Ministry of Environment and Energy
Message Minister Rolph Payet to commemorate Earth Day,
Tuesday 22nd April 2014.
Seychelles joins countries around the world today in commemorating Earth Day. This has always been a day to reflect on our environmental challenges and our responsibility to safeguard our God-given natural resources on a fragile planet and our inhabitants living on a fragile group of islands. These are islands, we share with the rest of humanity on this planet earth which we must protect for future generations at all costs.
This year’s Earth Day theme, the Green Cities, puts a special focus on helping cities around the world become more sustainable and reduce their carbon footprint and the very real impact climate change has on people everywhere. The theme demonstrates just how clearly connected we all are. What one country does impacts the livelihoods of people elsewhere – and what we all do to address climate change now will largely determine the kind of planet we leave for our children and generations to come.
As was clear in President Michel’s state of the nation address this year, the Seychelles is committed to meeting this challenge head on, working in cooperation with our partners around the world through ambitious actions to reduce emissions, transform our energy economy by investing in renewable, and help the most vulnerable cope with the effects of climate change.
The latest science from the IPCC report is screaming at all of us and demands action. We have a responsibility to safeguard and sustainably manage our planet’s natural resources, and Seychelles remains firm in its commitment to addressing global environmental challenges. The proclamation of 22 April as International Mother Earth Day is an acknowledgement that the Earth and its ecosystems provide us with life and sustenance throughout our lives. It also recognizes our responsibility, as called for in the 2012 Rio Declaration, to promote harmony with nature and the Earth to achieve a just balance among the economic, social and environmental needs of present and future generations of humanity!
So today’s Earth Day provides a timely opportunity to raise public awareness around Seychelles to the challenges that we face regarding the well-being of our islands and the planet and all the life it supports. As scientists have pointed out, we are approaching and may have already reached a tipping point at which the damage that we are doing to the environment is irreversible. We may face a future of inexorable decline as we destroy the fragile ecosystems that support all life on our islands and that of the planet. The question before us is how to slow this decline or, in the best of scenarios, how to reverse it and return our planet to good health? It is only right that we, Seychellois as Brothers and Sisters that we are, take care of our islands and Mother Earth in return.
Let us become good stewards once again. Let us listen to the wisdom of our forefathers who, despite all odds, have sustained their profound links to nature. Let’s transform Victoria in an eco-friendly Green city by taking positive actions to reduce pollution, wastage of natural resources and make it greener.
Tuesday 22nd April 2014.
Seychelles joins countries around the world today in commemorating Earth Day. This has always been a day to reflect on our environmental challenges and our responsibility to safeguard our God-given natural resources on a fragile planet and our inhabitants living on a fragile group of islands. These are islands, we share with the rest of humanity on this planet earth which we must protect for future generations at all costs.
This year’s Earth Day theme, the Green Cities, puts a special focus on helping cities around the world become more sustainable and reduce their carbon footprint and the very real impact climate change has on people everywhere. The theme demonstrates just how clearly connected we all are. What one country does impacts the livelihoods of people elsewhere – and what we all do to address climate change now will largely determine the kind of planet we leave for our children and generations to come.
As was clear in President Michel’s state of the nation address this year, the Seychelles is committed to meeting this challenge head on, working in cooperation with our partners around the world through ambitious actions to reduce emissions, transform our energy economy by investing in renewable, and help the most vulnerable cope with the effects of climate change.
The latest science from the IPCC report is screaming at all of us and demands action. We have a responsibility to safeguard and sustainably manage our planet’s natural resources, and Seychelles remains firm in its commitment to addressing global environmental challenges. The proclamation of 22 April as International Mother Earth Day is an acknowledgement that the Earth and its ecosystems provide us with life and sustenance throughout our lives. It also recognizes our responsibility, as called for in the 2012 Rio Declaration, to promote harmony with nature and the Earth to achieve a just balance among the economic, social and environmental needs of present and future generations of humanity!
So today’s Earth Day provides a timely opportunity to raise public awareness around Seychelles to the challenges that we face regarding the well-being of our islands and the planet and all the life it supports. As scientists have pointed out, we are approaching and may have already reached a tipping point at which the damage that we are doing to the environment is irreversible. We may face a future of inexorable decline as we destroy the fragile ecosystems that support all life on our islands and that of the planet. The question before us is how to slow this decline or, in the best of scenarios, how to reverse it and return our planet to good health? It is only right that we, Seychellois as Brothers and Sisters that we are, take care of our islands and Mother Earth in return.
Let us become good stewards once again. Let us listen to the wisdom of our forefathers who, despite all odds, have sustained their profound links to nature. Let’s transform Victoria in an eco-friendly Green city by taking positive actions to reduce pollution, wastage of natural resources and make it greener.
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