Climate Change

&
Sustainable Development

Prof. W.L Sumathipala

Senior Technical Advisor
Ministry of Mahaweli Development
and Environment
&
President,
Expert Committee on Climate Change Mitigation
& Institute of Environmental Professionals Sri Lanka
Factors affecting Climate to
change

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Environmental Issues
 Climate
 Mean and variability of temperature,
precipitation and wind over a period
of time, ranging from months to
millions of years.
 Causes of Climate Change
Natural
Solar Cycle, Solar output
Earth’s Orbit, Tilt of the axis
Volcanic Eruptions

Anthropogenic Greenhouse Gases

CO2, CH4, N2O, O3, CFCs, HFCs, PFCs, SF6, NF3
Burning Fossil fuels, Changes in Land use,
raising live stocks, urbanization
Concentration of CO2 increased from 280 ppm
(in pre industrial times-1750s) to 398 ppm at
present
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
(IPCC )
 IPCC is a scientific intergovernmental body
tasked to evaluate the risk of climate change
caused by human activity.

 Thepanel was established in 1988 by the

World Meteorological Organization (WMO)
and the United Nations Environment
Programme (UNEP).

6
 What is Climate Change (CC) ?

UNFCCC definition
“Change of climate which is attributed directly or
indirectly to human activity that alters the
composition of the global atmosphere & which is
in addition to natural climate variability observed
over comparable time periods”

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 Global Climate Change
 Greenhouse gases concentrations are
increased.
eg: Pre industrial level
CO2 concentration = 270ppm
Present level
CO2 Concentration over 400ppm
 By year 2100, projected CO2
concentration is about 540 to 970
ppm
 Cont..
• According to the latest estimates, global
average temperature is expected to rise
between 1.4 to 5.8 oC during the period
1990-2100.

• During the period 1860 – 2000, the global

mean sea level has risen by 10-20 cm

• During the next century global mean sea

level is expected to rise by 9 – 88 cm.

• Fossil fuel burning will be the dominant

influence on the atmospheric concentration of
CO2
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11
 Humans are Increasing Greenhouse Warming by
Increasing Concentrations of Greenhouse Gases

• Anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs) are making

the atmosphere more absorptive of long-wave radiation.
– We are “closing” the atmospheric window that allows long-wave radiation
to escape
– This is causing additional greenhouse warming above the “natural”
amount

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The Annex I countries' share of CO2 emissions in 1990.
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 Per capita emission of CO2
Country Per capita emission of CO2 (tonnes)
1990 2004
USA 19.3 20.6
China 2.1 3.8
Russia 13.4 10.6
India 0.8 1.2
Japan 8.7 9.9
Bangladesh 0.04 0.05
Pakistan 0.16 0.18
Sri Lanka 0.06 0.11
Human activity is the main
cause of the changes seen
in climate.
1. Deforestation
- produces 18 per cent of
global CO2

2. Burning of Fossil fuels

- emitted 27 billions of CO2

3. Population Growth
- World’s population
growth increases demand for
food, livestock and energy
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Greenhouse Gases
 The three major 'green house
gases' (which trap the Sun's
heat in our atmosphere and
cause global warming) have
risen steadily over the past
three decades
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1.4 to 5.8 deg C
 Melting of Glaciers
 Warming temperature has resulted in melting of ice sheets.

 The loss of glaciers/snow directly causes landslides, flash

floods and glacial lake overflow and also annual variation in
water flows and rivers.

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 Sea level rise
 Thinning sea ice and melting of glaciers add
mass to the ocean.
 Warmer water causes thermal expansion of sea
water.
 The current rate of sea level rise is about 4mm
( 0.16 in) per year.
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30
Sri Lanka
is being
in serious
water
stress Dry zone is
getting more
drier

Wet zone is getting

more wetter
 Impacts of Climate Change
 Climate change has directly affected the lives of people in developing
countries.

 Developing countries bear over nine-tenths of the climate change burden -

98% of the seriously affected people and 99 percent of all deaths from
weather-related disasters along with over 90 percent of the total economic
losses. (eg. Super Typhoon Haiyan)

 The 50 Least Developed Countries contribute less than 1 percent of global

carbon emissions.

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 Physical Impacts
Effects on weather
Extreme weather events
 Prolong drought

 Severe and frequent cyclones

 High intensity rainfalls

 Floods and storms

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 Being a developing country and also an
island nation, Sri Lanka is very much
vulnerable to climate change impacts.

