Environment

Climate Change in Mauritius

Climate change in Mauritius is alarming – temperatures and sea levels are rising faster than global averages. The country is also facing accelerated coastal erosion and coral bleaching.

Climate change means a change in the usual weather of the place. Island nations are most vulnerable to climate change, and Mauritius is no exception. The island nations have relatively small land masses and exposure to extreme weather, which increases the sea level. Climate Change is a threat to the existence of many island nations.

Valentine’s Day in Mauritius: Spreading Love and Happiness

Valentine’s Day in Mauritius is celebrated worldwide on 14 February every year. On this day, people express their love by exchanging gifts, words, and gestures. The ultimate expression of love for humanity is ending global suffering, poverty, and inequality.

COVID-19 and social distancing may have changed this year’s festivities; however, that does not mean you cannot still enjoy – and do a charitable deed simultaneously. Instead of just gifts, flowers, or chocolates, what if you expressed your love with purposeful presents that advocate sustainability, challenge institutions of inequality, and promote eradicating poverty?

The 5 Best Reviews of Mauritius Budget 2021/22 for SMEs

Small and medium enterprises play a massive role in our economy, whether through employment creation or social contributions or a source of tax revenue for the government.

Acknowledging their importance, the Minister made several provisions for SMEs in this year’s budget, in various sectors and different financial and non-financial ways.

The Most Beloved Mauritius Budget 2021/22, According to NGOs

On 11 June 2021, the highly awaited Budget was presented to the parliament and the public, detailing several economic, regulatory, and social measures to improve the standard of living of the Mauritian population.

NGOs, which have been severely constrained in their operations due to lockdowns while social issues have been skyrocketing with the pandemic, could benefit greatly from the schemes, grants and facilities the government will make available to them in the coming financial year.

Youth Informed Project on Health Policies and Strategies: UNICEF Survey

UNICEF in partnership with AstraZeneca is launching a 5-year program focused on youth-led policy change around prevention of mental ill-health, cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and respiratory diseases by targeting key risk factors such as substance use, physical inactivity, air pollution and environmental risks, tobacco use, and unhealthy diets.

Throughout this process, UNICEF will systematically involve young people in all phases of the program and include them in the decision-making process with country governments. Only by doing so, can we together ensure healthier, happier, and safer lifestyles and environments for young people.

Climate Change: More Eco, Less Ego Because There’s No Planet B

We’ve been hearing how climate change is a global problem that is and will continue to affect us all. At some point, the experts warn, it’s going to be too late to reverse the damage that we, as human beings, have spent decades inflicting on the planet.

But we’re human and when something is not directly affecting us enough for us to be feeling the pain of the situation, we lean back and say, “It’s sad”. Deep down though, that’s where it ends. It’s sad, but it’s someone else that should take action, that’s what we’re really thinking.

YUVA participates in Climate Change Conference 2019 at African Leadership University (ALU)

The African Leadership University (ALU), in partnership with Ideas For Us (Mauritius), organised a climate change conference and symbolic tree planting exercise on Saturday, 1 June 2019 in commemoration of the World Environment Day, which is celebrated on 5 June. YUVA was invited to participate in the event.

The aim of this conference was to work on sustainable initiatives in order to counteract climate change and change the future. Ideas For Us joined hands with all its partners present at the conference to engage in a good cause. The organisation has also accepted the UN Plastic Challenge programme to beat plastic wastes in Mauritius.

YUVA empowers Hara Bhara India members with Leadership for Social Change programme

On Monday, 13 May 2019, YUVA conducted a half-day workshop at the Hotel Surya International on its Leadership for Social Change programme with young Indian activists forming part of an NGO called Hara Bhara India, which is based in New Delhi.

Founded by 18-year old Sumit Goyal, Hara Bhara India dreams of removing garbage and converting them into compost or recycling them in order to create a clean India. They are a group of engaged youth fighting for a pollution-free environment through different activities. They meet every Sunday at Rajiv Chowk in New Delhi to clean up the Central Park and the neighbouring areas, where they recycle all the collected garbage. Additionally, they conduct cleanliness campaigns in the streets of Laxmi Nagar to make their environment garbage-free. Moreover, they also organise Saplings Distribution programmes all over Delhi, to create mass awareness about air pollution.

