Climate change: Will SL be affected?

by Rohana Jayalal

Sri Lanka will not be as badly affected as the Maldives by the rise in sea levels. However, we will be affected by frequent and intense floods, resulting in damage to dams which will be chaotic especially in areas with less lakes and rivers, said Member, Oceanic and Atmospheric Society South Asia Region, Dr. Michael Wasantha.

The rise in sea level is primarily due to the melting of icebergs in the Arctic which is a recent phenomenon, as discovered by scientists.

Fast industrialization, the emission of dangerous gases to the atmosphere particularly in Europe and in Asia by the two Asian giants China and India, has been attributed to this near global disaster. The El-Nino effect and global warming exert a considerable negative impact on the climate.

While scientists are precise about their calculations of the percentage of damage, others believe it is far-fetched, as the Sri Lanka Coast Conservation and Coastal Resource Management Department has reported that the sea level rise over the past 20 years was 0.3%. But it will affect Sri Lanka in another half a century or so. Some research teams maintain that the rise in sea level decreased by 0.058 mm in 2014.

An official of the Coast Conservation and Coastal Resource Management Department said the rise in sea level increased over the past two decades rather than slowing down as previously thought, according to new research.

The tourism and agriculture sectors are the most affected.

There are also several aspects of climate change all Sri Lankans are experiencing today in terms of floods and heavy rain.

The Agricultural Unit of the University of Peradeniya has found that the temperature in the country is increasing. This will also cause an increase in mosquito breeding in the colder parts of the country such as Nuwara Eliya leading to the spread of mosquito-borne diseases.

There will also be negative effects on tourism as tourists will be less willing to come to an island when there is a lot of rain and hot weather. There is also the threat of landslides.

Tourism is one of the major foreign exchange earners. The industry has been growing steadily.

There are four main marine protected areas in Sri Lanka and they are at Rumasssala, Kalpitiya, Hikkaduwa, Negombo and Pigeon Islands. The biggest protected area is at Kalpitiya with an extent of 30,600 ha.

Sri Lanka launched its climate change policy in January 2012. It has identified the rise sea level as a key impact of climate change. The policy proposes adaptation of measures in coastal resource management to minimize impact. The National Climate Change Adaptation Strategy, introduced in December 2010, focuses on rise of sea level and changes in the oceanic environment.

Sri Lanka’s economic development activities are largely concentrated in the Western, Southern, Northern and Eastern regions of the country with new sea ports, airports and highways. Therefore, the coastal areas of the country play an important role in the economic development and urbanization.

Records from tide gauges and satellites have shown the rise in sea level slowing slightly over the past 20 years. But as the ice sheets of West Antarctica and Greenland shed more water into the ocean, climate models show it should be doing the opposite.

According to the official what was really puzzling was that in the past decade the rise in the sea level was marginally slower, ever so subtly slower, than the decade before it.

Sea level rise is measured using tide gauges on shorelines around the world and, since 1993, altimetric satellites. But both sets of data are imperfect.

As a result of the extreme change in weather and the effects of global warming, destinations will need to change their focus and tourism product. The consequences of global warming – including crop failures and water scarcity – are also expected to increase social instability, thereby threatening tourism activity in countries that depend on it.

Oceanic Environment Researcher and Tourism Field Advisor, Dr. Danuka Karunarathna said that climate defines the length and quality of the tourism season, and plays a major role in the choice of destination and spending patterns. But climate change and global warming will cause the biggest problems to the tourism industry.

Understanding how climate change will affect the Sri Lankan tourism industry is a complex matter. Tourism will continue to grow, but patterns of travel will change. Some destinations will benefit, while others will be impacted negatively.

Sri Lanka has experienced a coastal erosion rate of .30 to .35 metres a year, adversely impacting almost 55 percent of the shoreline. From a tourism perspective, the coastal belt is a core offering – after all, sun, sea and sand make for an alluring tourism product.

In Sri Lanka, changing weather patterns have altered the eco-tourism offering, either due to extended droughts or floods. Coral bleaching, coastal erosion, intrusion of salinity and a rise in sea level are already threatening many of the island’s traditional diving and beach hotspots.

As an industry, tourism stands to face the brunt of global warming. Rising sea levels, loss of biodiversity and changing weather patterns are leading to prolonged periods of drought and flooding.