1. Temperature rise
2. Sea level rise
3. Droughts
4. High intensity Rainfall
5. Increased thunder activity
6.Threats to food supply
7.Threats to fresh water supply
8. Loss of Biodiversity
9. Threats to human health

Agriculture, Water Resources & Human Health sectors

are the most vulnerable sectors to CC in SL
 Major Climate Change impacts in Sri Lanka
Sea Level Rise
 Sri Lanka
– Has a long coastline of 1660 km
– Coastal zone contains 24% of land
– 32% population
– 80% tourism
– commercial ports and fishery harbors
– principal road and rail infrastructure
– richest areas of bio-diversity - coral reef,
lagoons, mangroves
The Highly populated & urbanized
Coastal Zone of SL – Western,
Southern & North Western Province
will have direct impact with CC
scenarios caused by sea level rise &
increased precipitation
 UNFCCC - United Nation Framework
Convention on Climate Change,
1992, Rio De Janeiro, Brazil

 Sri Lanka has ratified the UNFCCC

on 23rd November 1993
Objective

Stabilization of GHG gas

concentration in the atmosphere at
a level that would prevent
dangerous anthropogenic
interference with the climate
system.
 Kyoto Protocol (1997, Kyoto, Japan)
 Sri Lanka has ratified the Kyoto Protocol
in 3rd September 2002.

Major objective
“Industrialized countries should
reduce their combined GHG
emission by at least 5% compared
to their emission levels in 1990 ,
during the period 2008-2012”.
 Options Available

Mitigation and/or Adaptation

Prevention is better than cure

 MITIGATION

Mitigation as the technological change

and substitution that reduce resource
inputs and emissions per unit of output.
Although several social, economic and
technological policies would produce an
emission reduction, with respect to
climate change, mitigation means
implementing policies to reduce GHG
emissions and enhance sinks.
IPCC (2007)
 CDM
 The CDM is defined in the Kyoto Protocol (Article
12) as a mechanism for North-South cooperation.
 SL is a low GHG gas emitting country with no
commitment to reduce the GHG emissions under the
Kyoto protocol
But
Under this mechanism the developed counties can
invest in developing counties on projects that reduce
GHG emissions while promoting SD in developing
countries.
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 Identified sectors for CDM Projects in
Sri Lanka

– Hydro
– Wind
– solar
– Organic Waste
– Forestry
– Bio Mass
– Other (Agi, Plantation)

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 Developed countries should have at
least 80% emission cuts by 2050
and developing countries should
have 20 % emission cuts.
 As a developing country Sri Lanka..
 Willing to undertake the NAMA with
adequate financial support.
 Reducing deforestation and forest
degradation and conserving and
sustainable managing forest and
enhancement of forest as a carbon
sinks is a priority.
 Sustainable Development?

Development that meets the needs of

today without compromising the
ability of future generations to meet
their own needs
No survival without sustainability

Sustainable Development include 3 independent

Components

Economic issues

Social issues

Environmental issues
Standard of living is determined

by the quality of the

environment we live in and not

by our consumption.
Consumption…
What do we need on this Planet

Quality of Life?
Are we getting it through current
Economic Development Models?

Are there any Negative Issues?

 What is Quality of Life
 Is it having more money
 More material Riches (cars,
houses)
 Having more power,
 More friends/enemies???

 Living on a restricted diet plan

 Going to medical examinations
regularly
 Living in a degrading environment

OR
 Does Quality of Life mean
 Breathing fresh Air/Drinking fresh
water
 Having a good education
 Having good health
 Having comfort and convenience

 Having a circle of genuine friends

 Living in a caring neighborhood

 Having a peaceful sleep
 Resource Consumption
 The Ecological Foot-print, ecological
overshoot calculations clearly indicate
that present population is consuming
more than what earth can provide.
– Leading to resource depletion
– Leading to degraded environment
– Leading to huge anomalies in quality of life
among different societies
– Threatening the survival of our future
generations
 World is on a path to
Destruction
Through
Human Activity
Causing
Rapid Resource Depletion
&
Heavy Environmental Pollution
Which
Has exceeded Earth’s Threshold
Capacity
 Solutions for Future Survival
To meet the Total Resource
Consumption by the growing
population in 2050.

