Rashmitha Diwyanjalee

Joined: July 23, 2024
Articles: 83

Carbon Offsetting, Explainer

Australia’s Aetium Scheme Under Scrutiny: Are Its Carbon Offsets Credible or Misleading?

A new Australian carbon-offset platform, Aetium, has sparked a heated debate. Launched late last year, Aetium promises to reward everyday climate actions – like installing rooftop solar panels or driving an electric vehicle – by issuing tradable carbon credits. On…

Rashmitha Diwyanjalee
January 29, 2026

Environment, Feature

Degraded Land, Deadly Storm: How Soil Erosion Worsened Cyclone Ditwah’s Impact

In late November 2025, Cyclone Ditwah dumped extraordinary rainfall on Sri Lanka, unleashing record floods and landslides. What meteorologists called a weak tropical storm turned into the nation’s deadliest natural disaster of the century: by early December more than 600…

Rashmitha Diwyanjalee
January 23, 2026

Climate Change, Feature

Is Green Arabia Possible Again? Inside Saudi Arabia’s Desert Greening Plan

Saudi Arabia has long been known for its vast sand seas, but officials now envision a very different future.Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s Saudi Green Initiative (SGI) promises to plant 10 billion trees and rehabilitate tens of millions of hectares…

Rashmitha Diwyanjalee
January 13, 2026

Climate Change Impact, News

Cyclone Ditwah Was No Natural Disaster: How Climate Change Supercharged Sri Lanka’s Floods

In late November 2025, Cyclonic Storm Ditwah brought record rains to Sri Lanka, triggering catastrophic floods and landslides. According to UN reports, this was the nation’s worst weather disaster since the 2004 tsunami . By early December, Sri Lankan authorities…

Conservation, Feature

When Storms Hit, Forests Matter: Award-Winning Cloud Forest Project Shows Sri Lanka’s Path to Water Resilience

While Cyclone Ditwah exposed Sri Lanka’s vulnerability to water-related disasters, a parallel story of climate resilience and water leadership emerged in Galle Face Hotel, Colombo, on 10th December. At the UAE Embassy’s Water Awards Ceremony, Sri Lankan researchers, journalists, educators,…

Climate Change Impact

From Rare Strikes to Record Deluges: How a Warming Bay of Bengal Is Rewriting Sri Lanka’s Cyclone History

Sri Lanka lies at the southern rim of the Bay of Bengal, where warm ocean waters fuel powerful cyclones in the post-monsoon season. Historically the island saw relatively few direct hits: over 130 years only 16-20 cyclones are recorded to…

Feature, Global Warming

From Black Earth to Climate Gold: Can Soil—and the Amazon’s Terra Preta—Help Cool the Planet?

For centuries, the Amazon rainforest was seen mainly as a vast green carbon sink above ground. But beneath its trees, an even more remarkable climate story has been quietly stored pretae soil itself. Scattered across the basin are patches of…

Feature, Natural Disasters

From Red Alert to Ruin: How System Failures Turned Ditwah into Sri Lanka’s Worst Storm in Decades

Cyclone Ditwah did not just bring rain; it brought ruin. In a matter of hours, neighbourhoods were swallowed by floods, hillsides collapsed, and entire communities were swept into chaos. Hundreds are dead or missing, tens of thousands displaced, and millions…

Air Pollution, Feature

Sri Lanka’s Cities Are Choking: Smog Seasons Worsen as Traffic, Waste Burning and Monsoon Winds Collide

Sri Lanka’s rapid urban growth has brought with it a growing threat: smog and air pollution over the country’s cities. In Colombo, Kandy, Kurunegala and other urban areas, a brownish haze sometimes hangs low, quietly choking visibility and health. Experts…

Climate Change, Feature

From Sinharaja to the Knuckles: Climate Change Pushes Sri Lanka’s Forest Ecosystems to a Breaking Point

Sri Lanka’s lush forests – from the misty Knuckles mountains to the ancient Sinharaja rainforest – are coming under new pressure as climate change shifts the island’s weather. Altered monsoon patterns, more frequent droughts and heatwaves are stressing trees and…