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Sustainability and Climate Change Programme - SCCP

Small islands developing states (SIDS) suffer from inherent economic, social and environmental vulnerabilities. These inherent vulnerabilities are exacerbated by climate change thereby posing unique challenges to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Mauritius is not spared from these sustainability and climate challenges. Despite being a very small emitter of greenhouse gases, Mauritius has a high per capita emission. Rising emissions are not aligned with the objectives of the Paris Agreement. In the case of Mauritius, there is a macro-economic case for decarbonisation that is linked to our very high dependence on fossil fuels; and balance of payment issues related to a high energy bill.

Despite the known vulnerabilities to the impacts of climate change and climate variability, and the strong case for decarbonisation, and despite the understanding that sustainability ought to be a cornerstone of the country’s development, there is a huge deficit in high quality research to bridge the science-policy gap. In short, there is a significant opportunity to carry out research on sustainability and climate change to support evidence-based decision making in both the public and private sectors. The public sector is one of the undisputed pillars of development, and there has been a positive shift in emphasis that this sector now attributes to low-carbon, climate-resilient development, especially through the newly proclaimed Climate Change Act 2020. Nevertheless, the sustainability journey in Mauritius is still at its infancy, and collaborative partnership – i.e. SDG17 – is one of the means of using value chain approaches to re-envisioning public policy planning within the broader ambit of sustainability and climate change.

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