Assessing the Risk of Sea Level Rise: The Way Forward for Sri Lanka

By S.S.L.Hettiarachchi and S.P.Samarawickrama

Department of Civil Engineering, University of Moratuwa

Climate Change and Sea Level Rise  

Climate change will have significant impacts on the oceans and on the coastal zone on a global scale. It will introduce new hazards and increase existing hazard potential, both with respect to magnitude and frequency of occurrence, in coastal regions. The hazards would be both chronic (e.g., sea level rise) and episodic (e.g., storm events). Sea level rise is one of the more certain responses to global warming and presents a major challenge in the administration and management of coastal zones, including that of Sri Lanka. A large percentage of Sri Lanka’s population is located in coastal regions and these regions play a vital role in the economic growth of the country.

Sri Lanka is one of the few countries which have a fully operational National Coastal Zone Management Plan, and the Government’s Coast Conservation Department has  full responsibility for its implementation. In Sri Lanka, the Coast Conservation Act has defined the coastal zone on geo-physical considerations using linear dimensions. This narrow and geographically defined coastal zone does not recognize the interconnections within coastal ecosystems, its resources, and the human interactions. This limitation in the definition of the coastal zone could become a critical constraint when implementing action plans to respond to sea level rise in the country.

Analyzing the Impacts of Sea Level Rise 

Investigations conducted in Sri Lanka have revealed that climate change will result in changes to critical forcing parameters of the coastal zone which would affect the physical condition of the shoreline. Rising sea levels, change in wave patterns arising from changes in wind pattern and water depth, increased rainfall and the occurrence of extreme events more frequently, are some of these. Sea level rise on its own would lead to several issues:      

        (i)  Inundation and displacement of low lying coastal areas and wetlands
       (ii)  Coastal erosion and degradation of shorelines
       (iii) Salinisation of estuaries and freshwater aquifers, and
       (iv) Changes to and migration of coastal eco-systems and habitats.

National Climate Change Policy and the Role of Citizens in the Post-Durban Era

By L.Padmini Batuwitatge

The Intergovernmental Panel of Climate Change (IPCC) has confirmed that climate change is already occurring, mostly as a result of human activities. Many natural systems are being affected by regional climatic changes, particularly temperature increases, changes of rainfall patterns, and extended draughts, which are different from what we have been experiencing before.

As a response to climate change, the global community adopted the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) twenty years ago on 9 May 1992. The Convention entered into force on 21st March 1994 and it now has 197 State Parties, making the Convention one of the most universally-supported/agreed Multilateral Environmental Conventions.  

The ultimate objective of the Convention, and any related legal instruments that the Conference of Parties may adopt, is “to stabilize greenhouse gas (GHG) concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system”. It was further stated that such a level should be achieved within a time frame sufficient to allow ecosystems to adapt naturally to climate change, to ensure that food production is not threatened, and to enable economic development to proceed in a sustainable manner.   

Traditional Rice Farming in Sri Lanka: Still Viable with Climate Change

By P.B. Dharmasena

Former Deputy Director -  Field Crops Research and Development Institute, Mahailluppallama, Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka has experienced many changes over the last century which has had a significant impact on traditional rice farming in the country. A change in the climate can be seen as the island has faced a reduction of rainfall and an increase in air temperature in certain areas of the country. Furthermore, land used for vegetation has been put to other uses resulting in a loss of 50 per cent of forest cover. The population has also increased by 15 million in a land area of 6.54 million hectares over the last 60 years. Occurrence of natural disasters such as droughts, floods, cyclones, landslides, epidemics, etc., has made life difficult for people to go about with their activities. Traditional sustainable agriculture shifting towards modern technology-intensive mode is partly to be blamed for these natural disasters.