International Country Workshop — Social Protection in Mauritius: International Frameworks and National Policies

On 17 and 18 October, the Ministry of Social Security, National Solidarity and Environment and Sustainable Development in collaboration with the University of Mauritius, SASPEN and FES organised the “International Country Workshop — Social Protection in Mauritius: International Frameworks and National Policies” at the Labourdonnais Waterfront Hotel, Caudan, Port Louis, Mauritius. Continue reading “International Country Workshop — Social Protection in Mauritius: International Frameworks and National Policies”

8 June: World Oceans Day

We celebrate World Oceans Day to remind everyone of the major role the oceans have in everyday life. They are the lungs of our planet, providing most of the oxygen we breathe. The purpose of the Day is to inform the public of the impact of human actions on the ocean, develop a worldwide movement of citizens for the ocean, and mobilize and unite the world’s population on a project for the sustainable management of the world’s oceans. They are a major source of food and medicines and a critical part of the biosphere. In the end, it is a day to celebrate together the beauty, the wealth and the promise of the ocean. Continue reading “8 June: World Oceans Day”

Press Release: Young Trees, Clothes & School Materials Distribution

YUVA wishes to inform the members of the public that in the last 2 months, we have distributed 8,000 young trees, 12,682 cloth materials and 3,000 school supplies to families and children in need.

YUVA is guided by Strategy 2025 – our collective plan of action to tackle the major humanitarian and development challenges present in Mauritius. We will continue ‘empowering and changing minds’ by focusing our work in the 12 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that we have adopted. YUVA directly mobilizes more than 10,000 YUVANs nationally. They help to organise and run local and regional events and support a large number of projects.

YUVA thanks everyone who has donated the materials. The #iPlantATree, #NoPoverty and #EducationForAll projects are ongoing until March 2017.

iPlantATree: 200 Young Trees Planted at Lallmatie

Today, Sunday 20 November 2016, YUVANs have distributed and planted 200 young trees in the village of Lallmatie.

Caring for trees and the environment is the social responsibility of every individual. The iPlant-A-Tree Programme is a platform for every Mauritian to actively participate in greening his/her yard by planting trees.

Why Plant Trees?

Why plant more trees in Mauritius? Aren’t there enough trees already? Well, definitely not.

Trees are like any other living organism, which will grow old and become weak. Hence, in order to sustain our lush greenery, we need to constantly plant new trees.

It’s a special kind of connection with Nature when you plant a tree yourself.

YUVA distributes plants at Lallmatie

YUVA RDR: Understanding Climate Change and its impacts in Mauritius

In line with its Goal 8: Climate Change, YUVA District Riviere Du Rempart, held a half day Seminar at the University of Technology, Mauritius, to mark the International Mother Earth Day 2016, on Thursday, 21 April.

“According to the World Risk Report 2014, Mauritius is ranked 14th among countries with the highest disaster risk, where the Flash Flood of 30 March, 2013 proves the fact that our island is not adapting to the effects of global Climate Change.” – President of YUVA District Riviere Du Rempart, Soveeta Chengappa Naidu

The seminar started with a portrait of the current situation of Climate Change and its impact on the island of Mauritius, followed by resource persons from the Ministry of Environment, Sustainable Development-Climate Change division, the National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Center and academic staffs from the University of Technology, Mauritius, later ended by an interactive session from YUVANs of Goodlands along with a medicinal and decorative plants distribution.

To combat climate change it is important that we take consciousness of the facts that we are now entering the sixth mass extinction and we have, before us, the most serious challenge in the name of climate change. This project has been initiated because climate change is not a myth. We need to assume our responsibility because the future of the world depends on us. After reports from the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research in Germany, it has been established that humans are the main cause of global warming. We are now experiencing man-made climate change because of human activities and because of our interference with the Earth’s system. It is a fact that the majority of people are still unaware of how their daily activities are causing climate change. This project may be a pioneer in bringing forth the hidden pain and the unheard cries of Mother Earth.

