Man depends on nature but methodically destroys it: up to a million animal and plant species could be threatened with extinction, many of them “in the coming decades”, according to a UN draft report on biodiversity, published by AFP. 

Drinking water, forests that absorb CO2, pollinating insects needed for crops, fish … The Intergovernmental Science and Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) will meet from April 29 to May 4 in Paris to adopt the first global assessment of ecosystems for nearly 15 years. The state of biodiversity should be as worrying as climate change predictions. Of the estimated 8 million species (including 5.5 million insect species) on the planet, “half a million to one million species should be threatened with extinction, many of them in the coming decades “, continues the text. 

These projections correspond to the warnings of many scientists who believe that the Earth is at the beginning of the 6th “mass extinction”, the first attributed to humans who have already removed at least 680 species of vertebrates for 500 years.

The figures of Statistics Mauritius indicate that 900,000 Mauritians have a mobile phone and more than one million people have access to the internet. 

Digital devices: phones, tablets and computers have become indispensable in the daily lives of Mauritians. However, the misuse of these facilities has consequences. Psychologists believe there is no point in giving a mobile phone to a child under the age of 10.

Help save planet Earth

World Earth Day 2019 was marked, on 22 April 2019, by the launching of a series of activities during a ceremony held at the Black River Gorges National Park.  A poster on illegal dumping was also launched and medicinal plants were distributed to showcase the Mauritian Government’s commitment to preserve the nature.   World Earth Day 2019, ‘Protection of our Species’, aims at raising awareness on the threat that the world is facing, that is, the greatest rate of extinction ever, as human beings have irrevocably upset the balance of nature.  It is therefore crucial for everyone to ponder on their actions and human behaviour and activities that are provoking complex environmental challenges and an unprecedented global destruction.

In order to find solutions for the climate, Dynamia Associates & Developers launches Climate Launchpad. It is organised by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology) and aims to discover projects that will be positive for the planet.

Participants will take part in several stages before reaching the final. The Climate Launchpad has enabled many people to create projects around the world. The selected participants will meet in a “bootcamp” which will take place on June 28th and 29th at the University of Mauritius. They will then benefit from coaching for two months.

The projects will then be presented in September. The winner will be able to travel to Europe to participate in the international final to be held in November. The winner will have a sum of 10 000 euros and a support to the development of his project to ensure the worldwide launch.

Le Projet d’installation de batteries de stockage initié par le Central Electricity Board se poursuit. La phase deux débutera bientôt. Pour rappel, ces batteries de stockage serviront à conserver l’électricité, car l’énergie provenant des panneaux solaires et des éoliennes a le désavantage d’être intermittente. Ces batteries serviront donc à pailler les fluctuations dans la production d’énergie. Selon le CEB, à ce jour, des batteries de stockage d’une capacité de 4 mégawatts ont déjà été placé dans le pays. D’autres batteries seront bientôt installées. Un projet au coût de Rs 400 millions.