- Smart sustainable infrastructure built on innovative digital platforms would be the backbone of this approach.
- SSCD significantly reduces local air pollution, and as a co-benefit, carbon emissions will fall as well.
- The SSCD model is a win-win for Sri Lankan cities, especially if the government can build on existing initiatives.
- Bigger cities like Colombo, Kandy and Galle, as well as smaller towns, could benefit depending on their priorities.
Sri Lanka’s cities face growing environmental and urban challenges. Smart Sustainable Clean Development offers a bold path forward, blending digital innovation with green infrastructure. As climate risks mount, this model urges policymakers to rethink outdated systems and embrace cleaner, more resilient urban planning to secure a sustainable urban future.
Imagine living in a clean city with less emissions, no air pollution, clean waterways and drains, good waste management and green infrastructure. This ideal of a perfect city may seem like a distant dream for a country like Sri Lanka that is grappling with multiple issues like traffic jams, air and water pollution, solid waste proliferation, and poor infrastructure.
In addition, we are highly vulnerable to climate change -- the ultimate threat multiplier, worsening all existing issues. Yet, Smart Sustainable Clean Development (SSCD) is indeed possible in Sri Lankan cities according to experts, using advances in digital technology and green infrastructure.
Explaining SSLCD and SSCD
Sustainable development and climate change are humanity’s biggest challenges, with cities playing a crucial role as they consume 75% of global energy and emit 70% of greenhouse gases (GHG). To address these issues, an ambitious programme called Smart Sustainable Low-C Development (SSLCD) was launched at COP29 in Baku, November 2024. It is being implemented in cities worldwide, by integrating digital technology, renewable energy, efficient resource use, livable green spaces, retrofitted buildings, optimized transport, and improved waste management.
‘The focus is on cities, because mid-level leaders like mayors, community leaders and company CEOs are closer to people, and have proved more capable of making and delivering on firm commitments.’
SSCD is a variant of SSLCD that will also create more resilient and livable settlements with a higher quality of life.
It highlights clean cities -- seeking to reduce not only carbon emissions, but also many other forms of air, land and water pollution. This resonates more in poorer countries like Sri Lanka, where local pollution is the major problem, while carbon emissions are low to begin with. Furthermore, as SSCD significantly reduces local air pollution, carbon emissions will fall as well.
Poorer regions require financial and technological support in order to transition to SSCD. Smart sustainable infrastructure built on innovative digital platforms would be the backbone of this approach.
The Sustainomics Framework and BIGG path
The roots of the SSCD approach lie in the Sustainomics Framework and Balanced Inclusive Green Growth (BIGG) path, which was presented at the Rio Earth Summit in 1992 by the author, and applied for over 30 years[ii]. The first core concept of sustainomics focuses on harmonizing the sustainable development triangle, by balancing and integrating three elements: economy, environment and society. It promotes economic prosperity to raise the poor out of poverty, environmental protection, and sharing of benefits socially through empowerment and inclusion. The triangle is the basis for the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), adopted by all countries in 2015, and Balanced Inclusive Green Growth (BIGG). BIGG aims to prevent the collapse of unsustainable global systems by implementing the SDG.
To understand BIGG, we assess countries according to two basic parameters – income per capita (GDP) that indicates economic prosperity, and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions per capita that measures environmental performance (climate risk). Historically GHG emissions have increased, as GDP rose.
The first step towards sustainability is called green growth, which balances two elements of the triangle: economy and environment. Rich countries can continue to have a good life and income level, while reducing pressure on the environment by dematerializing – ie.,reducing their consumption and material use (including GHG emissions) using modern technologies. This flattens the top of the GHG-GDP curve (CE).
Meanwhile, poor and middle income countries should avoid the wasteful historical path of the rich. Instead, they innovate and take the green growth tunnel path (BDE) that will achieve the same high income levels as the rich (E), but with less emissions and material use. Basically, they also flatten their GHG-GDP curve.
The second step is to complete the third (social) element of the triangle. We address social issues by selecting pro-poor, inclusive green growth policies. That gives us BIGG, which balances economic growth, environmental protection, and social inclusion. BIGG also ensures the sustainability of other resources like energy, food, and water, etc.
Key Role of Smart Sustainable Low-C Cities
The SD triangle and BIGG model can be implemented quickest in rapidly changing urban areas. One good starting point would be urban infrastructure, applying digital technology to improve green infrastructure, especially energy and transport systems.
