Text of my ‘When Worlds Collide’ column published in Ceylon Today Sunday newspaper on 10 June 2012

The Lankan economy is seen or projected in different colours and hues.

The Parliamentary opposition often tells us the economy is in the red. The Central Bank, with its new penchant for spin, reassures that the macroeconomic factors are all very…rosy.

But just how GREEN is our economy? Who thinks — or cares — about that aspect? What are the main gaps and challenges?

These questions are worth asking as governments of the world converge in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, for the UN Conference on Sustainable Development this month. The conference is also known as Rio+20, counting upwards from the original Earth Summit that city hosted in June 1992.

The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) defines a green economy as “one that results in improved human well-being and social equity, while significantly reducing environmental…