Proceedings of the 15th International Academic Conference, Rome

SUSTAINABLE RESPONSE TO CLIMATE CHANGE:REVIEW ON THE LEGAL FRAMEWORK OF SRI LANKA WITH REFERENCE TO ITS ROLE AT INTERNATIONAL AND REGIONAL LEVELS

MUTHUKUDA NIRIELLA

Abstract:

Climate change is a worldwide environmental issue that Sri Lanka is vulnerable to the increasing of its ill effects. Among the other impacts of climate change, Sri Lanka is highly susceptible to the following environmental problems: Increase the in the frequency and intensity of disasters such as droughts, floods and landslides, increase in temperature, rise the sea level, increase the unpredictability of rainfall patters and sudden whether changes. Since these vulnerabilities cut across many sectors in the economy and threaten to the speedy ongoing poverty reducing process at present while putting the country’s developing process at risk, Sri Lanka needs to address climate change adaptation to ensure that its development process can continue without any disruption due to the ill effects of climate change. Also protecting our people and helping them cope with these changing environmental conditions must be one of our priorities. This should be done with international and regional cooperation. Though Sri Lanka has enacted many environmental legislations which directly an indirectly address the issue of climate change and introduced an adaptation policy and national strategy in this regard, the vulnerability of Sri Lanka to the ill effects of climate change is increased considerably day by day. Therefore, it is important to look at the merits and demerits of the contemporary national regulatory framework including laws, policies and strategies in order to address the climate change issue successfully and also should see the capacity and status of Sri Lanka in negotiating at international level with regard to the issue. This study analyses the reasons for climate change in Sri Lankan aspect, the main environmental problems in Sri Lanka faces as a result of climate change issue. It also discusses the international/regional (law) interventions in this regard including the country’s engagement with climate change internationally and regionally with special reference to the critical analysis the role of Sri Lanka in international negotiations. Then it vigorously reviews the national framework and policy adopted in addressing the issue. Relevant information from books, journal articles and websites are referred as secondary source and information and statistics gathered by relevant authorities are used as primary sources to complete this research. The international treaties, regional conventions particular reference to SAARC region, domestic statues and judicial dicta in courts are used to support the arguments opinions, and suggestions made by the author in this study.

Keywords: Climate change, international instruments, regional standards, development, vulnerability, adaptation, Sri Lanka

DOI: 10.20472/IAC.2015.015.130

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