GaiaAge

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-base...

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 ...

Welcome curious minds to my weekly blog! I know everyone is talking about plastic waste these days, so what do I really have to say that’s so different? Let me start by saying that, even though most people know about the pollution caused by plastics, there is a lack of commitment to change behaviour towards reducing the use of single-use plastics. The facts that plastics are polluting most ecosystems, especially marine is so evident that there is no need for scientific research.  Plastics were initially produced in the 1950s, they were an instant success as they provided cheap solutions to an ever-growing consumeristic economy. In comparison to other available products at the time, plastics were cheap, lightweight, nonreactive and easy to produce. Companies switched to single-use plastics overnight and observed skyrocketing profits which ensured the success of these man-made products for years to come. Furthermore,  after decades of living in a plastic age, humans have ad...

Welcome curious minds to my weekly blog! Yesterday was quite an exciting day for me, I attended a tree planting event organised by Janathakshan (GTE) Ltd (my workplace) in collaboration with MAS Holdings which was held in Siwalakuluma, Anuradhapura. The tree planting program was organised as a part of the CRIWM Project (Climate Resilient Integrated Water Management Project), this is a seven-year project funded by the Green Climate Fund (GCF) through the UNDP in Sri Lanka. Janathakshan is an implementing partner organisation for this project in Anuradhapura. The project aims to develop a cascade ecosystem around tanks that are been rehabilitated under this project. To initiate a cascade ecosystem, land around tanks will be planted with trees such as Kumbuk (Terminalia arjuna), Mee (Nauclea orientalis), Karanda (Pongamia pinnata) and Maila (Bauhinia racemosa). The tree planting program on Saturday 26th of January succeeded in planting around 1500 trees around the tanks of Sembigewewa an...

Welcome curious minds to my second blog! Since this will be my first official post, I will not make it complicated or heavy. As a researcher who studied many different aspects of climate change, I thought I will give a brief introduction on climate change and the many misconceptions that roots from public perception.  Climate change is a subject that can no longer be ignored but it is, however, constantly challenged by leaders, experts from other fields and also the general public on a global scale. Firstly, we have to understand that changing the climate is a natural phenomenon which occurs over a long period of time but the changes we can observe today are not part of a natural phenomenon. The climatic changes which cause erratic seasonal changes, extreme rainfall, droughts, and prolonged heat waves are all occurring more frequently than ever recorded in history. These changes started a few decades ago, but it is clear that after the industrial revolution and all the...

Welcome curious minds to my first blog! I am currently working as an environmental consultant in Sri Lanka, for Janathakshan (GTE) Ltd, a local NGO and I am also working for Pinnacle Consortium (Pvt) Ltd. Starting a blog has been on my mind for about a year now and I finally found the time and the creative mindset that I have been waiting for, all this time.  So why am I starting this blog? As a researcher and an activist for global environmental issues particularly wildlife and climate change, I decided that I had the power, how little it may be to influence societal change towards the “better”. Better in this context is referring to a sustainable lifestyle which spreads compassion for other living beings.  I have studied and researched for five years on the science of climate change, sustainability, animal behaviour, ecosystem services, rural livelihoods and all that is related to these topical matters. However, as much as my studies have provided me with scientific...