Mainstreaming climate risk into development

Sri Lanka, a tropical Indian Ocean island of 22 million people, is one of the countries most vulnerable to climate change. It is at risk of climate-induced extreme weather events such as droughts, floods, landslides, tropical cyclones, storm surges, and coastal erosion, and outbreaks of diseases such as dengue fever. Around 25% of Sri Lanka’s population lives within 1 kilometer of the coast, in areas vulnerable to future sea level rise. Tourism, agriculture, and manufacturing are among the primary economic drivers that are vulnerable to extreme weather events and sea level rise. Food, water, energy, and health security are all affected by rising temperatures and intense erratic rainfall. Additionally, climate change effects, such as deforestation, soil erosion, and biodiversity loss, threaten to reduce the country’s economic output. Sri Lanka’s low adaptive capacity means that it ranked 104 out of 185 countries on the Notre Dame Global Adaptation Initiative index in 2021. At 1 ton per capita in 2021, Sri Lanka is considered a low greenhouse gas (GHG) emitter country compared with others globally. Despite this, the country still heavily relies on fossil fuels, leading to an increasing emission scenario. Hydropower made up only 28% of the total electricity generated in 2022, with 57% generated from fossil fuels and the remaining from other renewable energy sources (mini-hydro, wind, solar, waste to energy, and biomass). The transport sector generates almost 50% of total emissions. The waste sector currently generates 4.4%. Further, the volume of waste to landfill is anticipated to rise alongside population growth and other factors, leading to increased.

source :

https://www.adb.org/publications/mainstreaming-climate-risk-development