Minister warns of global terrorism

Lakshmi DE SILVA

Global terrorism will take place within the country as well as internationally if global warming continues at its present level, Environment and Natural Resources Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka said.

"These climate refugees would create a huge social unrest. This would lead to dispute on cultivable and livable land and to national and international terrorism," the Minister said delivering the keynote address at an international workshop at Colombo yesterday.

The two-day workshop on Maintaining Military Readiness by Managing Ozone Depleting substances held at the Galadari Colombo was organized by the Environment Ministry's National Ozone Unit and the Defence Ministry with the assistance from the United Nations Environment Program.

Twenty three participants from China, Iran, Thailand Indonesia, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka were present.

Minister Ranawaka said Ozone represented a very small percentage of the atmosphere but it should be noted that its presence was vital for human, animal, plant life and the entire ecological systems as it provides a protective shield that absorbs some of the potentially harmful ultraviolet radiation from the sun.

"Thanks to the Montreal Protocol on Substances depleting the Ozone layer we have encouraging examples of how global solutions could be found when countries make determined efforts to implement the protocols on global environmental problems," the Minister said.

"We in the East have lived in harmony with nature for centuries. Our ancestors lived using natural resources in a sustainable manner. Natural resources were not over exploited for short term benefits.

The main reason for environment problems was the over-consumption and use of natural resources in an unsustainable manner.

Minister Ranawaka said Sri Lanka was hosting this workshop for the first time to emphasize that the military could participate in helping to save the ozone layer and to fight global warming in the program partnered by the UN and national government forces, Ranawaka said.

Madhawa Sarma of the Technical Evaluation and Assessment Program said the objective to share knowledge on environment between China and US, Russia and US, Pakistan and India would result in benefit to all nations in gaining knowledge on conserving the environment.

"This workshop will help our countries not only to defend our countries but also to cooperate and safeguard one another and our populations."