Meeting of minds on environment

That development is no longer merely 'growth plus equity' is now widely acknowledged. What is not so well known, however, is that development denotes today not only these vital dimensions but environmental sustainability too. That is, development currently is equated with growth, equity and environmental sustainability. In other words, mere material advancement, even if it is equally distributed, cannot be accepted, if this activity is wasteful of a country's natural resources.

Accordingly, it is environmentally sustainable material growth and its even distribution that needs to be achieved if Sri Lanka is to consider itself as developing. We have the encouraging news now and then dinned into us, that Sri Lanka is a Middle Income Country with a fairly enviable economic growth rate but what is at issue is whether we are achieving all this at the cost of our natural environment.

Fortunately, the importance of these questions does not seem to be lost on our political leadership. No less a person than President Mahinda Rajapaksa is on record that development should not be at the cost of the natural environment. He explained that it would be his endeavour to ensure that development projects, however much appealing they may be from the material advancement viewpoint, do not impinge negatively on the natural environment and on the lives of the people.

The validity of these observations is borne out by their striking correspondence with the sentiments on these matters of Sri Lanka's Veddah or aboriginal community. Their leader Wishwakeerthi Wanaspathi Wannilaeththo was at Lake House yesterday for the launch of the Mihithuru environmental magazine and what he had to say on development, the natural environment and connected issues was most thought-provoking and enlightening. These are indeed grassroots people whose lives are deeply entwined with nature and whose authority on questions of this nature cannot be questioned. We have reproduced on our news pages some extracts from the Veddah chief's speech and we hope they would not only receive the attention of lay readers but that of our development planners too. A key point made by the chieftain was that mankind is on a maniacal scramble to amass wealth but with no thought for the natural resources of the world. Money is made in mints but at the cost of the environment and from this point of view mankind is on a suicidal or self-destructive course, because he is doing grave damage to the well springs of life while engaged in ensuring his material wellbeing.

Accordingly, there is no getting away from the need to re-examine and reassess our 'development strategies' because, unwittingly may be, we could be bringing harm on ourselves and on future generations through the wanton destruction of our natural environment in the guise of generating material wealth and sustenance. We wonder whether our Provincial Councils have thought long and deep on these matters. They could be a primary instrument in grassroots development but they could end up doing great harm to rural communities if they practise the wrong species of development. For instance, the media bristle with news on the illegal felling of trees and sand-mining and provincial development and governing institutions, such as, Provincial Councils, are duty-bound to ensure that nature is thus not parasitically preyed upon by those who are blinded by the quest for material wealth.

We believe a duty is cast on the central government to ensure that the correct development model, based on Sustainable Development, is practised everywhere in this country. The truth is that the concept of development has undergone revolutionary changes over the years, but this subject is yet not part of ordinary discourse among the people to the desired degree.

The Provincial Councils too need to take on this responsibility of enlightening the people on what development really means but they need to also ensure that material growth in the provinces evolves in accordance with the ideal development paradigm, which is Sustainable Development. This issue should be a prime focus of the current electioneering. It would not do to only be preoccupied with the issue of getting elected by hook or by crook.