Through the tenth Atmosphere Pioneer President’s Medal Awarding Ceremony 2020-2021 held on the Bandaranaike Memorial Worldwide Convention Corridor, President Ranil Wickremesinghe introduced that Sri Lanka is establishing the world’s first worldwide environmental college to assist the worldwide effort in addressing local weather change.
The President acknowledged that though local weather change is a major problem for the world, there isn’t a central analysis hub to review it, and invited a number of international locations to hitch Sri Lanka within the effort.
President Wickremesinghe additionally harassed that the actions taken to date have solely delayed local weather change, and never stopped it. The ceremony acknowledged the wonderful service of lecturers, faculties, regional environmental officers, and workplaces, with 129 environmental pioneers being awarded Presidential Medals. The Atmosphere Pioneer President’s Medal is the best accolade underneath the Nationwide Atmosphere Pioneer President’s Medal, and the winners obtain an extra 04 factors in college entrance.
Aralagangwila Wilayaya Nationwide College was awarded as one of the best college, producing 14 Atmosphere Pioneer President’s Medal winners, whereas the Central Provincial Workplace of the Central Atmosphere Authority acquired the award for one of the best workplace, guiding essentially the most important variety of Atmosphere Pioneer President’s Medal winners (25). The Atmosphere Pioneer President’s Medal recipients took a bunch photograph with President Wickremesinghe, who urged them to unfold the message of environmental safety in faculties as environmental pilots.
The President emphasised that being an environmental pilot is a major sacrifice and is devoted to the betterment of future generations.
The President additional expressed his views and stated,
“Because the President of Sri Lanka, I wish to start by congratulating all of the environmental pioneers who’ve acquired medals right this moment. This can be a dedication that they’ve made voluntarily, for the reason that institution of the Central Atmosphere Authority in 1984.
All of us who’re a part of this motion are making a fantastic sacrifice for the good thing about future generations. The environmental issues on this planet right this moment are well-known to everybody. Our problem right this moment isn’t just to cease local weather change, however to gradual it down, and we have to be profitable on this effort.
During the last two centuries, the world has undergone nice adjustments. When the British arrived in Sri Lanka and signed the Upcountry Treaty in 1815, the inhabitants of our nation was solely two million or much less. After we acquired common suffrage in 1931, that quantity had grown to 5 million. By the point we gained independence, it was seven million. In the present day, our inhabitants has tripled, however our land has not elevated, and the quantity of forests has decreased.
As a former authorities minister in 1970, I keep in mind allocating 150,000 -200,000 acres on the aspect of Polonnaruwa to start out the Mahaweli motion. In the present day, individuals are residing in these areas, and now we have change into self-sufficient in rice in consequence. If that land had not been allotted then, we’d not be self-sufficient in rice right this moment.
The world has modified drastically for the reason that time of our ancestors. The consumption patterns of households have elevated with the provision of recent facilities like air conditioners, various kinds of meals, and different consumables. The economic revolution has additionally led to elevated industrialization worldwide, with its attendant environmental impacts. Two main wars broke out throughout this era, together with the dropping of atomic bombs, resulting in environmental destruction and adjustments in our local weather.
By 2050, the world’s inhabitants is anticipated to extend much more, and we have to be ready to face the challenges of local weather change. As a rustic, now we have taken many steps to deal with these points, together with the creation of a local weather change hub, and the introduction of recent guidelines to guard the Sinharaja forest, Horton plains, Siripada web site, and the Knuckles vary.
Whereas the environmental legal guidelines that we launched prior to now have been fashionable again then, they’ve change into out-dated now, and we want new and more practical environmental and local weather change legal guidelines to make sure the sustainable improvement of our nation.
Because the Minister of Atmosphere, I’m proud to announce that we’re bringing new legal guidelines to guard nature reserves like Muthurajawela and creating new forests. We have now taken steps to create the mandatory legal guidelines for this.
However we did not cease there. Recognizing the significance of addressing local weather change, we imagine it ought to be included in class and college curricula. That is why we’re planning to determine the Worldwide College of Local weather Change, which would be the world’s first worldwide environmental college. We count on it to offer alternatives for post-graduation and analysis work.
At present, there isn’t a centre on this planet devoted to conducting analysis on local weather change. Due to this fact, we’re taking steps to start out the Worldwide College on Local weather Change by establishing that centre in Sri Lanka. We hope to hold out this work with the participation of many international locations and provides membership of the governing board to these international locations and organizations.
We imagine that 2,000-3,000 individuals will enrol on this college yearly, get the mandatory coaching, and construct a fantastic relationship with the world. We hope this can be a assist that Sri Lanka can present to face local weather change. Due to this fact, now we have mentioned this with numerous governments and can be presenting data on this on the convention on local weather change in Dubai this 12 months.
Because the Minister of Atmosphere, I request all environmental pioneers to convey this message of defending the surroundings to their faculties. It’s your accountability to offer the mandatory steerage for that.”
Minister of Atmosphere Nasir Ahmed, Secretary of the Ministry of Atmosphere Marketing consultant Dr. Anil Jasinghe, Secretary of the Ministry of Schooling M. N. Ranasinghe, Central Atmosphere Authority Chairman Supun S. Pathirage, Performing Director Basic Dr. R. M. S. Okay. Rathnayake, environmental Pioneer presidential award winners, their dad and mom, principals, lecturers and others participated on this occasion.
President’s Media Division (PMD)
