Sustainable Human Development Index (SHDI)
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In order to address the inadequacies of the Human Development Index (HDI) in gauging the wholesome development of a country, Minister of Environment and Natural Resources Patali Champika Ranawaka introduced a new formula titled Sustainable Human Development Index (SHDI) and presented it to the United Nations in 2008. In addition to the indicators of the HDI, the new index SHDI showcases ecological and environment concerns, climate change factors and the flaws in the distribution of income.
The SHDI has been strongly endorsed by various global environmental organizations and triggered a series of debates within the UN with many groups suggesting a replacement of the HDI with the Sri Lanka’s proposal.
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Haritha Lanka (2010-2020)
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The ten year Grand Master Plan ‘Green Lanka’ is a concept floated and implemented by Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka with the aim of ensuring greater sustainability in development. For this purpose he has roped in 22 other ministries and set up a monitoring body chaired by President Mahinda Rajapaksa.
The programme which is implemented under ten projects has waste management, building green cities, promotion of elephant-human co-existence, management of mineral resources, creation of eco-villages, formation of a green brigade comprising school children, introduction and promotion of alternative energy, managing timber resources, recreating destroyed eco-systems and promotion of man-environment co-existence through forest hermitages as its components.
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Pay-back Scheme of Global Carbon Debt
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Given the gross injustice caused to the low carbon emitting nations by the industrialized countries which have gone on to cause irreparable damage to the environment, means of revenue generation and employment opportunities of the former with their high carbon emission levels the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources Patali Champika Ranawaka mobilized a ministry team to come up with a pay-back scheme for the major polluters.
The methodology proposed by the ministry concludes that the over-users of carbon quotas should make a payment to the under-users based on the amount of carbon overused by that country as a proportion to the total carbon emissions of all over-users.
Minister Ranawaka is of the opinion that this payback system would compel the high emitting nations to cut down their emissions and help the low carbon emitting developing countries to reduce their debt.
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