Mainstreaming Climate Change for Sustainable Development in Sri Lanka

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1 Mainstreaming Climate Change for Sustainable Development in Sri Lanka Athula Senaratne Research Fellow, Institute of Policy Studies

2 Overview IPS and Climate Policy Research in IPS Climate Change Policy : Some Insights The Workshop: Aims and Objectives

3 IPS and Climate Policy Research in IPS

4 Institute of Policy Studies Apex Economic Policy Research Institute in Sri Lanka An Independent Think Tank Semi-government Organization Established in 1990

5 Mission To contribute to the economic development of a democratic Sri Lanka and enhance the quality of life of its people by informing policy makers and contributing to the public debate through timely, independent and high quality research-based analysis of medium and long-term national policy issues.

6 Research Units Macroeconomic Policy International Economic Policy Labor, Employment and Human Resources Development Industry, Public Enterprise Reform and Regulatory Policy Poverty and Social Welfare Health Policy Programme Agricultural Economic Policy Environmental Economic Policy

7 Environmental Economic Policy: Themes Policy and institutions for integrated management of natural resources Policy for overcoming the challenge of pollution and safeguarding the life support systems Integrating the macroeconomic policy and environment Facing the challenge of global environmental threats Sustainable development alternatives for overcoming poverty

8 Climate Change Research in IPS Research on climate change: Vast field of study IPS Focus: Climate change policy research (Macro & Micro perspectives) Aim: Inform policy makers on innovative ways to overcome climate change impacts Approach : Consultative ti and collaborative

9 Climate Change Policy : Some Insights

10 Climate Change Policy Mitigation policy To avoid unmanageable Adaptation policy To manage unavoidable

11 Mitigation Policy Actions to reduce GHG emissions and to shift towards a low carbon economy Major responsibility : Developed countries and fast growing major developing economies (e.g. China, India) Major Strategies for mitigation Setting price for carbon emissions Shifting towards low emission technology Increasing the efficiency of energy use Non-energy strategies: controlling deforestation, aforestation/reforestation International cooperation is essential : Kyoto protocol and beyond Climate Change Division of the Ministry of Environment & Natural Resources is the focal point in Sri Lanka

12 Adaptation Policy Actions to reduce the cost and disruption caused by unavoidable climate change impacts Main option available for many developing countries Effectiveness of adaptation is largely determined by mitigation efforts. Without mitigation adaptation may be prohibitively costly National and local actions have to play the major role. International cooperation is necessary for adaptation in LDCs High level of vulnerability Lack of necessary resources

13 Poverty and Vulnerability Climate risk: exposure to climate hazard. Common to many communities Vulnerability: not all under risk are vulnerable (e.g. floods in lower Manhattan and Ganges Delta) Difference of vulnerability is the outcome of disparity of human development situation Factors that convert risk in to vulnerability Poverty and low level of human development In-equality of human development Poor development of climate defense infrastructure Limited access to insurance Social capital

14 Adaptation Policy (contd..) Two major types of adaptation responses Voluntary adaptation Policy induced adaptation Voluntary adaptation: Spontaneous adaptation by agents under risk without the support of any planned intervention

15 Climate Adaptation by DZ Farmers Monthly Rainfall in Anuradhapura (m mm) Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Avg

16 Climate Adaptation by DZ Farmers (cont..) Aligning farming activities with seasonal pattern of RF: Least cost water supply option. Mid Oct. - Mid January : NE monsoon (Maha) Main cultivation season Paddy & chena Late March Early May: Inter-monsoon intermittent RF (gingelly rains) Extensive farming of gingelly in fallow chena risky crop Yala paddy under village tanks Late August & Sept. : Inter-monsoon Land preparation for chena

17 Climate Adaptation by DZ Farmers (cont..) Joint adaptation with the support of Water stored in tanks Help to minimize and even out risk of seasonal water scarcity Bethma : Joint adaptation strategy to ensure village food security under high scarcity of water Agro-wells Technology induced adaptation measure favored by private commercial farming High cost of water supply. Only cash crops are grown

18 Adaptation Policy : Rationale Global climate change may introduces a novel type of climate shock Scale of change May alter the entire established pattern Rapid pace of change: Revolutionary rather evolutionary Voluntary adaptation alone may not be adequate Policy support is necessary to enhance farmers adaptive capacity Adaptation policy should complement the voluntary efforts by community

19 Adaptation Policy (contd..) Uncertainty is the major challenge for adaptation policy Major sources of uncertainty Uncertainty of physical effects of climate change: Uncertainty of time and location of impacts Uncertainty of socio-economic change: Population increase, change of livelihoods, change of local institutions Policy uncertainty: Change of priorities Alternative policy strategies Adaptive policy making: Adapting to anticipated conditions Adapting to unanticipated conditions

20 Workshop: Aims and Objectives

21 Climate Change Adaptation in Sri Lanka Sri Lanka is highly vulnerable to climate change impacts Tropical island Significant population under poverty Located in a disaster prone region South Asia Many sectors in the economy are vulnerable Coastal regions sea level rise Weather dependent primary production sectors : Agriculture, Fisheries, Forestry, Plantations Water supply: seasonal precipitation it ti (monsoons) Adaptation policy is highly important National, sectoral, local levels

22 Adaptation : Challenges Four major gaps constrain the policy on adaptation Information gap Lack of policy agenda and identification of priorities Coordination gap Resource mobilization gap Gaps are complex and common to many sectors

23 Strategic Action Plan for Adaptation Strategic in the sense of: Plan to move forward from the current strategic position Identifies strategies to fill major gaps Common stepwise process Issues create major gaps in respective sectors Identify strategies to overcome key issues Policy strategies t Institutional strategies Management strategies

24 Sector A : Gap # Iss. Issue Priority Urgency No (rank 1-5) of faction (rank 1-5)

25 Strategies Iss. Strategy Stake Agencies No Holders Policy Institutional Management

26 Way Forward Strategic Action Plan will be a knowledge created by all stakeholders in the workshop A public good owned by all stakeholders Evolving and rolling plan: Open for improvement, subject to the knowledge and information Dialogue will be continued through IPS Climate Policy Network IPSCLIMATEnet Blog

27 Thank You