 Find more habitable earths

 Reduce Resource Consumption by a
factor of X (X= 4 to 10?)
Find Four Planets to provide
resources to meet human
consumption!!!
Based on current production & consumption patterns
Two planets needed by 2050 to meet our appetite for natural resources

1900 2012 2050 2100

 Is there a way Out
 Can we reverse these disasters
 Can we improve the quality of life for all

 Can we make the world a better place to

live
 Can we ensure the next generation also a
better life
 The major Aspects in
Sustainable Development

CONSUMPTION

PRODUCTION
Can we achieve Sustainable Consumption
and Production
Resource decoupling is achieved
through
 Reduction in Resource intensity

 Recovery of Resources

 Redesign of Products

 Reduction of Consumption
Different Approaches /Strategies
towards
Sustainable Development
 Waste Minimization
 Pollution Prevention
 Cleaner Production
 Eco Efficiency
 Resource Sustainability (Closing the
Loop)
 Sustainable Production
 Sustainable Production is

“Resource Efficient
and
Cleaner Production”
Production / Service Process
Air Emissions

Energy
Finished Goods and Services

Raw Materials

Waste Water

Water

Solid Waste
 History of Responses to Pollution
Sustainable
2000 Development

Treatment Costs Very

Sustainable
High
Consumption &
1990 Production
High Cost of Raw
Material
Scarcity of RM
Cleaner
1980 Production
Strict Environmental
Laws / Regulations Source Reduc.

1970 Recycling
Ignore the Problem
“Dilution is the Solution
to Pollution”
1960

(Treatment)
Industrial Revolution
Dump
Man at peace with Dispose
Environment Disperse
 Pollution & Resource Depletion is due to
WASTE

WHAT IS WASTE ???

It is a Valuable Resource
at the
wrong place,
in the wrong form
& wrong media
 Sustainable Consumption

 Sustainable Consumption is

“INTELLIGENT
CONSUMPTION”
Shedding away the emotional Consumption
patterns”
Increasing Resource Consumption with Changes in Society
 Extraction &
Processing of Raw
Material

End of Life Disposal Manufacturing

Stages of a
Typical
Life Cycle

Use Distribution
 Extraction and
Processing
of
Raw Material

Recycling / Disposal
at Manufacturing
End of Life
Stages of
a
Typical
Use, Reuse & Life Cycle
Maintenance
of Packaging
Product

Marketing
and
Transport
 Extraction and
Processing
of
Raw Material

Recycling / Disposal
at Manufacturing
End of Life
Stages of
a
Typical
Use, Reuse & Life Cycle
Maintenance
of Packaging
Product

Marketing
and
Transport
Natural Resources of Sri
Lanka
Trends and Conditions
NSF Publication…
Mineral, Water, Air,
Marine resources,
Biodiversity,
Forestry, Wildlife,
Environmental planning
Resource or problem…..
 Our economy is brown..!
We are polluting our surroundings
 AIR - Unlimited pollution of air is
allowed by law
 LAND – unlimited Solid waste is
dumped openly
 WATER – unlimited discharge of

waste water to rivers

 We are penalizing the poor..!
“Pollution is a cost, but it is a class cost”
-Karl Marx
 Locations of garbage dumps

Always where the poor lives

 Locationsof industrial zones - damages

productive rural landscapes

 Our lethargic responses to CKDue would be

different if it were in Colombo !
 Pollution is a business …!
Industries
 Draw water freely from ground
water
 Discharge waste water to
surface water bodies and
 Sell bottled water for the
affected communities
 Must donate water bottles under CSR
 Our agriculture is suicidal!
Deteriorating its own survival
requirements
 Natural capital depletion

 Reducing the genetic diversity –

monocultures
 Killing Pollinating agents

 Killing soils - inorganic fertilizers kill all

organisms in soil
 Social capital depletions

 Lost networks - There is no agriculture

now. It is agribusiness..!
 Traditional methods of pest control
are adequate
 Grains have high protein content –
saves cost of animal husbandry and
associated environmental costs and
sins of killing animals
 Avoids our craving towards sugary
and oily foods. – additional health
benefits, saves land degraded by
sugarcane
Buddhism presents a radical challenge
form a in stream economics
 Denies the existence of the self –
 Anatta - absence of a supposedly
permanent and unchanging self
 Suggests not to multiply but to
simplify our desires.
 Minimum material comfort

 Wanting less could bring substantial

benefits for the person, for the
community and for nature.
 Eco Design
 IncorporatingEnvironmental
considerations at the early stages
(Algae based plastics)
“Zero-detergent Washing” is realized by
the power of electrolytic water Utilizing
ultrasonic waves and the power of
electrolytic water which is achieved by
electrolyzing the water, The power of
electrolytic water’s activated oxygen and
electrolyzed hypochlorous acid, which is
made through electrolyzing the water by
siting electrodes on the side of the
washing drum, dissolves organic stains
(sweat) on towels, underwear, pajamas,
T-shirts, etc. This power is enhanced by
synergy with ultrasonic waves to create
“Zero-detergent Washing”.