We cannot deny that several human activities are causing the Earth to heat up, to be wounded, to cough and to melt. Firstly, our oceans are being depleted and we are filling them with untold amounts of trash, chemicals and plastic. Plastic takes years to biodegrade and kills many marine animals.

The second main issue is the everyday destruction of rainforests. The lungs of the planet, the Amazon rainforests, are being cleared at an unprecedented rate, and today, more than 91% has already been destroyed. If we do not act, the last place on Earth where orangutans, rhinos, tigers, elephants and sunbears live together, faces the real risk of disappearing before our very eyes. The damage we’re causing to the Earth cannot even be quantified. Our climate crisis is now a global challenge and there is no turning back. The leading cause of climate change is a hard-hitting fact. Animal agriculture, which exists because of meat consumption, is a large emitter of methane, which has a global warming power of 86 times than that of CO2 and is 25 to 100 times more destructive than CO2.

Let’s get real. For years now, environmental organizations and governmental officials have encouraged society to carpool, ride bikes, conserve electricity, compost, recycle, but it is clearly not enough. This initiative may be a milestone in reversing climate change, and may be one of the most vital steps taken for a better world.

This seminar aimed in the end, that every individual attending takes as their mission the following:

Addressing climate change at all fronts
Educating people about the impacts of their daily activities on the Planet
Involving the community at large in fighting climate change
To cater for a better world by engaging people into sustainable actions.

Our Mother needs us! Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts.

“When it comes to climate change, it is clearly a point of no return. It needs to be tackled as efficiently and effectively as possible because we are not just fighting the impacts of climate change – we need to stop and reverse climate change.” – Oorvashi Panchoo, Project Leader

22 April: International Mother Earth Day

This year, Earth Day coincides with the signing ceremony for the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, which will take place at UN Headquarters in New York.

The Agreement was adopted by all 196 Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change at COP21 in Paris on 12 December 2015. In the agreement, all countries agreed to work to limit global temperature rise to well below 2 degrees Celsius, and given the grave risks, to strive for 1.5 degrees Celsius. The signing ceremony takes place on the first day that the Agreement will be open for signatures, marking the first step toward ensuring that the Agreement enters into legal force as quickly as possible.

The General Assembly, recognising that Mother Earth is a common expression for the planet earth in a number of countries and regions, which reflects the interdependence that exists among human beings, other living species and the planet we all inhabit, and noting that Earth Day is observed each year in many countries, decided to designate 22 April as International Mother Earth Day in 2009, with resolution A/RES/63/278.

2016 Theme: Trees for the Earth

Earth Day was first celebrated in the United States in 1970 and is organised by the Earth Day Network. Its mission is to broaden and diversify the environmental movement worldwide and to mobilise it as the most effective vehicle to build a healthy, sustainable environment, address climate change, and protect the Earth for future generations. With this year’s theme, looking forward to its 50th anniversary, it sets the goal of planting 7.8 billion trees over the next five years.

Why Trees?

Trees help combat climate change.
They absorb excess and harmful CO2 from our atmosphere. In fact, in a single year, an acre of mature trees absorbs the same amount of CO2 produced by driving the average car 26,000 miles.
Trees help us breathe clean air.
Trees absorb odours and pollutant gases (nitrogen oxides, ammonia, sulfur dioxide and ozone) and filter particulates out of the air by trapping them on their leaves and bark.
Trees help us to counteract the loss of species.
By planting the right trees, we can help counteract the loss of species, as well as provide increased habitat connectivity between regional forest patches.
Trees help communities and their Livelihoods.
Trees help communities achieve long-term economic and environmental sustainability and provide food, energy and income.

Harmony with Nature

The world has been slow to respond to the emergencies posed by global warming and the damage human activities are causing the planet. In 1972, the United Nations organised the first UN Conference on the Human Environment in Stockholm. It marked the beginning of a global awareness of the interdependence that exists among human beings, other living species, and our planet.

