Abstract
The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), which spans over 60 countries, will play a leading role in shaping the international practice of sustainable and ‘green’ development, particularly in emerging economies like Sri Lanka. As China positions itself as a global economic leader through major investments in BRI countries, it is also promoting itself as a global environmental leader on key issues like climate change. President Xi’s support of the Paris Agreement, financial commitments to the South-South Cooperation Fund, and prioritization of “green and low-carbon infrastructure construction and operation management” in the 2015 plan ‘China’s policies and Actions on Climate Change’ all signal China’s commitment to implement a green BRI. Further, new investment institutions for the BRI such as the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) have pledged to mitigate climate change, conserve biodiversity, and support green economic growth.
This chapter examines the challenges China may face in implementing a green BRI in Sri Lanka, specifically in the Hambantota and Colombo port projects. The paper identifies the environmental needs of port operations and the difficulties in addressing these needs in Sri Lanka, including a lack of clear standards, insufficient technical know-how and limited financial resources. Sri Lanka is vulnerable to coastal degradation from industrial activities, freshwater pollution from industrial waste and sewage runoff, and increased emissions and pollution from industrial and construction operations. The paper discusses how Sri Lanka can and should position itself for green economic growth, including by setting standards for low emissions and pollution levels, and it suggests potential policies to promote renewable energy sources in BRI operations in Hambantota and Colombo.
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Notes
- 1.
Kelegama (2018).
- 2.
Central Bank of Sri Lanka. Annual Reports 2013–2017. Retrieved from: https://www.cbsl.gov.lk/en/publications/economic-and-financial-reports/annual-reports
- 3.
Huang and Perlez (2013).
- 4.
Ellis (2017).
- 5.
De Silva et al. (2015).
- 6.
Yamei (2017).
- 7.
Ibid.
- 8.
Ibid.
- 9.
Ping (2017).
- 10.
National Development and Reform Commission (2015).
- 11.
The Chinese ASEAN Environmental Cooperation Centre of the Green Silk Road (2017).
- 12.
Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (2016).
- 13.
Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (2017).
- 14.
Peng et al. (2017).
- 15.
Ministry of Power and Renewable Energy (2012).
- 16.
Li (2017).
- 17.
Wickremesinghe (2018).
- 18.
Gard (2004).
- 19.
Mikelis (2018).
- 20.
International Maritime Organization (2008).
- 21.
Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (2018a).
- 22.
Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (2018b).
- 23.
Kristiansen (2018).
- 24.
International Council on Clean Transportation (2016).
- 25.
The Port of Long Beach (2017a).
- 26.
The Port of Long Beach (2017b).
- 27.
The Port of Long Beach (2017c).
- 28.
The Port of Los Angeles (2017).
- 29.
Long Beach Harbour Department (2005).
- 30.
Kelegama (2018).
- 31.
Perera (2016).
- 32.
Office of the Prime Minister. Vision 2025. Retrieved from http://www.pmoffice.gov.lk/download/press/D00000000061_EN.pdf
- 33.
Fernando (2017).
- 34.
Ibid.
- 35.
Colombo International Container Terminal Ltd (2015).
- 36.
Daily (2017a).
- 37.
Sri Lanka Ports Authority (2016).
- 38.
Sri Lanka Ports Authority (2017a).
- 39.
Fernando (2017b).
- 40.
Daily (2018).
- 41.
Ship-Technology. Port of Hambantota. Retrieved from https://www.ship-technology.com/features/ship-technology-global-issue-54/
- 42.
Text.
- 43.
Ship-Technology. Port of Hambantota. Retrieved from https://www.ship-technology.com/features/ship-technology-global-issue-54/
- 44.
Daily (2017b).
- 45.
United Nations. Environmental Impacts of Ports. Retrieved from http://www.unescap.org/sites/default/files/pub_1234_ch2.pdf
- 46.
Solomon (2004).
- 47.
Grundler (2016).
- 48.
Inter-Governmental Panel on Climate Change (2009).
- 49.
European Commission (2017).
- 50.
United States Environmental Protection Agency (2017).
- 51.
National Building Research Organisation (2016).
- 52.
World Bank Data (2018).
- 53.
Department of Census and Statistics (2012).
- 54.
Gurden (2017).
- 55.
Ceylon Electricity Board (2017a).
- 56.
International Finance Corporation (2017).
- 57.
United Nations. Environmental Impacts of Ports. Retrieved from http://www.unescap.org/sites/default/files/pub_1234_ch2.pdf
- 58.
Herath, Gemunu. Water Quality Management in Sri Lanka- Current situation and issues. Department of Civil Engineering, University of Peradeniya. Retrieved from: http://wepa-db.net/activities/2014/20141127/pdf/2_3_WEPA%20Gemunu%20Herath%20Final%2028-11-14.pdf
- 59.
National Water Supply and Drainage Board (2018).
- 60.
Economy Next (2017).
- 61.
Colombo International Container Terminals (2017a).
- 62.
Sri Lanka Ports Authority (2017b).
- 63.
Colombo International Container Terminals (2017a).
- 64.
Colombo International Container Terminals (2018).
- 65.
Colombo International Container Terminals (2017b).
- 66.
Wijedasa (2014).
- 67.
Abeyratne (2017).
- 68.
Marine Environment Protection Authority (2018).
- 69.
Ceylon Electricity Board (2017b).
- 70.
Friends of the Earth: United States (2017).
- 71.
Ibid.
- 72.
Safri (2016).
- 73.
Theodoropoulos (2014).
- 74.
Dollar (2015).
- 75.
National Environmental Act Sri Lanka. Act No. 47 of 1980.
- 76.
Marine Pollution Prevention Act. Act No. 59 of 1981.
- 77.
Coast Conservation Act. Act No. 57 of 1981.
- 78.
National Environmental Act Sri Lanka. Act No. 47 of 1980.
- 79.
Goonetilleke and De Saram (2016).
- 80.
Sri Lanka Ports Authority (2018).
- 81.
Ceylon Association of Shipping Agents (2018).
- 82.
Ceylon Association of Shipping Agents (CASA) (2018).
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Acknowledgement
The author wishes to thank Dinusha Panditaratne and Barana Waidyatilake for their assistance and the participants at the forum on “Belt Road Connectivity and Eurasian Integration: Meeting the Culture” for their feedback; all remaining errors being the authors’. The opinions expressed here are of the author and not of LKI, and do not necessarily reflect the position of any other institution or individual with which the author is affiliated.
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Hundlani, D. (2019). Navigating a Green BRI in Sri Lanka. In: Islam, M.N. (eds) Silk Road to Belt Road. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-2998-2_13
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