A fossil fuel free Lanka by 2030

Priyanka Kurugala

The Sri Lanka Sustainable Energy Authority will formulate a sustainable energy plan to achieve a fossil fuel free Sri Lanka by 2030. It will be a prerequisite to achieve environmentally sustainable development in Sri Lanka, Power and Energy Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka said.

Addressing a symposium attended by Executive Director and Co-Founder of Earth Hour, Andy Ridley at the Lakshman Kadirgamar Centre, the minister thanked Ridley for initiating this worthy cause to sustain planet earth.

The Earth Hour symbolizes the future of the world which will be without fossil fuels. Today the world is facing a severe crisis of scarcity of water, food, quality air etc. Sri Lanka is already facing these challenges, he said. Ignoring the concept of sustainable development makes oil, coal and gas prices rise further. This also increases the intensity of the environmental crisis.

Therefore, the proper time has come for us to rethink our development drive from an environmentally sustainable perspective, the minister said.

"We have failed to seriously consider the environmental and social impact in the modern dominant development paradigm. A radical change is needed and we need to have an integrated plan considering all these factors", Minister Ranawaka said.

This will necessarily change the development parameters. If the present generation do not do it now, human civilization will be faced with a catastrophe, the result of which will affect not only humans but also all living beings on this beautiful planet, he explained.

" We are now inundated with poisonous particle materials in the air resulting in different colours in rain from which impact on the health remains unknown. The government will have to spend many more times than the benefits of development to counter the fall out of environmental degradation ", he noted.