Sri Lanka climate change may ravage agriculture, coast areas

Dec 18, 2007 (LBO) - Rising temperatures over the next couple of decades will ravage Sri Lanka’s dry zone agriculture and a possible sea level rise will affect the coastal economy a top climate change expert has warned. A temperature rise in the next few years is feared even if big polluters decide to cap carbon emissions, which are responsible for global warming.

Backup Strategy

"Developing countries have to be aware that whether there are emissions cuts or not we are already committed to a certain degree of climate change," says Mohan Munesinghe who is a vice chairman of a key United Nations panel on climate change.

"So whatever happens we must protect ourselves and that’s not through mitigation but through adaptation."

The UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change where Munesinghe is vice chair was jointly awarded the Nobel peace price together with former U.S. vice president Al Gore recognizing their efforts at raising awareness about the causes and effects of global warming.

Politicians, scientists and bureaucrats also met in the Indonesian coastal city of Bali to figure out how to reveres the effects of climate change.

The outcome of those talks are however irreleva