A two-day Sustainability and Climate Change Conference calling for public-private collaboration in tackling climate challenges opened this morning at The Ravenala Attitude Hotel in Balaclava, in the presence of the Minister of Agro-Industry, Food Security, Blue Economy and Fisheries, Dr Arvin Boolell.
The Senior Cooperation Adviser, Access to Climate Change at the British High Commission, Ms Rosalind Gater; the Chief Executive Officer of Spaanda, Mrs Manjula Basant Rai; and other personalities were also present on that occasion.
The conference brings together participants from both the public and private sectors and features panel discussions, presentations, and educational sessions aiming to address the climate challenges around the world.
In his address Minister Boolell highlighted that small island states, such as Mauritius, must play an active role in both climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts. He emphasised that a single and uniform approach would not be effective especially for regions with unique challenges like small island states.
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The Minister also discussed Mauritius' potential to become a 'big ocean state' given its vast Exclusive Economic Zone and its shared management of the underwater area connected to both Mauritius and Seychelles. He drew attention to the critical carbon sink located between the two nations, which could present opportunities to generate revenue through carbon markets.
Dr Boolell further stressed the importance of initiatives like biodiversity bonds, blue bonds, and green financing in promoting sustainable marine biodiversity management. These initiatives are crucial in light of rising ocean acidification and the increasing pressures from human activities, he added.
On this note, Dr Boolell underlined the urgent need for public-private sector collaboration in addressing climate change. He noted that such challenges cannot be handled by policymakers alone and require the involvement of all segments of society. The Minister expressed hope for clear and effective solutions moving forward before calling on stakeholders to engage in shaping future climate policies.
Ms Gater, for her part, spoke about Mauritius' commitment to the Paris Agreement and pointed out the large gap in funding for climate projects. She explained that innovative ways to raise money, such as blended finance and green bonds, are essential to address this shortfall.
Moreover Ms Gater evoked the United Kingdom's (UK) help extended to Mauritius for climate finance, which includes supporting the Pioneering Climate and Sustainability Fund and the setting-up of a Climate Finance Unit within the Ministry of Finance. She underscored the significance of working together with the private sector to boost climate action and including climate risks when planning the economy. The UK government, she assured, is dedicated to helping Mauritius raise climate funding and improve its climate policies.
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