Lanka leads global Carbon Free Destination Initiative

Sri Lanka, recognising the need for the tourism industry to prepare for a possible change in tourism demand as a response to global climate change, has come up with a proactive initiative of global significance.

During the second International Conference on Climate Change and Tourism organized by UNWTO together with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and supported by the World Economic Forum (WEF) and the Swiss Government held in Davos, Switzerland, Renton de Alwis, Chairman of the Sri Lanka Tourist Board announced the initiative "A Tourism Earth Lung – Towards a Carbon Clean Sri Lanka".

This practical policy response initiated by Tourism Minister Milinda Moragoda, represents a bridge across the trade-off between environmental awareness and tourism's pro-development potential, the Sri Lanka Tourist Board said in a press release.

As a small country which depends heavily on long-haul travel to generate tourism income, Sri Lanka is facing up to the climate challenge and aims at becoming the first carbon neutral destination. As its tropical forest systems can store large amounts of carbon which otherwise would add to the CO2 in the atmosphere, Sri Lanka aspires to be a travel and tourism Earth Lung. Sri Lanka is also home to the 'Sinharaja', a virgin rain forest which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.