Sri Lanka vows to fight global warming

Colombo, March 18: Sri Lanka will have 10,000 environment-friendly villages throughout the country by 2020 in its aim to fight global warming, a minister said here on Friday.

Media Minister Gayantha Karunathilleke said that on a proposal made by President Maithripala Sirisena, the Sri Lankan cabinet had agreed to sign the 'Paris Agreement' on climate change and had agreed to minimise the emission of greenhouse gases and to formulate laws to establish a commission relating to climate change, Xinhua reported.

"Sri Lanka is to implement the 'Green Environmental Beautiful Sri Lanka' programme during the period 2016 to 2020," Karunathilleke said.

"Sri Lanka is to launch 10,000 environment-friendly villages (Green Smart Villages) throughout the country in collaboration with community organisations."

A cabinet paper said that global warmth was on the increase due to excessive burning of the fossil fuel, industrialisation, urbanisation, denuding of forests cover, and environmental pollution.

It has been forecast that the global warmth will increase by about four degree Celsius by the end of this century and the environmental disasters that would take place due to the increase of global warmth would adversely affect the sustenance of the humans.

As per the conclusions made at the 21st session of the UN Framework Convention held in Paris, France on Environmental disaster (UNFCCC) from November 30 till December 11 last year, by the year 2100 it was agreed to take all possible measures to maintain the global warmth level at least at 1.5 degree Celsius and to prevent it increasing beyond two degree Celsius.

Sri Lanka has also agreed to contribute to the decisions taken at this summit.

IANS