The Federation for Environment, Climate and Technology (FECT) brings together a group of seven incorporate incorporated entities and their partners who have worked together for a quarter century. The Federation has expertise in the physical, social and biological sciences, climate and environmental fields and management, IT, mapping, databases, social sciences, and legal fields. We are networked locally and internationally with researchers and diaspora individuals and groups.
Over the last 18 years, we have obtained support from international organizations including FAO, World Bank, WHO, UNESCO, UNDP, development, and environment donors (START), bilateral donors (DfID through USDA), and foundations (MacArthur Foundation and Provention Consortium). Our work is oriented towards developing usable scientific and technological information that can be applied by users in diverse sectors. We work actively with partners in Government institutions, Research Institutes, Universities. We are increasingly working directly with local communities and youth.
Since the beginning of FECT, we have undertaken Climate & Environmental research, and implemented climate impacts and adaptation projects. developed infra-structure for research trained over a score of personnel. To sustain these advances, we instituted incorporated non-profit entities. FECT contributes to climate, hydrology, adaptation, information technology, social sciences and engineering for sustainable development. As nonprofit organizations, we work towards social welfare without private profit.
Some of our work has included
Climate, Hydrology and Environment
We have undertaken hydro-climate data management, climatic diagnostics, climate change
assessments, hydro climatic analysis, climate modeling and climate prediction.
Data Management: We acquired and organized data and undertook quality assessment.
Climate Assessment and Research: We have characterized climatology’s of all meteorological variables over Sri Lanka. We developed a climate calendar which is a representation of the seasonality of climate.
Climate Diagnosis:
We diagnosed seasonal, inter-annual, decadal, multi-decadal and long-term trends. In particular, we investigated the impact of two of the principal modes of regional inter- annual variability, the El Niño-Southern Oscillation and the Indian Ocean Dipole.
Climate Modeling:
We developed a meso scale model for capturing topographically induced rainfall. We also developed a high-resolution wind climate model ignoring the rainfall mechanisms. We collaborated on Regional Climate Modeling focused on Sri Lanka with the IRI and the International Center for Theoretical Physics (ICTP).
Seasonal and Intra-Seasonal Climate Prediction:
We have investigated the skill of seasonal predictions from global climate models. We have collaborated to implement a statistical methodology to correct the biases for predictions of global models for rainfall over Sri Lanka and to make it available at high resolution. We have collaborated with SUNY-Albany to predict daily rainfall estimates from satellite cloud images over the Indian Ocean for up to 30 days.
Climate Change Assessments:
We have investigated the trends in climate from observations over Sri Lanka. We have contributed to downscaling exercises for climate change using statistical methods and land surface models.
Hydro-climatic Diagnosis:
We have published studies on the Pacific and Indian Ocean influences on the Kelani and Mahaweli stream flow.
Hydro-climatic Modeling:
We have developed a water resources system simulation model for the Walawe. We have calibrated a land surface model for small catchments and collaborated to produce an island-wide land surface model that mimics hydrological features at high resolution. We collaborated with NASA GMAO to simulate land surface features over Sri Lanka at high resolution based on climate reanalyzes data.
Hydro-climatic Monitoring:
We are working towards a near real-time hydro-meteorological monitoring system which combines surface and satellite-based observations
Society, Environment, and Technology
Our science and technology contribution is complemented by research into the environmental, technological, historical and socio-economic setting. We have researched environmental hazards and policy on science and technology history, on energy conservation and renewable energy, and on climate and climate adaptation in Sri Lanka. Here, we report on some aspects of these works.
Traditional Agriculture and Sustainability: We have argued in a paper that appeared in Science, Technology and Society, that the indigenous irrigation systems in Sri Lanka offer a useful counterpoint of an irrigation system that has many favorable attributes.
Environment Impact Analysis: Our work on EIA has led to an understanding of environmental history, law and protection. A summary was reported in the Journal of the Institution of Engineers in Sri Lanka and in Environmental Impact Analysis.
