Abstract

In order to build a climate-resilient nation, the government of Sri Lanka established the Climate Change Secretariat (CCS) under the Ministry of Mahaweli Development and Environment. It became the national focal point (NFP) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in 2008. Accordingly, the CCS developed the National Climate Change Policy (NCCP) in 2012 with an aim to minimize the adverse consequences of climate change. It has placed a primary focus on “adaptation” measures as the country’s priority. This study examines CCS’s climate change adaptation initiatives by using six evaluation criteria: namely, feasibility, effectiveness, acceptability, equity, impacts, and implementation. This analysis covers CCS’s adaptation activities from 2008 to 2017. The results show trends, strengths, gaps, and needs to fully implement the NCCP. Finally, this study makes recommendations for further improving the NCCP.