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V.Kirushnananthy

“A New Country in Next Sixty Months-

Five Point Plan”

• In 2016, government hope to put into place strategies towards the

successful implementation of the five pillar development plan that has

been endorsed by the people.

• Five pillar development plan is focusing on the five pillars such as

building up the economy, fighting corruption, ensuring freedoms for

Sri Lankan citizens, developing the infrastructure & investment and

developing education.

• Currently it is engaged in the process of formulating strategies that take

into account our

– geographic location

– natural resources

– human resources and

– the significance of our ancient civilization and culture.

?

Climate

Climate in Sri Lanka

• Tropical country

• Moderated by ocean winds and considerable moisture

• No significant annual variation in temperature in Sri Lanka

due to latitude

• significant regional variation in temperature due to altitude

• Rainfall pattern of the country is influenced by monsoon

winds from the Indian ocean and Bay of Bengal

• Being a tropical island located in a disaster prone region, Sri Lanka is

vulnerable to impacts of climate change experiencing disaster prone

weather extremes.

• As a significant population of the country is directly dependent on

weather-reliant livelihoods such as agriculture and fisheries, adverse

changes in weather patterns could lead to chaotic conditions.

• Among the community groups that are more vulnerable to climate

change impacts are residents in coastal areas, rain-fed farmers in the dry

zone, fishing community, workers in the estate sector and small-scale

producers of export crops.

Climate change

• Human interference with the climate system is one area where de-

coupling is particularly important.

• There are no alternatives to many of the climate services provided by

nature, and several of the changes prompted by increasing

concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere may prove to be

irreversible.

• The national level actions have to play a critical role while international

cooperation is also important.

Milestones of national cooperation

• Two major milestones of this national initiative are the National Climate

Change

– Adaptation Strategy for Sri Lanka prepared in 2010

– National Climate Change Policy (NCCP) formulated in 2012

• The National Adaptation Plan for Climate Change Impacts in Sri Lanka

(NAP) presented as the next logical step of this initiative in 2015 for

2016-2025 by Ministry of Mahaweli Development & Environment.

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• Climate-related policies, such as energy efficiency, are often

economically beneficial, improve energy security, and reduce local

pollutant emissions.

• Climate change is influenced not only by the climate-specific policies

but also by the mix of development choices and the resulting

development trajectories.

• Making development more sustainable by changing development

paths can thus make a significant contribution to climate goals.

Climate Change Policies

• The national policy on climate change of a country is usually

comprised of these major categories.

– Mitigation policies

– Adaptation policies

– Other supportive policies

• The broad scope of climate change effects and their impacts over

various economic/social sectors and geographic regions, these

policy categories themselves are complex entities that involve

multiple strategies.

• Among the major criteria that should determine the appropriate

choice of climate change policies are effectiveness, efficiency,

equity and sustainability.

Climate policies in

Sri Lanka

Policy out look for Sri Lanka • Recent impacts from flooding and severe weather events emphasize the

risks that national infrastructure could face and the significant economic

damage such events bring.

• To reduce the risk infrastructure faces from climate change, planned but

flexible adaptation responses are required. It is not about eliminating all

risks from climate change or extreme weather.

• It is about making the necessary interventions to the development plans

and practices to make sure what is being built will withstand the adverse

effects of any future event.

• The policy outlook in this perspective is positive for Sri Lanka. Most

importantly, the government’s vision document has also put a considerable

emphasis on the importance of building cities that are sustainable and are

able to withstand the effects of climate change.

The National Climate Change

Policy of Sri Lanka

Strategies in Sri Lanka

related to Climate

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National Climate Change Adaptation Strategy

• The NCCAS lays out a framework for action for the 2011-2016 period,

with the aim of moving Sri Lanka towards a bright and climate change

resilient future.

• The NCCAS mirrors and supports Sri Lanka’s national development

strategy and is aimed at ensuring its success and sustainability via

– 5 strategic thrusts

– 25 thematic areas of action

– 91 priority adaptation measures

Mainstream Climate Change

Adaptation into National

Planning and Development

Strategy 1

Strategy 2

Enable Climate Resilient and

Healthy Human Settlements

Minimize Climate

Change Impacts on

Food Security

Strategy 3

Strategy 4

Improve Climate

Resilience of

Key Economic Drivers

Safeguard Natural Resources

and Biodiversity from

Climate Change Impacts

Strategy 5

SVPs have been developed for the following key groupings of sectors,

where climate vulnerabilities are expected to be critical in the Sri Lankan

context:

Agriculture and Fisheries

Water

Health

Urban Development, Human Settlements & Economic Infrastructure

Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services

National Adaptation Plan for Climate

Change Impacts in Sri Lanka 2016-2025

• The NAP covers adaptation needs at two levels

– adaptation needs of key vulnerable sectors

– cross-cutting national needs of adaptation

• Nine vulnerable sectors were identified in the consultation process;

– food security

– water

– coastal sector

– health

– human settlements

– bio diversity

– tourism and recreation

– export development

– industry energy-transportation

Connectivity to National Climate Change

Policy and the Strategy

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Relevant policy documents

• National Action Plan for Haritha Lanka Programme: identified climate

change as the third mission and selected certain strategies/actions relating to

both mitigation and adaptation(reducing GHG emissions)

• Sri Lanka Comprehensive Disaster Management Programme 2014-

2018 (SLCDMP): a close connection to NAP identifying climate change as

a type of disaster and proposes actions to overcome the consequences of it.

• National Action Programme for Combating the Degradation of Lands

in Sri Lanka (NAP-CDL): recognized climate change as a factor that can

intensify the degradation of land resources in future. It highlighted issues

such as soil erosion and landslides in up- and mid-country wet zone (upper

watershed) areas as critical issues together with actions to overcome them.

• Coastal Zone Management Plan (CZMP): recognized climate change as

a factor that can intensify the degradation of coastal resources in future. Its

main concerns include coastal erosion, coastal pollution and degradation of

coastal habitats. The NAP identifies impacts of climate change on the

coastal sector and proposes adaptation measures to overcome them.

• National Physical Plan (NPP): identified global warming as a

concern that can affect physical development activities of the

country. In addition, it covers someaspects of disaster risk

management too.

• Sri Lanka Water Development Report 2010 (SLWDP): identified

climate change as a major driver of change in the water resources

sector.

• Draft National Agriculture Policy: identified ‘Assuring food

security’ and ‘Ensuring environment sustainability’ as two major

pillars of the policy in making

• National Tree Planting Month declared by the Ministry of the Environment,

setting different themes focusing on creative and sustainable planting.

• It will accompany Punarudaya (renaissance), a larger program to drive

sustainable development.

• Climate Policy Network is a website dedicated to sharing ideas, information,

insights, news and resources on how to face the challenge of climate change.

• It is launched by the Institute of Policy Studies of Sri Lanka (IPS) to inform

policy makers on better strategies and to create awareness among stakeholders on

different aspects of the challenges faced.

• SLCCS is a national offset scheme, which supports local clean projects to

benefit from climate finance for the emission reduction or removal of Green

House Gases(GHG).

• Purpose of this scheme is to enhance the credibility, transparency and quality of

emission reductions efforts within Sri Lanka.

Wana Ropa program

Climate Policy Network (CLIMATEnet)

Sri Lanka Carbon Crediting Scheme (SLCCS)

Sri Lanka’s Obligations under the

UNFCCC and Kyoto Protocol

•Formulate policies and initiate measures that would mitigate emissions of GHG

and enhance sinks and reservoirs

•Development of national inventories on GHG Emissions and baselines

•Promote scientific, technological, socio-economic and other research on climate

system

Integrated Climate Information Management System

•To Assist Farmers Vulnerable To Climate Change, 2016

•To improve the effectiveness of adaptation decisions of farmers and

policymakers/experts by establishing and pilot-testing models of Integrated

Climate Information Management Systems (ICIMS)

• In collaboration with the Department of Meteorology of Sri Lanka (DOM),

Janathakshan (formerly Practical Action, Sri Lanka) and the South Asian

Network for Development and Environmental Economics (SANDEE)

Disaster Resilient City Development Strategies

for Sri Lanka Cities

• The concept of climate resilient cities has now spread beyond the

metropolitan city of Colombo, and there are new initiatives focusing on

other townships as well, which are disaster prone and highly urbanized.

One such initiative is the “Disaster Resilient City Development Strategies

for Sri Lanka Cities”.

• The project is implemented by UNHABITAT in partnership with the

Urban Development Authority (UDA), Ministry of Local Government and

Provincial Councils, and the Disaster Management Centre.

• This project aims to establish sustainable disaster resilient, healthy cities

and townships in disaster prone regions of Sri Lanka. It will be

implemented in Kalmunai, Batticaloa, Ratnapura, and Balangoda, which

are vulnerable to disasters.

