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(Date Posted:03/09/2008 05:09:49)
A two-day stakeholder meeting on Climate Change and Trade started yesterday (Sept 02), at Le Morne Paradis hotel, at the initiative of the International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development and the Commonwealth Secretariat in collaboration with the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development.Climate Change and Trade are key issues for developing countries. The aim of this forum is to help smaller developing countries to understand the opportunities, and challenges they face with regard to climate change and trade policy and to be informed about policy choices. This two-day meeting, attended by foreign delegates as well as Mauritian counterparts will also act as a platform where participants will discuss issues related to climate change and trade which are at the forefront of debates on sustainable development. The acting Minister of Finance and Economic Development, Mr. Vasant Bunwaree, said that the meeting was held at an opportune time as Mauritius is already engaged in a national endeavour to develop Green Mauritius through the Maurice Ile Durable project. He further made a plea that though trade and climate change are being managed globally, additional efforts should be made to integrate climate change and trade so that both policies are mutually supportive. The Minister added that global warming, trade and energy prices call for a fundamental review of the assumptions on which Mauritius has planned its economic development. Hence, the country will have to double the share of renewable sources of energy to produce electricity to around 40 percent within the next decade. And this is achievable by increasing the megawatts from renewable sources and the megawatts from energy savings, he said.
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