On 19 March 2021, the global climate action to #StopEcocideSL took place from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m, directed at showcasing the devastation affecting Sri Lanka and addressing the concept of “ecocide”.
Conceptualised as a peaceful demonstration, an organiser of the event, Avishka Sendanayake of Extinction Rebellion Sri Lanka, commented that their plan is to spread awareness – making note of the informative material, posters, and sign posts they’ve prepared – and show the destruction of individual forests, along with the number of acres and the relevant dates on which they were destroyed, adding that “a lot of planning and a lot of research went into this event”.
Sendanayake shared that this is the culmination of the collective of a group of youth-led organisations that came together, stating that upon spreading awareness, they also wish to highlight that decision-makers at all levels must take action.
“The current idea people have right now in Sri Lanka is that if you cut down a forest but you plant trees, that cancels each other out. But this is simply not true, because when you destroy a forest, you destroy an entire ecosystem and you don’t even understand the amount of ecosystem services you are losing by destroying that forest,” she said.
The event, which was conducted purely as an “awareness event”, was strictly apolitical, and the collaborative organisations that came together – Wildlife and Nature Protection Society of Sri Lanka (WNPS), WNPS Youth Wing, Extinction Rebellion Sri Lanka, The Pearl Protectors, Earth Guardians Sri Lanka, Climate Action Now Sri Lanka, and Rally For Animal Rights and Environment (RARE) – shared that they wish to make it clear that they do not endorse any individuals or parties who are involved with political parties that may have attended the event.
Despite the peaceful nature of the event, however, and with the organisers highlighting that written and sealed permission was obtained for their mural as well as the subsequent Climate Action event from the Mayor of the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC), the Police, and the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) of the CMC, the movement drew significant attention to the incident that took place earlier on Friday (19), when one of the event’s main attractions – a mural which was a product courtesy of the efforts of over 100 youth volunteers from all over the island – was ordered to be taken down.
The organisers shared that the authorities provided that “setting up such murals in Viharamahadevi Park is prohibited” and that their mural was “ruining the beauty of the park and damaging the grounds”, to which the organisers have said that their members went to great lengths to ensure that no damage was caused to the surroundings and that they have taken all steps to ensure that the project was as eco-friendly as possible.
Speaking to a number of attendees at the event, including Otara Gunewardene, Kapila Rasnayaka, Jagath Manuwarna, and Shanuki De Alwis, they all collectively condemned this action, stating that it was the efforts of the youths that the authorities stifled. “Should we not encourage impassioned youths and not tear down their efforts?” they questioned.
Despite the unfortunate setback, the event was carried out to great success, and Sendanayake of Extinction Rebellion Sri Lanka shared that while it would have been wonderful to have the mural up, which would have been truly captivating, she believes that they were able to effectively and creatively showcase their purpose.
The organisers shared that the objective of this climate action was to urge everyone involved in the decision-making process to develop and adopt a sustainable development plan integrating the value of our natural resources for Sri Lanka, where its natural resources are mobilised fairly among all living beings in the island.
They said that as the world gets hotter and hotter by the year, we must treat the prevailing climatic and ecological emergencies as critical emergencies which translates to immediate action at the central government level to #StopEcocide, regardless of all political differences, and most importantly, #NoMoreEmptyPromises from our island’s leaders. They stated that justice for all environmental defenders among state entities as well as other individuals must especially be considered, given the repression such dedicated individuals have endured in the name of protecting our island’s natural resources.
In closing, they provided that while they identify the ongoing ecocide in the island is due to many factors, the key responsibilities lie not only with government entities, but also multinational corporations, local conglomerates, and everyone with power in the decision-making process in the island, as they too are key contributors to the observable ecocide in Sri Lanka and should therefore be held accountable.
PHOTOS PRADEEP DAMBARAGE
