Sri Lanka will take the lead in ensuring the developing economies have the resources to mitigate climate change – President pledges
COLOMBO : During the Presidential Environment Awards 2021- 2022 ceremony held Friday , April (28) at the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall (BMICH) in Colombo, President Ranil Wickremesinghe highlighted that it is not solely the responsibility of developing countries such as Sri Lanka to mitigate climate change in the world. The President emphasized that developed countries, which are the primary contributors to polluting the environment, should also contribute to the cause through funding.
The President noted that Sri Lanka will take the lead in ensuring that the developing economies receive the resources to mitigate climate change.
Furthermore, President Wickremesinghe acknowledged the need for new laws to establish Sri Lanka as a green economy. He announced that several new laws would be introduced in the coming years to address this issue.nvironment Minister Naseer Ahamed said : “Under the visionary leadership of His Excellency the President Ranil Wickremasinghe, the Government is taking the lead in implementing various measures to protect our biological diversity and mitigate and adapt to climate change impact. The key pillars of His Excellency the President’s Green Transition Vision are the Climate Prosperity Plan declared at the COP27 Summit in Egypt last year and the Blue & Green Economic development strategy outlined in his Budget Speech for 2023. At present, the Government is busy putting in place the necessary legislative framework and institutional infrastructure to stimulate green investments, green financing particularly for the business sector and carbon credit mechanism to boost economic benefits to the nation based on our inherited unique ecological assets.
It is encouraging to see that our people are getting more and more environment-conscious. Environmental protection has evolved from a slogan to a mindset that affects people’s habits and choices. In response to the growing demand of the public for more environment-friendly business practices, many leaders in the business sector are quickly becoming aware that taking a socially and environmentally responsible approach is essential for building up good images for the companies and ensuring vibrant and sustainable business development. I believe all of you, as business leaders and friends of the environment, hold the same vision that – means of generating short-term profits should give way to new and greener practices which can reduce costs and improve efficiency, and at the same time prevent pollution and minimize the emission of greenhouse gas.”