International Mother Earth Day promotes a view of the Earth as the entity that sustains all living things found in nature. It honours the Earth as a whole and our place within it. It does not seek to replace other events, such as Earth Day, which has been celebrated by many people around the world on 22 March since the 1970s, but rather to reinforce and reinterpret them based on the evolving challenges we face.

In 2009, at its Eighth Session, the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues requested special rapporteurs to prepare a Study on the need to recognise and respect the rights of Mother Earth. At its Ninth Session, the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues will discuss the findings of the study, as well as works toward establishing a Declaration on the Rights of Mother Earth.

Key documents on Mother Earth and Harmony with Nature

Source: United Nations

2015 -2016 : Le réchauffement climatique à son apogée

La sonnette d’alarme est tirée sur le réchauffement climatique. Le nouveau rapport de référence sur le réchauffement climatique, publié par l’Institut météorologique britannique (Met Office) a été clair: il faut agir vite et, surtout, se détourner des énergies fossiles.

Alors qu’on pensait avoir connu la période la plus chaude en 2014, 2015 et 2016 devraient battre les records de chaleur jamais mesurées, selon Rowan Sutton, professeur au Centre national de Science atmosphérique.

La température moyenne à la surface de la planète a gagné 0,85 °C entre 1880 et 2012 et si on veut limiter le réchauffement de la planète, les gaz à effet de serre doivent baisser de 40 à 70 % entre 2010 et 2050 pour limiter le réchauffement.

Le réchauffement climatique, combiné à des phénomènes naturels tels que le courant El Niño accélère à nouveau après une décennie de relative stabilité. L’étude publiée lundi par le Met Office s’intéresse d’ailleurs beaucoup à El Niño, réapparu en mars et qui pourrait “être l’un des plus intenses dans les annales”. Le courant équatorial chaud du Pacifique, dont on estime qu’il contribuera au réchauffement mondial, aura aussi des répercussions locales : des conditions plus sèches dans certains pays asiatiques et en Australie, selon le Met Office.

Comment faire pour aider à stopper le réchauffement climatique

Changez les ampoules

Remplacer une ampoule normale par une ampoule fluorescente compacte va économiser 68 Kg de dioxyde de carbone par an.

Moins utiliser la voiture

Marcher, utiliser le vélo, les transports en commun, le covoiturage. Cela économisera environ 0.5 Kg de dioxyde de carbone par Km non-parcouru!

Plus recycler

Vous pouvez économiser 1100 Kg de dioxyde de carbone par an en recyclant juste la moitié de vos déchets.

Vérifiez vos pneus

Avoir ses pneus de voiture bien gonflés, permet de réduire sa consommation de carburant de 3%. Chaque litre de carburant économisé, correspond à 2.3 Kg de dioxyde de carbone en moins dans l’atmosphère.

Utilisez moins d’eau chaude

Chauffer l’eau nécessite beaucoup d’énergie. Utilisez moins d’eau chaude en installant une douche à plus faible débit (150 Kg de CO2 économisés par an) et lavez votre linge à l’eau froide ou tiède (230 Kg de CO2 non émis).

Eviter les produits avec pleins d’emballages

Vous pouvez économiser 550 Kg de dioxyde de carbone si vous réduisez vos déchets de 10%.

Ajustez votre thermostat

En réduisant votre thermostat de 2 degrés en hiver et en l’augmentant de 2 degrés en été (clim), vous économiserez plus de 900 Kg de CO2 par an avec ce faible ajustement.

Plantez un arbre

Un seul arbre absorbera une tonne de dioxyde de carbone durant sa vie.

Eteignez vos appareils électroniques

Eteignez simplement votre télévision, lecteur DVD, chaîne stéréo et ordinateur quand vous ne les utilisez pas, et vous sauverez l’atmosphère de plusieurs centaines de kilogrammes de dioxyde de carbone par an.

Dhana Lalljawheer
Secrétaire générale YUVA