Takafumi
Kadono
The Asian Development Bank launched the ADB regional technical assistance program focused on ‘Sustaining Climate and Disaster Risk Resilient and Low Carbon Development in South Asia’ in Sri Lanka.
At the workshop, Country Director ADB Takafumi Kadono said although Sri Lanka is a negligible contributor to global warming, the country is highly vulnerable to the impact of climate change which include increases in the frequency and intensity of disasters such as drought, flood and landslides, variability and unpredictability of rainfall patterns, increase in temperature and heat stress; sea level rise and salinity intrusion among others.
With the initiation of the TA 9700 –‘Sustaining Climate Resilience and Low-Carbon Development in South Asia’ Program, ADB will support the Government in translating climate priorities into investment programs with technical assistance. This assistance also focuses on creating knowledge and capacity development support, updating climate risk profiles at climate stress areas and enhancing the Planning Department’s ability to screen climate risk-integrated project proposals, while identifying ADB’s operational priorities in Sri Lanka.
In Sri Lanka, 55.7% of the population is vulnerable to multiple climatic hazards. Recent economic crises have exacerbated social vulnerabilities and disparities. The rural population faces heightened multidimensional vulnerability, especially in the Eastern, Northern and North -Central Provinces. This highlights that rural areas bear a disproportionate burden of vulnerability, necessitating targeted intervention addressing poverty reduction, climate resilience, and water accessibility. The impact of climate change is estimated to cost 0.4% of GDP or 2.1% of Government expenditure.
The National Adaptation Plan (NAP) of Sri Lanka identifies nine adaptation sectors as primary economic drivers vulnerable to extreme weather conditions. Food security, water supply, energy needs and health are threatened by rising temperature and erratic rainfall.
2. In its updated nationally determined contributions (NDCs), Sri Lanka commits to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 and aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 14.5% during 2021-2030 through various measures:
increasing renewable electricity generation from 35% to 70%, halting capacity expansion for coal power plants and raising forest cover from 29. 7% to 32%.
3. Sri Lanka has made progress in translating climate commitments into policies and investments in renewable energy, integrated water resource management, climate-smart agriculture and a circular economy.
The Government is currently revising its NAP and developing sectoral strategies as a vital step towards initiating climate adaptation action and financing.
The current administration prioritises green growth with a commitment to establish Sri Lanka as the region’s first ‘green economy’. Effective regulatory frameworks and institutional roles for development partners are crucial to implement these strategies.
