Deliverance by Anoma Wijeywardene

By Centre for Poverty Analysis (CEPA)

23 April 2015

n 1970, 20 million Americans took to the streets to spread the message of environmental awareness, and in the process created the first ever Earth Day. To honor what has become a global observance, on this day we are sharing some artwork from Anoma Wijeywardene’s 2012 collection on climate change “Deliverance”

MELTING SEA

Sea levels are rising

Sea levels have risen between 10 -20 cm during the 20th century and could rise by six times as much in the 21st century.

Vibrant coastal cities like New York and Mumbai are vulnerable to sea level rise and small tropical islands like the Maldives could go underwater leading to “climate refugees”.

In Sri Lanka rising sea levels threaten our coastlines, where 25% of our population live and 43% of our GDP is generated.

Maintaining protective barriers such as mangroves and wetlands can help reduce the impacts of rising waters and storm surges.

BURNING

The climate is changing

The global climate is changing as a result of excessive greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide) trapped in the earth’s atmosphere.

The International Panel on Climate Change shows that the global average temperature has increased by 0.6 °C in the last century.

Rainfall has increased by 0.2 to 0.3% per decade over tropical land areas.

These changes maybe just decimal points in numbers but they are big changes to the earth’s fine-tuned natural systems.

It will result in increased disasters and more variable, extreme weather conditions with consequences on our livelihoods, our homes, and our wellbeing.

Making lifestyle and business choices that are “sustainable” and reduce the stress on the natural resources is our alternative.

RISING

Sinking our carbon

Oceans act as a carbon “sink”: they store and cycle some 93% of the earth’s carbondioxide.

Carbondioxide dissolves directly in the surface layers of the ocean, and is transferred to the deep ocean by marine micro organisms.

rising temperature reduces the ocean’s ability to store carbondioxide.

rising temperatures and increased acidity in the oceans also affect coral reefs, the underwater forests.

loss of coral reefs will impact on a multitude of living organisms and can threaten food chains, fishing livelihoods, tourism and protection of the shorelines.

cannot continue to rely on the ocean to buffer the effects of our pollution indefinitely without consequence.

EVERY DROP

Learning from our past

Sri Lanka’s thousand years of successful hydraulic civilization evolved as a solution to basic needs (food, water and protection) and to basic problems (droughts, floods, cyclones, epidemics and invasions).

The vision behind this hydraulic civilization was based on technological innovation and scientific principles of integrated water resource management. It was not just about supplying water for agriculture but designed for water and soil conservation.

Water was shared between river basins; stored upstream, used for irrigation and then returned to the rivers; tank cascades enhanced retention and replenished the water table.

Today pressures on water sources are far more diverse. Climate change threatens not just our economic development, but also our cultural heritage.

It is imperative that in the 21st century we build on our past and manage our water resources wisely.

LIFE

Protecting our future

Clean and adequate water is essential for good health and wellbeing.

Climate change threatens the availability of clean water and increases the incidence of floods and droughts and can cause more outbreaks of diarrhoeal and vector borne diseases.

Climate change also threatens our food supply, our crops, livestock and fisheries, and can translate into higher levels of malnutrition.

According to the World Health Organisation, 90% of malaria and diarrhoea cases and almost the entire burden of nutrition related illnesses, impact children under five, mostly in developing countries.

Addressing climate change (emission control, sustainable farming) has health benefits – a compelling reason to act now to protect our future generations.

MAGNIFICENT

Supporting life

Biodiversity provides us a buffer against climate change

Ecosystems such as forests, and mangroves perform a myriad of life support functions, storing carbon, cycling nutrients, purifying the air and water, controlling soil erosion and flooding, and treating pollution.

Sri Lanka’s lowland rain forests and coastal ecosystems are high in biodiversity but are being severely degraded due to population density, economic development, urbanization, tourism, housing, agriculture and industry.

By conserving its biodiversity and maintaining its ecosystem integrity, Sri Lanka can improve its ability to adapt to climate change.

Initiatives that give financial value to the life support functions of ecosystems acknowledge the importance of biodiversity and can generate revenue to protect it.

WE

We are the culprits

Human development shaped by the industrial and green revolutions have altered the balance of the planet.

The fossil fuels (coal, petroleum, diesel, kerosene) we use and deforestation we cause has increased carbondioxide in the atmosphere by over 30%since the industrial revolution.

For the earth’s natural life-supporting processes to work efficiently the amount of CO2 should not exceed 350 parts per million. Currently we are over 390 parts per million.

We now have fuel efficient technologies, renewable energies and emission control systems that can reduce carbondioxide emissions in our homes, transport systems, work places and industries.

Credits: Paintings by Anoma Wijeywardene