ECONOMYNEXT – India and China have shown huge interest in International Climate Change University in Sri Lanka with an aim to promote climate related research and technologies while British Council has pledged to help bring in universities for academic activities, a climate change advisor said.
Sri Lanka President Ranil Wickremesinghe launched his ambitious International Climate Change University at the 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) in Dubai.
The International Climate Change University was one of the proposals Wickremesinghe made in the previous Climate Change Conference (COP27) in Egypt in 2022 and his government has already allocated 600 acres of land in the central Nuwara Eliya district.
“There is a lot of interest on the university from India and China,” Ruwan Wijewardena, the senior advisor to president Wickremesinghe on Climate change told Economy Next in an interview.
“The president does not want to give it just to one entity. He wants different organizations and universities to come in,” he said.
“There is a research institute in China quite vigorously following up how to come into the Climate change university as well as from India. Two or three universities from India also are showing a lot of interest and want to come and establish their presence here. We also want to open up to the other countries.”
In December, Wijewardena said Universities from Yele to George Town, Chinese Research Universities, University of Geneva from Italy, and University from Gujarat, have been keen on coming in and establishing the university.
Sri Lanka plans to raise funds and expertise globally to establish the university and the move is expected to promote climate-change related research and technologies before the graduates start to contribute for lower emission and global warming.
“We had the discussions with British Council where they said they can get a lot of the universities that do climate change as a subject to come together as one, so that they can take certain subjects of the Climate Change University, Wijewardena said.
“Now the Climate Change University Act is being drafted. Once that is also done, the Koreans have pledged certain amount of money for the construction. “ (Colombo/May 17/2023)