That leaves a lot of work to do to avoid a path leading inexorably towards the level of climate change that is rightly described as “catastrophic”.

As the UN Climate Change conference heads into its final week, battle lines are drawn over mid-term finance targets for 2013-2020 and the second period of the Kyoto Protocol which commits developed countries to deeply cut emissions – a move expected to start on 1 January 2013.

Developing countries fear that the Kyoto Protocol might be in trouble while there’s concern over an apparent deadlock on the issue of financing climate actions in developing countries and mobilisation of US$ 100 billion a year by 2020, which may lead to a weak outcome of the Doha talks.

NGOs warned that the outlook on the conference was “bleak,” accusing the US, the EU, and other rich industrialised countries of blocking talks after refusing to discuss finance commitments leading to a white page under the issue of finance in the proposed draft text. Observers of the talks were also concerned about the future of the Green Climate Fund, which was designed to channel up to US$ 100 billion annually to poor countries but is still in its infancy stage. Meanwhile, climate risks in many parts of the world are becoming severe, including effects on global health, political stability, and international supply chains, as well as price shocks. Significant displacement of populations in low-lying regions, such as much of Bangladesh, is already starting to look inevitable.

Neighbouring countries such as India, Nepal, and Pakistan are also struggling to deal with this issue. The Maldives, of course, as long been the warning flag for global activists, regularly hitting headlines for underwater Cabinet meetings among other colourful demonstrations.

Yet Sri Lanka has blithely sheltered under its pristine rainforests and lack of large-scale industries (until the coal power plant came up) and relaxed beside its abundant water resources. Until increasing demands from development forced onto the citizens consciousness of the environmental impact of it all. From the four electrocuted elephants this week, bringing the total killed to around 150 for just this year, to longer and more frequent droughts, the green island is finally waking up.

The green reverie seems to even have ended for the ministers. On Monday Environment Minister Anura Priyadarshana Yapa told Parliament that hasty decisions taken by Irrigation Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva had led to several environmental problems. He then proceeded to water down this statement by insisting that the two Ministries were ironing out their differences, but that does not assure affective implementation of sustainable practices. The Government has not rolled back big dam and nuclear plans for power generation despite a parallel plant to increase green energy by 2020. Taxation on solar electricity generating equipment, electric vehicles, and other equipment remains high, in addition to little attention being paid to assist companies to become carbon neutral or enter the green industry.

Such oversights clearly need to be remedied if Sri Lanka is to remain green.