SL could cut 2020 carbon emissions by a fifth with green power options, says ADB
View(s):Sri Lanka could cut its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 19 per cent of projected levels in 2020 at little or no long-term cost using an array of green power options, says a new study from the Asian Development Bank (ADB).
“Sri Lanka has the potential to avoid emissions of over 5.6 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent in 2020 out of projected output of nearly 30 million tons by adopting green power technologies and improving energy efficiency,” noted Mahfuz Ahmed, Principal Climate Change Specialist with ADB’s South Asia Department, in a media statement issued by ADB. “This course of action would really help to lessen the country’s reliance on imported fossil fuels which are currently used to generate over half its electricity.”
The study, The Economics of Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions in South Asia, says without action to combat climate change, annual energy-related GHG emissions in Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, and Sri Lanka are set to rise from about 58 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent in 2005 to nearly 245 million in 2030. In Sri Lanka, they will rise from about 10.5 million tons to over 57 million.
Replacing conventional coal-based power generators with cleaner burning equipment would contribute to the bulk of reductions in Sri Lanka, while switching to municipal solid waste-generated power instead of fossil fuels would also be a major contributor.
Other emissions reductions could come from adopting more energy-efficient refrigerators, air conditioners, boilers, electric motors, vehicles and other equipment. Sri Lanka also has ample scope for bioethanol and biodiesel production as well as wind power.
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