A Memorandum of Understanding , aiming to promote collaborative research on issues pertaining to climate change in respect of the land and transport sector, was signed, yesterday, between the Ministry of Land Transport and Light Rail and the Université des Mascareignes , at the United Docks Business Park in Port Louis.
Minister Ganoo highlighted that climate change needed to be addressed with urgency as it was an existential threat to humanity. He stressed the importance of implementing bold solutions to tackle and reverse global warming. He recalled that at the COP-26 Summit in November 2021 at Glasgow, the Prime Minister pledged to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 40% by the end of this decade.
He lauded the UDM for setting up a Sustainability and Climate Change Department and indicated that it was opportune for the Ministry to tap into the expertise of the UDM with a view to reinforcing the capabilities and competencies of officers, especially those involved in devising land transport solutions.
Moreover, he underlined that the MOU would include a component on the formulation of appropriate responses for adaptation as there was a dire need to develop a thorough understanding as to the impacts of extreme events on the transport system. According to him, it would also include vulnerability assessment and modelling in order to fully gauge the impacts of climate change on transport and to allow for meaningful approaches towards addressing these issues.