Green energy gets govt financial aid

The government is striving to convert the vision of a sustainable island into pragmatic policies, strategies and programmes to promote sustainable development.

“We have established a funding mechanism for the promotion of renewable energy, including the use of local renewable energy, encouraging waste minimisation and recycling,” said Deva Virahsawmy, minister of Environment and Sustainable Development.

He was speaking at the opening ceremony of a workshop at Pailles on capacity building to develop and review climate resilient policies.

The event was held on Tuesday and was organised by the Ministry of Environment with support from United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Japanese International Agency Cooperation.

The minister expressed his gratitude to the government of Japan and the UNDP for its support in addressing one of the most important challenges. “Such programmes are essential to enable countries like Mauritius to develop and build capacity and skills in the long-term to deal with uncertainties and consequences of climate change,” he said.

He also highlighted the need to actively and adequately fight against climate change. “This is not only for the development of a nation or the prosperity and stability of the world, but for the very survival of humanity,” said Virahsawmy. He added that he believes that the fight against climate change requires a global approach.

“We must go beyond current knowledge by constantly improving our skills and using a series of tools and instruments for policies,” he said.

The minister announced the implementation of the plan for the second Technology Needs Assessment for mitigation and adaptation to climate change.

This will bridge the gap between the simple identification of appropriate technologies and design action plans. This will enable Mauritius to implement technologies that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and support adaptation to climate change. The project is expected to be completed in 2012.

Virahsawmy also announced a series of measures taken to mitigate climate change. These include the use of renewable energy, energy-efficient vehicles, reforestation programmes, recycling, waste minimisation and phasing out substances that deplete the ozone layer.