Environmental Journalist Mr. Arun Dias Bandaranaike said that he appreciates the efforts of President Ranil Wickremesinghe to update the 43-year-old National Environment Act.

According to the President's view, the proposed Climate Change University in Sri Lanka would be able to capture the attention of the entire world.

Mr. Arun Dias Bandaranaike, shared these thoughts while participating in the '101 Katha' program produced by the President's Media Division (PMD) on the occasion of World Environment Day  June (05).

The bill amending the National Environment Act No. 47 of 1980 is currently being sent to the legal departments, in accordance with the President's goal of moving to a green economy by 2048.

Furthermore, a committee led by the President's Secretary has been formed to implement a new national policy that recognizes Sinharajaya, Hortonthanna, Knuckles Range, and Mahaveliya as living entities.

Mr. Arun Dias Bandaranaike, commenting on this new national policy, stated that nations like as Japan and New Zealand adopt such policies, and therefore their inhabitants fight to safeguard the environment as human beings.

Mr. Bandaranaike stated that the environment is a broad subject, if the resources of our country are not protected, there will be no country left for future generations, and the society's knowledge about the environment should be improved.

Mr. Bandaranaike who further commented said:

The environment is a big topic and a valuable resource. The environment cannot be protected by a single individual. It cannot be protected alone by the government. Society must get together to protect the environment. And we cannot progress without a green economy. Human lives may be lost. To safeguard the environment, laws and regulations are required.

In society, there is a change in attitudes regarding the environment. Not just businessmen, but also the general population, have abandoned the term 'environment' in order to try new things. As a result, it is time to reconsider how you express interest in our environment rather than bills.

There are already legal procedures in place to safeguard the environment. We must all learn to respect such laws. Even at the social, educational, and local government levels, this must be understood. And our environmental understanding is insufficient. Some methods of educating society should be devised. Some individuals are unaware of the environment. They mistake the environment for animals.

There are many things in the environment. If we don't consider them all important, the environment will not be protected. It is essential to give knowledge to the society regarding all these. Also, it is good that the young generation is already interested in the environment. Naming the valuable resources of the environment as objects of living immanence is a very important phenomenon.

Everyone knows that entities like Sigiriya cannot be destroyed. And we have to protect even reserves like Knuckles. If you cut trees and do business, there will be a lot of damage. The exercise undertaken by President Ranil Wickremesinghe to protect the precious resources of the country is a very important and timely action.

Today's temperature is greater than usual. The way it rains has altered as a result of my youth experiences. If this trend continues, we will no longer have a country. These circumstances are the result of climate change. I have learned that the President is planning to establish a Climate Change University in our nation next year. As a result, we shall capture the attention of the entire world. Scientists from various nations visit us to do research. It's a positive trend. We can tackle climate change if we enhance our understanding.

The environment should be taught realistically in schools rather than only via texts. All of these issues cannot be resolved in a single day. You must first accomplish some aim. We must safeguard our environment's important resources, which include animals, insects, plants, and trees. We must exercise self-control.

The videos related to the '1O1 Katha' program conducted by the President’s Media Division (PMD) with Environmental Journalist Mr. Arun Dias Bandaranaike can be obtained through this link (https://youtu.be/1-SvT53mBk8).

Join the 1O1 Katha WhatsApp group through this link (https://tinyurl.com/101Katha) to get new information published through the 1O1 Katha program.

President’s Media Division (PMD)