The supply of energy from local renewable sources fell by 13.3%. Production is 86.7% dependent on imported fossil fuels, such as petroleum products and coal. Forests are shrinking: from 2019 to 2020, 20 hectares of forests were lost. The latest report from the Bureau of Environmental Statistics shows that in the age of global warming, the situation is only making things worse.
By comparing the figures from previous years, greenhouse gas emissions would have dropped drastically in 2020, more precisely by 10% compared to 2019, indicates Statistics Mauritius. This decrease is mainly due to a 14.7% reduction in emissions observed in the energy sector. The latter is, in fact, the major contributor to total emissions, ie 70.3%. For the expert in sustainable development, Sunil Dowarkasing, the lockdown largely explains this decline, caused by a slowdown in economic activities.
Greenhouse gas emissions have also been reduced due to lower fuel consumption, given the reduced mobility of people. Energy consumed by transport decreased by 28.3%, this subsector accounting for 23.3% of total emissions. Although manufacturing industries and construction also recorded a 5.2% drop in emissions, coal consumption has increased, our interlocutor notes.
On the other hand, we can observe an increase in emissions due to waste, producing 26.3% of total emissions. Statistics Mauritius states that the amount of solid waste landfilled per capita has increased by 21.3%. From 0.94 kg per day in 2011 to 1.14 kg per day in 2020. At the same time, the recorded methane rate is 26.5%.
Going back to energy sources, the report shows that only 13.3% come from local renewables and 86.7% from imported fossil fuels, such as petroleum products and coal. Energy supply from local renewable sources declined by 13.3%, despite an increase in hydropower by 17.6%, photovoltaic power by 12.6% and wind power by 23, 1%. According to Sunil Dowarkasing, “the aforementioned increases are minimal”. He stresses “it is a pity that photovoltaic energy, which has extraordinary potential, has increased so slightly.”
Preserving forests
The other alarming point is the constant loss of our forests, notes the director of the Mauritius Wildlife Foundation, Vikash Tatayah. The 2021 draft report of the National Land Development Strategy shows 56,600 hectares of forest (public and private) in 2003. Prior to that date, some 10,000 hectares of forest land had been cleared, mainly for infrastructure and agriculture. In 2014, forest cover had decreased by an additional 10,000 hectares to reach 47,103 hectares. Today, Statistics Mauritius has 47,011 hectares, showing that from 2019 to 2020, 20 hectares of forests have disappeared.
“It’s a scandal to lose our forests all the time. These losses are extremely serious and worrying. We are failing to contain the loss of forest in Mauritius, despite the various strategic reports and action plans. These are thousands of lost habitats. Biodiversity is increasingly threatened. At this rate, will there be forests left in Mauritius in 50 years? ” Vikash Tatayah explains that deforestation must imperatively stop. The authorities must take control of the situation and the private sector must assume its responsibilities. He stressed that the country signs memorandums of understanding and conventions in favor of the environment, whether it is on private or public land and that in the event of non-compliance, the whole country will be the loser.
Statistics Mauritius also notes that the area in sugar cane has decreased to 43,711 hectares, while that of food crops has increased. Meanwhile, while fertilizer imports fell 19.1% to 26,991 tonnes, pesticides imports increased 4.3% to 2,700 tonnes. The use of all chemicals is bad. On the other hand, water consumption increased by 5.7% for domestic use; 2% for industrial and tourist consumption; 1.3% for agriculture and 17.9% for hydropower. It should also be noted that the water from precipitation has decreased by 6.4% compared to 2019.