Governance structures

relevant to

climate change

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Ministry of

Environment &

Natural

Resources

Climate change

secretariat,

Ministry of

Environment &

Natural

Resources

Sri Lanka

Carbon Fund

(Private)

Limited

• "Climate Change Issues in Sri Lanka“

• The acceleration of the warming process since then had first worried scientists who had been engaged in research in this area and then civil society leaders and finally policy makers and politicians.

• The consequences of such an accelerated global warming have also been identified as catastrophic.

• The range of identified impact consisted of many disasters. Some of them are the gradual desertification of the earth, loss of productivity of agriculture, rising of sea levels submerging many low lying countries under water, unexpected and sporadic forest fires and finally making the earth an uninhabitable place for species.

Institute of

Policy

Studies of

Sri Lanka

(IPS)

Sri Lanka

Climate

Fund

Ministry of

Disaster

Management

•National Policy on Disaster Management

includes

•Disaster Risk Reduction(DRR) to be

mainstreamed into overall planning and

development

•Potential impacts of Climate Change on

disaster risks will be addressed.

•Indigenous knowledge and material to

mitigate impacts of hazards including

climate change will be promoted.

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Department

of

Meteorology

Department

of

Agriculture

This foundation, officially chartered as

a nonprofit organization in 2003,

partners with the Sri Lankan

Government and academic institutions

to produce research on climate

predictions and monitoring, disaster

management and early warning

systems. Current projects focus on

modeling the effects of climate change

on agricultural systems, specifically

rice and sugarcane.

Foundation

For

Environment,

Climate and

Technology

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In addition,

• National Science Foundation

• National Research council

• Ministry of Mahaweli Development & Environment

• Ministry of Finance and Planning

• Universities

• Banks and Financial institutes

• Urban Development Authority……….

Policy challenges in climate adaptation in Sri Lanka

• A pragmatic approach towards adaptation policy has to fulfill a

few essential steps.

• They are:

– identify and evaluate likely impacts of climate change

– assess vulnerability/adaptive capacity of key stakeholders

– identify major gaps that affect effective actions against

impacts

– appraise alternative strategies for overcoming gaps so that

the country can adapt to impacts in a successful manner.

• As developing economies, there is an immense pressure for countries

like Sri Lanka to target its infrastructure development to rural areas.

• Despite this, studies show that the urban poverty is also considerably

high and on par with rural poverty. To make things worse, majority of

the urban infrastructure in Sri Lanka is not in a state to withstand

impacts of climate change, such as heavy rains and floods.

• It has been a constant struggle for urban cities like Colombo to

withstand the adverse effects, which sometimes shuts down the

functionality of the metropolitan for several days.

• Infrastructure policy makers had enough evidence to address these

issues yet, lack of proper planning and funds were often holding them

back.

• Fortunately, with the post-conflict development boom, opportunities

were presented, policies were drafted and projects were initiated to make

urban cities more resilient to climate change.

Literature cited 1. Climate Change Secre-tariat (2011) Second National Communication on Climate Change,

Ministry of Environment, Colombo, Sri Lanka.

2. Institute of Policy Studies of Sri Lanka (2013) Chapter 8: Facing Climate Change

Threats: The Importance of Better Information. Sri Lanka State of the Economy 2013,

Colombo, Sri Lanka

3. Institute of Policy Studies (2013) Climate Change Issues in Sri Lanka. A compilation of

articles published in CLIMATEnetblog from Jan-Dec. 2013, Colombo, Sri Lanka

4. Ministry of Environment (2012) National Climate Change Adaptation Strategy for Sri

Lanka: 2011-2016, Colombo, Sri Lanka

5. Ministry of Environment (2012) The National Climate Change Policy of Sri Lanka,

Colombo, Sri Lanka

6. Ministry of Environment and Renewable Energy (2012) Technology Needs Assessment

and Technology Action Plans for Climate Change Adaptation: Technology Action Plan,

Colombo, Sri Lanka

7. Ministry of Environment and Renewable Energy (2012) Technology Needs Assessment

and Technology Action Plans for Climate Change Mitigation: Technology Action Plan,

Colombo, Sri Lanka

8. Senaratne, A., N. Perera and K. Wickramasinghe (2009) Mainstreaming Climate Change

for Sustainable Development in Sri Lanka: Towards a National Agenda for Action.

Working Paper Series No.14,Institute of Policy Studies, Colombo, Sri Lanka