Mauritius: A workshop regrouping key stakeholders for the preparation of the Kigali Implementation Plan (KIP) under the Montreal Protocol kicked off today in the presence of the Minister of Environment, Solid Waste Management and Climate Change, Kavydass Ramano, at the Ravenala Attitude Hotel in Balaclava.
The Montreal Protocol is an international treaty designed to protect the ozone layer by phasing out the production and consumption of numerous substances that are responsible for ozone depletion.
The protocol was adopted on 16 September 1987 and entered into force on 01 January 1989. Mauritius has been a party to the Montreal Protocol since 1992 and ratified the Kigali Amendment in October 2019.
Addressing the participants, Minister Ramano underlined that the main objective of the workshop is to reflect on the way forward for the implementation of the KIP aimed at reducing the consumption and production of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs).
HFCs, he observed, are manufactured for use as substitutes to ozone-depleting substances and are strong greenhouse gases with a global warming potential of up to 12,000 times greater than carbon dioxide. HFCs contribute to accentuating climate change impacts, he said, adding that their emissions are expected to rise by 30 % by 2030.
“As a Small Island Developing State, we are advocating in our National Position on Climate Change for climate negotiation to limit temperature rise to below 1.5 degree Celsius, and we have also taken an ambitious target of 40% of greenhouse gas emissions reduction by 2030”, said Minister Ramano.
He further recalled that the global community has agreed to adopt the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol in 2016 to set out a phase-down pathway to HFCs by 2045. Under the KIP, he emphasised, Mauritius is required to develop a comprehensive strategy to assist the country in meeting its 2030 HFC reduction target and hence the need for institutional capacity development.
“It is therefore important to develop a robust inventory for calculating and agreeing to an accurate HFC baseline which is essential for progressive reduction targets that need to be met under the KIP”, stated the Minister.
The Minister expressed his gratitude to the Multilateral Fund Secretariat of the Montreal Protocol for the financial support and to the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) for their technical assistance to Mauritius in achieving our commitments under the Montreal Protocol.
He also mentioned that GIZ had hired two local consultants for the preparation of the KIP and has provided tools and equipment for institutions to dispense training in key subsectors, namely: appliance manufacturing /assembly; servicing for domestic, commercial and industrial categories for refrigeration; stationary; and mobile air conditioning, amongst others.