Colombo, 16 March, (Asiantribune.com): Dr. Palith Kohona Secretary to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs addressing a major major discussion on climate changed stressed the need for immediate action. He pointed out that Sri Lanka had proposed a number of initiatives to the world, particularly during the Climate Change Convention in Bali. He said that we proposed that the developed world owes a carbon debt to those countries of the world that have not progressed at the expense of the environment and which are today carbon neutral or carbon negative. 
Dr. Palith Kohona : "Sri Lanka had proposed a number of initiatives to the world, particularly in Bali."
One part of the world in the development stakes, exploited the carbon neutrality or carbon negativity of another part of the world. This debt needs to quantified and set off in determining permissible levels of carbon emissions. We also believe that tropical rain forests need to be given a particular recognition as we address the question of global warming.
These forests are the lungs of the world. They are also a resource that can be exploited to accelerate our development. Today, those countries that is willing to keep their forests in tact, so that the world can breath, must be compensated for doing so.
Thirdly, the Carbon Adaptation Fund, which was formally recognized in Bali, must be strengthened. Today it has only a limited resource base and is woefully inadequate to assist countries to adapt to the changing climate. This seems to be the most efficient approach so that action can be taken by the affected countries quickly.
The panel discussion entitled ‘Climate Change- A Challenge to Sri Lanka’, organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, was held on 13th March 2008, at the Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute of International Relations and Strategic Studies as the initial step in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Outreach Program, designed to facilitate a closer interaction with the diplomatic community, academics as well as the civil society.
Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Champika Ranawaka, Minister of Environment and Natural Resources, Renton de Alwis, chairman of Sri Lanka Tourist Promotion Bureau, Dhammika Perera, Chairman BOI and several other distinguished personalities participated in this discussion as panelists. Dr. Palitha T.B Kohona, Secretary to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs participated in this discussion as the moderator.
Full text of Dr. Palitha Kohona's speech is given here:
It is my privilege today to moderate this panel discussion. The panel consists of a number of eminent persons. The Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Hon. Bogollagama, will chair the panel and intervene as appropriate. The Hon. Champika Ranawaka, the Minister for the Environment, will address us on the key issues relevant to Sri Lanka. He has been joined by a number of eminent persons.
Global warming and climate change is a reality. A large number of Scientists have expressed their views in no uncertain terms, on this matter. In fact, the vast majority of scientists in the world, including a preponderance of the members of the IPCC, have agreed that global warming and climate change are occurring as a result of human induced activities. There are some scientists, very few in fact, who remain to be convinced and governments that seem to continue to drag their feet. There are also businesses, some of them very large, who are not entirely on board on the urgent need to address this phenomenon. However, most of us agree that we need to do something about global warming and climate change. The world sought to address this problem comprehensively in 1992 when the Climate Change Convention was opened for signature in Rio.
In those heady idealistic days, we went from one fascinating city to another, with thousands of NGOs in tow, negotiating environment treaty after treaty. In 1997 we concluded the Kyoto Protocol to the CCC. Both instruments have record levels of participation. The Kyoto parties have met regularly since and the latest meeting was in Bali last December. Many private sector institutions, including in the financial sector, are very much on board the climate initiative. The World Bank affiliate, the IFC, developed the Equator Principles to which many of the world’s largest companies have begun to subscribe. Sri Lankan businesses have also begun to comply with globally recognized standards.
The realization that the situation is difficult is dawning rapidly. We know that the polar icecaps are receding, glaciers on the high Himalayas and the Andies have been retreating for years. There are changes in the marine ecology. Some areas of the earth have been buffeted by unusual weather. Agriculture had been affected. In fact, one of the key consequences of global warming and climate change would be the impact on marine life and agriculture, with severe consequences to fisheries and farming. With the oceans getting warmer, fish migration will be affected. The economic impact of climate change will be significant.
In a small country like Sri Lanka, the consequences of this phenomenon are still not well determined but we can expect implications for water resources, agriculture as well as for our fisheries industry. There are neighbors, who might actually disappear due to sea level rise. Some countries will go under water.
I believe, that there are measures that we need to take now to address this phenomenon and do it in a manner that development will continue. The causes of climate change did not occur yesterday. Climate change, as many of the scientists have pointed out, is the consequence of human induced activities for many decades, in particular since the industrial revolution. Most countries of the developed world achieved prosperity by ravaging the environment.
Many maintain their prosperous status by continuing to harm the environment; they cut down their forests; they polluted their rivers and they emitted increasing quantities of Green House Gases by burning fossil fuels. The consequence of what they have done is evident. We hear the refrain that all the countries of the world need to stick together to address this phenomenon. We all agree, undoubtedly, we all must make our own contribution.
However, it will not be a politically or ethically acceptable argument to suggest that the part of the world that has developed should continue its development and ask the others to suspend, or slow down their development in order to contribute to the global good. Whatever solution we adopt, we have to ensure that all the countries can continue to develop while ensuring that the global environment is protected for future generations.
Sri Lanka had proposed a number of initiatives to the world, particularly in Bali. We proposed that the developed world owes a carbon debt to those countries of the world that have not progressed at the expense of the environment and which are today carbon neutral or carbon negative. One part of the world in the development stakes, exploited the carbon neutrality or carbon negativity of another part of the world. This debt needs to quantified and set off in determining permissible levels of carbon emissions. We also believe that tropical rain forests need to be given a particular recognition as we address the question of global warming. These forests are the lungs of the world. They are also a resource that can be exploited to accelerate our development.
Today, those countries that is willing to keep their forests in tact, so that the world can breath, must be compensated for doing so. Thirdly, the Carbon Adaptation Fund, which was formally recognized in Bali must be strengthened. Today it has only a limited resource base and is woefully inadequate to assist countries to adapt to the changing climate. This seems to be the most efficient approach so that action can be taken by the affected countries quickly.
I am sure that there are many differing and even conflicting views in this room. I would like to leave it to the members of the panel to address these issues and at the end of the discussion there will be opportunity for comments to be made and questions to be asked.
- Asian Tribune -
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