President Ranil Wickremesinghe claimed Sri Lanka’s commitment to the Secretary General’s accelerated climate agenda, speaking at the Climate Ambition Summit on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly yesterday (20).
The President highlighted the severe economic hardships in the face of climate-related issues. Wickremesinghe drew from the knowledge of experts, who predicted a 1.5% GDP loss for Sri Lanka by 2050. To combat this, Sri Lanka has employed a dual approach to climate ambition.
COP 27 saw the President launching the Climate Prosperity Plan, a method to harness the country’s natural wind and solar power advantages to generate renewable energy. This vision is consistent with the aim to transition towards a greener economy.
The second initiative involves the establishment of a climate justice forum. This forum will allow for the fostering of international collaboration in response to various climate challenges.
Wickremesinghe has also proposed two global critical measures. The involves the creation of an international climate change University. The second, associated with recognising the need for responsible resource management. This is where the President introduced the Tropical Belt Climate Ambition Project, targeting the highly biodiverse tropical belt region and its low-income communities.
The PMD has acknowledged President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s statement as an assurance of Sri Lanka’s dedication to address pressing climate change issues on both a national and global front.
