The Minister of Environment, Solid Waste Management and Climate Change, Mr Kavydass Ramano, chaired, this morning, the 10th Committee of the National Network for Sustainable Development (NNSD) at the seat of his Ministry in Port Louis. The theme for the 10th meeting was Sustainable Consumption and Production.
Representatives of Ministries/Departments, the private sector and the civil society attended the Committee, which was held in a hybrid format due to the prevailing COVID-19 restrictions.
In his opening remarks, Minister Ramano highlighted that sustainable development, consumption and production, as well as climate change were closely linked. “The COVID-19 pandemic”, he underscored, “made us realise the value of what we consume and this urges us to review our actions, which have an impact on our environment”.
The Minister stressed that there was thus a need to be more responsible in production and consumption patterns, and that society must not be driven by consumption, waste generation, wastage and non-optimal use of resources. “As such, it is essential that efforts to be more responsible are supported by relevant stakeholders and expertise,” he added.
He observed that the NNSD was set up under the Environment Protection Act and was essentially a forum for discussion and consultation on relevant environmental topics. During the NNSD’s last session on 27 February 2020, he recalled, the governance issue and the enactment of the Climate Change Act 2020 were on the agenda.
Moreover, the Minister underlined that the Climate Change Act 2020 aimed to strengthen the coordination and integration of climate change in all concerned socio-economic sectors. He also dwelt on some achievements under the Climate Change Act 2020 including, among others: a first Inter-Ministerial meeting chaired by the Prime Minister in October 2021 in the margin of preparations for the 26th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP26); and the reviewing of the Nationally Determined Contributions before their submission to the Secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
The Environment Minister further reiterated that Mauritius was committed to: reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 40% by 2030; increase the share of renewable energies in its energy mix from 40 to 60% by year 2030; and achieve carbon neutrality by 2070.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Republic of Mauritius.
