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Project September 3, 2024

The Climate Crisis in Post-Conflict Sri Lanka

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Devastated by war and economic crisis, Sri Lanka’s under-resourced and fragile Tamil-speaking region faces ongoing resistance to Sinhalese colonization. Although the demands of the Tamil minority revolve strongly around land—strong notions of homeland, self-determination, opposition to military land grabs—the land itself is changing.

The North and Northwestern provinces are climate hotspots, impacted by sea level rises, coastal inundation, salinization and extreme weather events. Although working-class agricultural and fishing communities are a majority in these areas, they have historically been marginalized from discourse and decision-making.

This project follows farmers unable to predict the weather, fishermen turning to rituals to increase their catch, and government bureaucrats who complain about the lack of resources. This reporting project also interrogates possible solutions. Will a desalination plant help mitigate the region’s persistent water insecurity? Will a mangrove replantation scheme reduce seawater intrusion? Is the solution to return to local farming systems and food cultures?

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