Technology and Communication: There are often failures of communication between metropolitan climate forecasts centers and peripheral users. We have analyzed the reasons for miscommunication during the El Niño of 1997 and the successful communication during the El Niño of 2002 in Sri Lanka.
Valuation of Climate Variability Impacts on Coconut Production: We collaborated with Dr. Neil Fernando and others of the Coconut Research Institute on assessing the valuation of climate impacts on coconut production. This work was published as an AIACC technical report.
Valuation of Climate Impacts on the Economy: We worked with Peter Epilla formerly of the School of International and Policy Affairs, Columbia University to assess the impacts of climate on GDP in Sri Lanka.
Economic valuation under AgMIP: With the use of the “Tradeoff Analysis Model for Multi-Dimensional impact assessment (TOA_MD)”, we analyzed and compared a reference scenario with climate change, socio-economic and rice in Sri Lanka using a common set of key drivers to assess plausible futures for agricultural markets and global food security.
Socio-Economic Scenarios under CCAFS: We provided weekly hydro-meteorological advisories to the Mahaweli Authority where they could use the scenarios to explore the feasibility of strategies, technologies and policies towards improved food security, environments and livelihoods under different socio-economic and governance conditions
Capacity Building and Outreach
Capacity Building: We have provided on-the-job training, and conducted workshops both formally and informally. We supported the National Steering Committee on Seasonal Climate Predictions. We have trained Mahaweli Engineers in climate analysis and predictions for water management. We have provided a series of lectures at the Department of Meteorology and training for meteorologists.
We have supported, lectured and provided resources for research to students in post-graduate courses in meteorology, oceanography, water resources and disaster management at the University of Peradeniya, University of Moratuwa, University of Colombo and The Open University. We have provided lectures and supported thesis research in water resources management, meteorology, oceanography, environmental science, geographic information systems and disaster management at the Post-Graduate Institute of Sciences, University of Moratuwa, University of Peradeniya, University of Colombo and the Open University. Our Principal Scientist serves as the External Examiner for the M.Sc. in Meteorology at the University of Colombo.
We support the Panel Meeting of Water Management Secretariat in Sri Lanka with decision making on water allocation by providing them with our weekly Experimental Climate Services for Water Management.
FECT contributed to the workshop on Mainstreaming Climate Information Application for Enhancement of Agro-ecosystem Services and Functions in the Nilwala Basin, organized by the Asian Disaster Preparedness Center and the Faculty of Agriculture of the University of Ruhuna to initiate a program on technology interventions to meet the challenges associated with climate change in paddy ecosystems in the downstream of Nilwala river. FECT provided training for its staff on Climate, Crop (APSIM, DSSAT, STICS and SRI-CANE), and Economics (TOA-MD) modeling on Rice and Sugarcane Farming Systems in Sri Lanka, under the Agricultural Model Inter-comparison and Improvement Project.
In view of creating awareness on the impacts of environmental pollution, FECT organized an environmental day program along with an exhibition in Akurana. This program was conducted with the support of the Akurana Pradeshiya Sabhawa. School children, employees from the government, private sector and community groups in the Pinga Oya catchment area participated and contributed to this program.
We conducted a workshop along with an exhibition of posters on “Climate and Water Security” in the Maldives at the Maldives National University with the aim of bringing together expertise on climate and water, to introduce the issues involved, to identify and address critical gaps in knowledge, and to identify research priorities to meet emerging societal needs. Undergraduates, faculty members, researchers from various organizations and teachers in secondary schools
participated at this workshop.
Outreach: We created websites, distributed newsletters and provided feature articles for mass media. We have produced the South Asian Climate News – a quarterly newsletter reaching 1500 scientists and policy makers by email and postal mail. We supported the distribution of the Asian Climate Digest in Sri Lanka until 2006. Since then we have produced a detailed annual climate summary for Sri Lanka which is available on our website.