Efforts underway to introduce climate change legislations to meet net zero carbon targets

The government is planning to introduce climate change legislation along with other new environment laws to meet net zero carbon targets before 2050. 

“We will bring the climate change legislation and new environment laws to hit net zero even before the targeted date,” President Ranil Wickremesinghe announced.

Sri Lanka has pledged to achieve net zero carbon status by 2050 in the updated Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), which were submitted to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in 2021.

Meanwhile, Minister of Agriculture and Plantation Industries Mahinda Amaraweera yesterday announced plans to establish globally accepted national sustainable standards for Ceylon Tea by end of this year.

“This is a significant milestone for the Sri Lankan tea sector and a testament to commitment to address the challenges of climate change and ensuring the development and well-being of plantation workers and smallholders,” he said. 

He also shared plans to guide the plantation sector to develop and implement a regenerative agriculture model with an aim to promote low carbon tea.

Sri Lanka is only responsible for 0.08 percent of global GHG emissions. However, the country is one the most vulnerable nations to climate change.