Ultra Sonic Cloth

Washer
 Decopier Technologies
 Many people have noticed that most of the copy
paper in recycling bins is in good condition apart
from the print or copy on it.  If one could only
'erase' the toner of the page, it could be reused
as (nearly) new. 
 At least two companies have seriously explored
this option. In 1993, the Ricoh company issued a
press release announcing the "Paper Recycling
System", a technology for removing toner from
copy paper.  However, within a few years they
decided not to turn the technology into a product.
 In 1997, Decopier Technologies, Inc. announced
that they had developed a technology called
"decopying“ which removes the toner from laser
printers and copiers.
 Bio Gas Filling
Station

Bio Gas Operated Buses

Environment is not part of us,

we are part of the environment

Ant Hill Inspired Building design
What is needed by the science to keep the
temperature increase below 2°C
 World must reduced emission by
50% by 2050 with a peak
around 2020
 Annex 1 Countries 30%
emission cuts by 2020 with
peak between 2012 and 2015
and at least 80% cuts by 2050
 Developing Countries cuts of
20% against 1990 levels by
2050
 Paris agreement
The measures in the agreement included:

• To peak greenhouse gas emissions as soon as possible and

achieve a balance between sources and sinks of GHGs in the
second half of this century

• To keep global temperature increase "well below" 2 C

(3.6F) and to pursue efforts to limit it to 1.5 C

• To review progress every five years

• $100 bn a year in climate finance for developing

countries by 2020, with a commitment to further finance
in the future.
 Paris Agreement

 Thisagreement, is to enhance the

implementation of UNFCCC, aims to
strengthen the global response to
the threat of climate change, in the
context of sustainable
development and efforts to
eradicate poverty by:
 Rio + 20, 2012
 Outcome document - The future we
want
Led to 17 SDGs and 169 targets
- They are action oriented, global in
nature and universally applicable
- Indicators focused on measurable
outcomes
- Integrate economic, social and
environmental aspects and recognize their
inter-linkages
Our standard of living is not just driven by
economic success, but is also determined
by the quality of the environment we live
in …
 Systems & Convergence
planning
 17 SD Goals
 169 Targets

 51 Ministries
 425 Line agencies

 Government System in SL

Central Government
9 Provincial Councils
335 Local Authorities (23 Municipal
Councils,
41 Urban Councils, 271 Divisional
Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs)

 INDCs are the primary means for

governments to communicate
internationally the steps they will
take to address climate change in
their own countries.
 INDCs
 Partieswere invited to submit their INDCs
well in advance of COP21. Also invited
parties to communicate their undertaking in
adaptation planning in their INDCs

 Partiesshall pursue domestic mitigation

measures, with the aim of achieving the
objectives of such contributions.

 EachParty’s successive NDCs will

represent a progression beyond the Party’s
then current NDC and reflect its highest
possible ambition
 Financial support
 Developed country Parties shall
provide financial resources to assist
developing country Parties with
respect to both mitigation and
adaptation in continuation of their
existing obligations under the
UNFCCC.
 Other Parties are encouraged to
provide or continue to provide such
support voluntarily
 Adaptation NDCs
 Human Health
 Food Security (Agriculture, Livestock,
Fisheries)
 Water

 Irrigation

 Coastal and Marine sector

 Biodiversity

 Urban, City Planning and Human

Settlement
 Tourism and Recreation
 Increasingthe ability to adapt to the
adverse impacts of climate change
and foster climate resilience and low
GHG emissions development, in a
manner that does not threaten
food production;

 Making finance flows consistent

with a pathway towards low GHG
emissions and climate-resilient
development
 Developing country Parties should
continue enhancing their mitigation
efforts, and are encouraged to
move over time towards economy-
wide emission reduction.
 Each Party shall communicate NDCs
every five year
 NDCs communicated by Parties shall
be recorded in a public registry
maintained by the secretariat
 FACTS
 Development of human society (Accelerated!)
 (Increasing ) Demand for Resources - Food

More
USA development
More meat !

Brazil
Year

UK
China

India Why not this ?

GNI / Capita / Year

 FACTS
 Development of human society (Accelerated!)
 (Increasing ) Demand for Resources - Food
 FACTS
 Development of human society (Accelerated!)
 (Increasing ) Demand for Resources - Food
 LOCAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
 Pathway for Local Economic Development
Shift from Linear Economy to Circular Economy

Linear Economy Circular Economy

Technical and Biological Materials mixed Technical Materials Biological Materials

up Energy from Renewable Sources
Energy from Finite Sources
 Basic Principles of Circular Economy
 Design out waste
 Build resilience through diversity
 Rely on energy from renewable sources
 Think in ‘systems’
 Waste is food.
 This is not the
END

Let this be a new

BEGINNING
Thank You