WNPS Youth Wing’s Exhibition Inspires Climate Action

Recently, the Youth Wing of the Wildlife and Nature Protection Society of Sri Lanka (WNPS) unveiled the Tales of Transformation Exhibition with support from USAID. This background features art alongside action and aims to employ art as a driving force in harnessing energies for environmental awareness and action transformation. The exhibition presented a vast canvas of artwork comprising important motifs like waste management, conservation, climate change, education, and environmental laws, which were incorporated. Besides great views, the event became a hub for conversations and forum discussions facilitated by experts. These helped bridge theory and practice for the audience to become active for change for emerging environmental concerns.

Climate change is the major global problem faced by almost all countries of the world today, and it must be tackled immediately and in totality. High stakes are for countries such as Sri Lanka, which are most vulnerable because of being defenseless when it comes to natural disasters. While scientific understanding of the crisis has long been established, only recently have governments, organizations, and businesses begun to adopt impactful, science-based solutions. Highlighting this urgency, the exhibition featured thought-provoking works by artists Pavishanth Jayaseelan, Yadurshen Paramanathan, Shashini Morawakage, and W.A. Hishara Dhanuki, each provoking viewers to rethink their choices and actions.

Jayaseelan’s breathtaking photograph of Sri Lanka’s hill country captured the harmonious beauty of the region. Enveloped in an ethereal mist, the lush green landscape radiated serenity and underscored the importance of preserving such fragile ecosystems.

Paramanathan’s installation, Nature Strikes Back, offered a stark warning about the consequences of neglecting climate change.

In a haunting depiction of urban spaces submerged by rising seas, the artwork challenged viewers to confront the reality of unchecked environmental degradation and the urgency for action.

Morawakage’s poignant charcoal piece, A Little Heart Seeks Refuge, illustrated the devastating consequences of forest fires. Against a backdrop of smoke-filled skies, a small creature sought shelter from encroaching flames, symbolizing the broader impact of human-induced disasters on wildlife.

Dhanuki’s innovative fashion statement, Melting Ice and Burning Bears, used upcycled materials and powerful symbolism to highlight the catastrophic effects of climate change. Featuring melting glacier motifs and polar bear imagery, the design served as a striking metaphor for the planet’s vanishing beauty and the need for urgent intervention.

The exhibition’s impact was further amplified by a forum discussion moderated by Sheran Fernando; Head of Business Evolution and Innovation- Dilmah Tea. The session brought together leading experts, including Professor Erandathie Lokupitiya, Professor Sevvandi Jayakody, Mr. Sanith De Silva; Director and CEO of The Climate & Conservation Consortium (CCC), Mr. Rishan Sampath; Head of Sustainability and Conservation- Dilmah Tea, and Mr. Kavindu Ediriweera; Country director- Sri Lanka, SLYCAN Trust.

The forum emphasized Sri Lanka’s dual need to prioritize adaptation and mitigation strategies. Participants highlighted the urgency of transitioning to renewable energy, expanding forest cover, and implementing robust legal frameworks to address the challenges of climate change.

Key takeaways included the importance of systematic reforestation and tree planting to build resilience against climate impacts. The potential of carbon credits as a financing tool for climate initiatives was explored, along with calls to reevaluate existing legal structures and mobilize government action.

The discussion also emphasized the need for Sri Lanka to accelerate its efforts to meet its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement.

Imagine the tranquil charm of Kotagala, a village nestled in Sri Lanka’s hill country. A photograph from the exhibition captures this serene scene, where a winding dirt path weaves through vibrant tea plantations, their neat rows undulating like waves against the rolling hills. A soft mist clings to the landscape, blurring edges and adding an ethereal quality.

Here is a little discrepancy: a very old wooden house, filthy, just like an antique tin roof, overshadowed, poking through that fog, and it would become its own hue—more or less by a vivid, colorful garb of enveloping dew-dripped wildflowers. Smoke from a chimney is probably suggesting occupancy in very close association with nature.

Green undulations faded into their misty gray and white dark-revolving background forms high up on the horizon, rising to imposing heights that belched a mantle of livid mist. Above, faint grey twilit glimmers of sky as the sun struggled for breakthrough against a heavily clouded scenario fell warmly around the quiet earth.

This is how the magic of natural beauty is expressed in the purest form within Sri Lanka’s nature, and it’s trying hard to save such beauty by holding events like Tales of Conservation. Slowly, with the synergy of beautiful art with expert discussion, the form got imprinted as a loud wake-up call, inspiring the people to save the earth for the coming generations.