| Towards a New Green Era (English & Sinhala / 2008) |
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While attending international conferences on Climate Change it dawned upon me that most of the local participants attending those events and even Sri Lankan experts abroad hardly had an idea about concepts like sustainable development and green economy. Some were absolutely clueless about them. It is with the intention of helping them to bridge the information gap that I penned ‘Towards a New Green Era’ a concise book with key details on the subject. The book went on to grab attention of many especially those who are actively involved in the field internationally. It helped to elucidate our concepts like ‘Carbon debt’ and ‘Sustainable Development decade’ more philosophically.
Towards a New Green Era identifies the latest global financial crisis as one primarily created by lop-sided unsustainable development and explains why it is wrong to see it as pure financial, energy or climate crisis. It sheds light on the fact that the socio-politico calamity had been created by limited resources, environment pollution and limitations in development. The book goes on to caution that unless moves are made to reverse the trend there’s a danger of the crisis triggering a situation which could continue to push the fate of the human civilization to the brink. The need to shift the global dependence on fossil fuel to alternative techniques including renewable sources has been emphasized. An interpretation as to what should form the new paradigm – its key features, has also been included. Further explanations have been provided for sub concepts such as Green Accounting, Green Agriculture, Green industries and Green cities and many others.
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| Sangwardanaye Thunveni Yamaya (The Sunset of Development - Sinhala / 1989) |
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I penned the first notes of Sangwardanaye Thunveni Yamaya (Sunset of Development) in December 1989. By then the JVP leaders had been annihilated and fear and anxiety continued to grip the land. The USSR was in tatters and overall there was a sense that the old school of Marxism was singing the swan song.
Twenty year later Hollywood actor Leonardo Dicaprio, with contributions from many including Mikhail Gorbachev produced 11th Hour, a feature film documentary based on more or less the same arguments.
Following debates and discussions with the like minded and those with opposing views a second edition of my book was published in 1991 in Roneo print. The book laid the foundation for the first ever green political movement in Sri Lanka – Janatha Mithuro.
In Sangwardanaye Thunveni Yamaya I have debunked the misconception that man can overpower nature. Both liberal capitalists and Marxists in their ignorance of man’s limitations subscribe to the view that the sky is the limit for development. I have pointed out that due to three reasons man is incapable of achieving unlimited growth – viz Scarcity of resources, pollution of environment and limitations in science and technology.
While many see society’s problems as challenges posed to respective socio economic systems, the book goes on to explain that both capitalism and communism are only two sides of a same coin. It emphasizes the need for a society where there’s a mechanism to control man’s unbridled greed, measures to prevent amassing of wealth, assurance of individual freedom and discharge of the collective responsibility.
The book goes on to explain the need for a fresh set of economic policies aimed at replacing the present unwholesome system with green energy, agriculture, industries, cities and transport systems and other features of sustainable development. The will-power, non-violence and China have been highlighted as the most decisive factors in this policy shift, if at all it is to take place. The centrality of the celebration of diversity in society, just as much as the celebration of bio-diversity, has been underscored.
The book serves as the first handbook of Sri Lanka’s green political movement.
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| Quantum Reality |
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Quantum reality is an academic paper submitted by me for an intellectual’s conference held in Kandy. Along with Professor Arjuna Soysa, I edited the contents of all the papers discussed at this gathering and published a book titled ‘Beyond the Metaphysics of Common sense’. The book went on to analyze the fundamental question in particle physics – the life of nuclear atom and reality.
In addition to this publication which I co-edited I have also written a series of articles on the subject as well as related topics to Vidusara paper. Besides, I compiled a series of papers for the handbooks of the Engineering students at the Open University when I was a lecturer there.
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