A coordinated effort by multiple stakeholders including business, civil society and government is also crucial. SSCD facilitate smart city concepts by integrating digital tools, AI, and data-driven decision-making to enhance resilience and sustainability -- focusing on three key perspectives:
- Social – Inclusivity, equitable service access, and social participation;
- Environmental – Green infrastructure, pollution reduction and climate resilience;
- Economic – Innovation-driven economies, entrepreneurship, and knowledge-sharing.
- Recent research on the digital transformation of urban settlements emphasizes six transformation themes that provide a holistic approach, aiming to create cities that are resilient, diverse, and adaptable to future challenges[iii]. These include:
- Circularity – Reducing waste, optimizing resource use
- Adaptability – Responsive systems for social, environmental, and economic shifts
- Livability – Public health, safety, and nature integration
- Accessibility – Equal access to services, public spaces, and information
- Authenticity – Preserving cultural identity
- Responsibility – Ethical technology use and governance
Global success stories
Guimarães, Portugal: This is the classic example of a Portuguese city that had adopted the SSCD model. The Mayor and staff of Guimarães have pursued sustainability and environmental goals for over a decade (advised by the author). Today, with a population of almost 200,000 people, Guimarães integrates culture, history, and modern sustainability efforts, serving as a global role model for mid-sized urban centers. The landscape of Guimarães is a good example of sustainable co-evolution between humanity and nature.
The city received the coveted European Green Capital Award 2026 -- the top award given annually to a European city for excellence in environmental, social and economic sustainability. It was a fitting reward for a decade of dedicated efforts towards sustainability, by Mayor Bragança, his dedicated and talented management team, and committed citizens.
The international panel of expert judges highlighted Guimarães’ exceptional performance in seven areas including air quality, noise, water, biodiversity, green areas and land use, waste and circular economy, and climate change mitigation and adaptation.
Yangtze Delta, China: China’s Yangtze Delta is home to 240 million people within 4% of its land area, and contains several mega-cities. The Delta contributes to 25% of China’s GDP (larger than Japan or Germany), and demonstrates the BIGG-SSCD transformation over the past century, in 3 distinct stages[iv]:
- Pre-1950 – Subsistence farming with low environmental impacts.
- 1950-2000 – Industrialization and rapid economic growth with environmental
- Post-2000 – Shift towards sustainability with ecological restoration and policy-driven, BIGG-based socio-economic development.
Potential applications in Sri Lanka
Many past governments have tried ad hoc measures to transform Sri Lankan cities into modern, more livable areas. But to achieve success, both people and policymakers need to shift their attitudes too. A comprehensive 2019 report by the Presidential Expert Committee set out a national framework for sustainability based on BIGG[v]. More recently, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake launched the ‘Clean Sri Lanka’ project, focusing on the environment. The government, also promotes collaborative people-oriented activities.
Finally, the national digital economy strategy 2030 is another relevant initiative. Integrating and focusing these efforts could become the ideal stepping stone towards transforming our cities, based on the SSCD model. The recent local government elections could provide further impetus, as emerging local leaders look for new solutions.
The Clean Sri Lanka project has launched shorter term efforts like beach cleanups, purifying the Beira Lake, planting urban forests, etc. We need to build on this start and transition to SSCD, by focusing on longer term solutions that target key urban issues like waste management, air and water pollution, energy efficiency, future climate change impacts, etc.
Aging and overloaded infrastructure systems (energy, transport, water and waste) must be upgraded, with digital technology adding the essential smart dimension. Calculations show that these projects would generally pay for themselves within a few years. Technology-based solutions would complement community-led cleanup activities.
Bigger cities like Colombo, Kandy and Galle, as well as smaller towns could benefit, depending on their priorities. Traffic congestion, rising air pollution, urban flooding and plastic pollution could be better controlled, as we seek to make our cities more efficient, green and livable, in the face of rising urbanization. Launching pilot schemes in key areas will help to build momentum – for example, Colombo Port City would be a promising candidate, as it seeks to attract foreign investors.
Starting small and focusing on urban areas with more receptive leadership and citizenry, would help overcome challenges, like limited resources, socio-economic inertia, and practical complexities. The SSCD model is a win-win for Sri Lankan cities, especially if the government is able to consolidate and build on existing programmes like the Clean Sri Lanka initiative, Digital Economy, and other collaborative, people-friendly activities. Finally, it would lay the long-term foundation to achieve sustainable development in Sri Lanka.
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Autor(en)/Author(s): Mohan Munasinghe
Quelle/Source: Daily Mirror, 28.05.2025
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