Climate change is fast emerging as the most formidable security challenge in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), reshaping its strategic and humanitarian landscape, said a report published yesterday by Toda Peace Institute in Tokyo.
The report titled ‘The Case for a Climate-First Maritime Reframing of the Indian Ocean Region’ said that rising sea levels, intensifying storms, and shifting monsoon patterns are already displacing communities, damaging infrastructure, and threatening livelihoods across one of the world’s most vital maritime zones.
The Indian Ocean, which links major economies across Asia, Africa and the Middle East, carries nearly 80 per cent of global seaborne oil trade. Home to close to three billion people — including 340 million in high-risk coastal zones — the region is also among the fastest-warming oceans on the planet. Scientists warn it could face near-permanent marine heatwaves in the coming decades, with far-reaching consequences for security and stability.
Governments around the IOR are beginning to recognise that climate and security are inseparable. Many have adopted national adaptation plans and pledged net-zero targets. Small Island Developing States such as the Maldives and Seychelles are on the front line, where rising seas, coral bleaching, and changing fish stocks have turned the climate threat into a daily reality.
Larger players, too, are shifting their focus. India’s SAGAR vision — “Security and Growth for All in the Region” — now includes environmental resilience, while Australia’s 2024 Defence Net Zero Strategy acknowledges climate change as a direct national security concern. Yet analysts say both countries, along with others in the region, have more work to do to fully integrate climate risk into their naval and maritime strategies.
Experts stress that climate security in the IOR must be viewed through a human-security lens — one that measures impact not just by state vulnerability, but by the safety and wellbeing of communities. Floods, rising seas, and heatwaves are displacing families, threatening food supplies, and worsening inequality. Women and marginalised groups, they note, bear the brunt of these disasters, facing higher livelihood losses and limited access to aid.
Analysts recommend three steps to better align climate and maritime security.
First, states should embed climate monitoring into maritime domain awareness — as seen in the Quad’s Indo-Pacific MDA initiative — but tailored to Indian Ocean realities.
Second, cooperation should move beyond slow-moving forums like the Indian Ocean Rim Association, focusing instead on flexible frameworks such as the Blue Economy.
Third, traditional security actors — including navies — must play a larger role in climate adaptation and disaster response.
The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, which spurred regional cooperation and even the early formation of the Quad, remains a reminder that crises can catalyse collective action. As experts warn, the Indian Ocean’s future security will depend not just on power balances and trade routes, but on how nations confront a shared and escalating climate threat.
The event was organized by the Prime Minister’s Office, the Ministry of Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs, and the Department of Hindu Religious and Cultural Affairs.
During the ceremony, ThaiPongal rituals were performed under the patronage of the Prime Minister and the Minister of Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs. The celebration was enriched with a range of vibrant cultural performances of Hindu culture and traditions.
[Prime Minister’s Media Division]
Environment Minister Dammika Patabedi said yesterday he had ordered an inquiry into the withdrawal of China-based Amber Adventures (Private) Ltd., from the Ambuluwawa Cable Car Project.Addressing the media, the Minister said the Environment Ministry had no direct agreement with the company, as the project was under the purview of the Board of Investment (BOI).
He said construction activities within the Ambuluwawa Environmental Zone had been suspended following complaints from environmental organisations in the aftermath of Cyclone Ditwah. All constructions in high-risk areas, he said, had been halted pending clearance by the National Building Research Organisation (NBRO).
According to the Minister, complaints had been received that construction at Ambuluwawa was continuing without NBRO clearance.
In response, the Ministry instructed the Central Environmental Authority (CEA) to conduct an investigation and thereafter construction activities were suspended pending a technical assessment by experts.
The Ministry of Environment subsequently ordered the immediate suspension of all construction activities within the Ambuluwawa Environmental Zone until the assessment was completed, he said, adding that work could resume if expert evaluations cleared the project.
Following the suspension, Amber Adventures (Private) Ltd,, described as the country’s first cable car venture, formally withdrew from the project, citing what it termed “regulatory obstruction and arbitrary state action.”
The company, a major Chinese investor in the project, proposed as Sri Lanka’s first cable car initiative with both Chinese and American investment, officially informed the BOI of its decision on Wednesday (14). In a letter to the BOI, the company said it had obtained all required permits and approvals in line with BOI procedures but faced repeated disruptions that resulted in significant financial losses.
Company Director Yuan Yuping warned that legal action would be pursued at the International Court of Arbitration to recover losses incurred due to the suspension of the project, citing continuous interruptions and government decisions as the cause.
Meanwhile, the Ambuluwawa Trust Board said the withdrawal of investors from the project was a major loss to the country, noting that it was regrettable that decisions had been taken without proper investigation, based on allegations by parties lacking a clear understanding of the facts.
It warned that halting a large-scale project of that nature would result in the loss of direct and indirect employment opportunities, as well as income sources for communities in the surrounding areas.
By Chaminda Silva and SK Samaranayake ✍️
Balangoda Kassapa Thero, held in Trincomalee remand prison over alleged violations of the Coastal Conservation Act, reportedly refused meals yesterday (15).
Prison authorities, however, said it could not be confirmed whether the monk’s action amounted to a hunger strike. Prison Media Spokesperson A. C. Gajanayake added that an official statement on the matter would be issued today (16).
The monk and eight others were remanded until 19 Jan by the Trincomalee Magistrate’s Court over allegations of unauthorised construction of a shelter to place a Buddha statue at the Sri Sambuddha Jayanthi Bodhiraj Viharaya. Prison sources said Thero had also declined food brought from outside.
The case follows reports to the court by the Trincomalee Harbour Police that unauthorised constructions had been carried out, despite instructions from the Court of Appeal to resolve the dispute peacefully.
by Chaminda Silva ✍️
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