Secretary of Defence Delivers Keynote Address at the International Workshop "Climate Change and Resource Security"
Secretary of Defence Mr. Kapila Waidyaratne P.C delivered the keynote address at the inaugural session of the International Workshop on "Climate Change and Resources Security: Challenges for Security and the Security Sector in South Asia” organised by INSSSL, CSAS and KAS on 30th November 2017 in Colombo.
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" His Excellency the Ambassador of Germany, Representatives of Konrad Adenuer Stiftung (KAS) and the Centre for South Asian Studies, distinguished military officers, scholars, Director General and Staff of INSSSL, ladies and gentlemen.
It gives me immense pleasure to be here and address this esteemed gathering.
The challenges and difficulties faced by South Asian countries are particularly severe. There is a growing recognition that we face a number of new threats to global stability and national security. In particular, there are risks to secure, sustainable, and affordable supplies of key natural resources such as food, water, and energy are essential for economic prosperity and wellbeing.
It is unlikely that climate change will be a direct cause of conflict. However, the impact of its consequences such as loss of land and livelihood has the potential to increase the risks of global instability and conflict in those parts of the world already experiencing other stresses, such as food or water shortages, health issues, or demographic challenges. Between 1995 and 2014, more than 525 000 people died worldwide and losses of more than USD 2.97 trillion were incurred as a direct result of over 15 000 extreme weather events.
In the Middle East and North Africa, climate change is said to act as a threat multiplier, exacerbating environmental, social, economic, and political drivers of unrest, including drought, water scarcity, food security, and migration and will likely continue to do so as the countries of the in region transition and change. Prosperity and stability in the region is intimately tied to its food and water resources. Therefore, Climate change places a significant stress on those resources.
Countries in the South Asian region have experienced conflict in the past, both intrastate and interstate, frequently as a result of a lack of capacity in their government to look after the needs of their citizens. South Asia ranks high on lists of countries that are affected by climate change, but it is far from the only place where scientists say global warming could change the fabric of society.
In Asia, 345 million people were affected by droughts, with one long-lasting drought in India affecting, in both 2015 and 2016, 330 million people. Further, natural disaster in the region has resulted in a total of US$ 78.89 billion in damage.
Because of this, climate change is widely recognised in many countries as a threat multiplier and Sri Lanka is no exception.
According to an article published in the Guardian in 2013, “In the next 55 years the greatest threat to Sri Lanka will be not from war, but from climate change. Sri Lanka is particularly vulnerable to rising sea levels and weather-related disasters have the potential to set back any gains made in agriculture, fisheries and even services such as tourism”.
Across the island, climate change related weather aberrations and resultant extreme weather events are becoming increasingly common. When we look back at the history of natural disasters in Sri Lanka it is clear that our country have suffered a substantial loss of lives and property. The tsunami in 2004 that shattered almost two thirds of the islands coastline, Landslides in Meeriyabedda in 2014 and Aranayake in 2016 and the recent floods have led to the displacement and death of many citizens.
While this affects the country at large, this variability impacts the agriculture and energy sector as well. Earlier this year Sri Lanka imported several hundred thousand metric tons of rice to prepare for the shortfall in local production due to adverse weather conditions. In terms of energy, the country depends up to 40 per cent of its electricity generation on hydropower which may prove unsustainable in the future given the approaching climate crisis.
As climate change is a cross-cutting issue, it is important to reconsider national and regional policies in order to mitigate its effects. It is important to note that progress in international negotiations on climate change depends on domestic political support for cooperation. Although global warming is now widely recognized as a policy challenge among experts, it is generally not a top priority governments in domestic politics.
In this regard, regional conferences, workshops such as this are vital learning platforms to discuss natural hazards, disaster preparedness, policy suggestions among academia and the military. Think tanks such INSSSL and CSAS are beneficial towards accumulating data and providing input for security policy. Military-to-military environmental security initiatives on disaster management, emergency response and scarce water resources are beneficial towards preparedness. Furthermore, learning from the experiences from countries beyond the South Asian region is crucial towards understanding policy alternatives.
I would like to conclude my speech by wishing all the participants the very best over the proceedings of the workshop. I hope that the positive engagements that take place in this room will benefit all.
Thank you."
