Efforts to Achieve Carbon Neutrality by 2050

While striving toward its development goals, Sri Lanka must adopt sustainable measures to minimise carbon emissions. According to the United Nations Development Programme, Sri Lanka is responsible for 0.08% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Although the country’s emissions are still relatively low, the increasing trend is worrisome. The main contributors to greenhouse gas emissions are the energy, industry, waste, agriculture and forestry sectors, which form the backbone of the national economy.

The country’s commitment to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 has been formally outlined in its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).

The key challenges in minimising the emission of greenhouse gases are the dependence on imported fossil fuels, lack of implementation of laws against environmental pollution, lack of awareness among the public regarding consequences of increase emission of greenhouse gases and ongoing climatic changes, which make the situation more complicated as the country is slowly healing from the economic crisis experienced between 2019 and 2024, beginning with the COVID-19 pandemic and followed by political instability.

However being a country rich in resources, Sri Lanka can plan for alternative energy sources such as wind, solar and hydropower; it is better to go for a mixture of these rather than being overly dependent on one source. Its geographical position and natural landscape are an advantage in harnessing renewable energy,  be it the strong coastal winds, the abundant sunshine throughout the year or the potential of the rivers for hydroelectricity. By 2030 the target is to achieve 70% renewable energy in electricity generation, a great step forward.

While carbon emissions are low, maintaining this level despite the challenges is a remarkable achievement. It reflects not only the resilience of the country but also the silent contribution of people who continue to move forward even in the face of adversity. This includes a 14.5% emission reduction and a commitment to increase forest cover to 32% by 2030. Forests play a vital role in absorbing CO₂ and supporting biodiversity and this target shows the importance placed on long term sustainability.

However, one area that is lacking is raising public awareness of the risks associated with rising greenhouse gas emissions; citizens can contribute a lot towards building a carbon-neutral nation.

Sri Lankans are experiencing more frequent and intense extreme weather events and rising sea levels as consequences of greenhouse gas emissions. These climatic changes threaten water resources, agricultural productivity and human health and will eventually lead to disease outbreaks, food insecurity and heat related deaths.

It is necessary to actively engage the public in the journey toward building a carbon neutral nation, which will require multiple coordinated interventions to drive behavioural change aligned with the national agenda of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050.

One initiative towards this goal was a grassroots project led by Team WAYO, a brotherhood of inspired individuals committed to promoting events with zero carbon emissions. The first of its kind in Sri Lanka, the project stands out not only for its environmental focus but also for its creative integration of music and youth engagement.

The event’s target audience, children with a passion for music, reflects its core mission: to empower the younger generation to take responsibility for a cleaner, healthier future by fostering a vision of carbon neutrality. From the recyclable materials used to the setting and sound frequencies, the production aimed to create a zero carbon footprint. The vivid and colourful environment enhanced the event’s impact by stimulating neural connections in children’s developing brains.

The event also brought together university students from a variety of academic disciplines, expanding its reach beyond the younger age group and engaging the parents of the children, creating an opportunity to address multiple generations under one initiative. While it may take time for children and youth to actively engage in carbon reduction efforts adults, particularly parents, are already contributing to carbon emissions through everyday behaviours such as burning fuel, smoking and improper waste disposal. What makes this effort particularly impactful is that it opened a platform to advocate directly to those currently most responsible for carbon emitting practices. This intergenerational engagement is a powerful approach to initiating long term behavioural change.

The event was a form of health promotion – the process of enabling people to improve control over their health and its determinants. Cleaner air resulting from reduced emissions supports better respiratory health, reduces mortality and promotes environmental justice.

Such initiatives have the potential to achieve the objectives by planting lasting impressions in the minds of future generations. By doing so in a thoughtful and engaging manner, they effectively address the core principles of health promotion. Audience feedback was positive, with many people expressing a desire for more such events. Although no one openly committed to individual climate action, the seed had been planted and time will tell how successfully it grows.

These creative ideas should be incorporated into the national platforms of health promotion. The concept of health promotion has evolved throughout the world to a place where traditional communication modalities such as lecturing and distributing leaflets are no longer sufficient and multisectoral and multidimensional modalities are needed.

Strong health messages can be delivered through music, a widely accepted channel for behavioural change communication. Gathering a community is a powerful tool and with clear messaging, the impact could be significantly greater. A behavioural change needs repetitive interventions that carry the same message.

The event stands as a harmonious convergence of purpose-driven individuals harnessing the universal language of music to advocate for a carbon negative Sri Lanka. With these continued efforts, Sri Lanka may achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 or in the years close to it.