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CLIMATE STRIKES IN SRI LANKA

Welcome curious minds! It has been awhile since my last blog but I am hoping to write again more frequently. Climate strikes and marches have gained global traction since the 28th of September, 2019. Even though we had been observing marches in metropolitan cities worldwide, those marches seem to only attract limited national media. However, all that changed when the young  generation decided to join the marches on school days. This movement was led by a brave young girl, now known globally called Greta Thunberg!  This movement rapidly grabbed media attention as an alarming number of youth left school in demand for climate action and the immediate stop to ecological destruction. They preached, “Why study for a future we might not even have”. This is a powerful statement not only because it is coming from our youth but also because it is true.  The climate strikes this year took place in countries where such strikes have not ever been held. For example, Sri Lanka joined t
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WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY 2019

Welcome Curious minds! Pardon me for the late post. Why should there be there a day to talk about the environment? Shouldn’t we be concerned every day about the environment around us? For a young adult such as myself, there are many thoughts that cross my mind during a day, from responsibilities to taking time out for myself. However, worrying about the environment and reducing pollution from day to day activities has become a norm in my life.  It has come to a point of no return to most of the world’s ecosystems from the constant increase in pollution from human activities. Instead of writing about the many ways that we pollute the environment every day, I thought we should look at some alternative options that could reduce this daily pollution.  Single-use plastics are the pinnacle of plastic pollution; these are the plastic bags you take from the supermarket or any other store, the straws you request with every drink, plastic and non-biodegradable containers for your ta
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VECTOR-BORNE DISEASES AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Welcome curious readers! Today I would like to talk about the relationship between climate change and vector-borne diseases. Yes! There is a positive correlation. Currently, Africa and Asia are known for facing some of the deadliest diseases on the planet, but they are spreading worldwide. Majority of these diseases are vector-borne.  The importance of addressing vector-borne diseases is because malaria and dengue are responsible for high rates of mortality especially in Africa and Asia. Vector-borne diseases have also had a strong influence on the survival rates of children and adults in the past and at present Around 12% of mortality in tropical regions can be directly attributed to vector-borne diseases. The mosquito species that are responsible for dengue and malaria are climate sensitive, which means they have a specific temperature window for optimum establishment (Githeko, et al., 2000). Future climate projections from the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change)
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CLIMATE MARCH

Welcome curious minds! I thought that as a youth representative, I should highlight the recent news regarding climate change. If you don’t already know, youth from all age groups have taken their frustrations on to the streets in over 100 countries worldwide.  Their main concerns were regarding the lack of action by their respective government leaders towards mitigating and adapting to climate change despite the Paris agreement being in place. It is quite obvious why these kids are frustrated, climate change is as evident as it has ever been. Every region of the world has its own array of climatic changes destroying ecosystems, driving species extinction and affecting human livelihoods. There is a reason why the youth from around the world were forced to stand up because there has not ever been a time where we were all faced with such a life-threatening situation.  Image courtesy: Jennifer Creery from HKFP (Hong Kong news outlet) We have to acknowledge that the
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PALM OIL INDUSTRY

Welcome curious minds to my weekly blog! The palm oil industry has found its way to the attention of conservationists and environmental activists all over the world. I thought of addressing this issue since I have recently noticed palm oil cultivation in some regions in Sri Lanka, which is unnecessary since we already have many other profitable crops which we could produce. If you don’t already know why palm oil has received media attention? Let me give you a concise summary of the effects of the palm oil industry that has gained media attention.  Palm oil can be found in products all over the globe, from being a cooking oil to being used as a raw material for products such as detergents, toiletries, cosmetics and many more. Naturally, a product having an ability to be used in various ways as mentioned only increases in demand. So how come a product that has many uses to modern day society become a global concern in the last couple of years? To understand this, let's
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PLANT BASED DIET OVER MEAT BASED DIET

Welcome curious visitors! Today I would like to discuss a topic that has grabbed my attention and sparked a personal psychological/attitudinal change in my life. It is evident from research studies conducted globally that we are reaching our planetary boundaries. The question is, is there a way we can minimise consumption and ensure sustainable resource management? I will tell you why having a plant-based diet can be beneficial for the planet and yourself.  Image courtesy: FAO, 2019. I have had this conversation with a number of people and it was clear that there is a huge knowledge gap in society regarding basic farming activities and the effects it has on the planet. It should really be a core subject taught to kids from a young age, even though it rarely happens. So why am I fixated on farming? I have decided to be a vegetarian due to two basic realisations. One and the most relevant to today’s blog is the carbon footprint a meat-based meal contains over a plant-based me
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HUMAN WILDLIFE CONFLICT IN SRI LANKA

Welcome curious minds to an intriguing blog! Humans and wildlife have coexisted since the dawn of civilisation, historically most encounters between humans and wildlife were life-threatening to each party. A simple term called Human-Wildlife Conflict coined by the IUCN World Parks Congress (Madden 2004) is defined as “when the needs and behaviour of wildlife impact negatively on the goals of humans or when the goals of humans negatively impact the needs of wildlife. These conflicts may result when wildlife damage crops, injure or kill domestic animals, threaten or kill people”. I will try my best to unravel the modern human-wildlife conflict in Sri Lanka.  Firstly, it is important to understand the historical aspect of livelihoods in Sri Lanka and the coexistence that prevailed during these periods and how it was lost to current society. During the many interesting and informative conversations I have had with farming communities in different regions, the older generation of farm
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