SUNIL DOWARKASING
Mauritius Missing in Action
As the world prepares for COP30, the annual UN Climate Change Conference, nations are under mounting pressure to prove that their climate pledges are more than empty rhetoric. Under the Paris Agreement, a legally binding accord, every signatory must submit updated Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) every five years—blueprints central to cutting emissions and keeping the 1.5°C goal alive. The February 10 deadline this year was a crucial moment to raise ambition. Yet Mauritius, despite being among the first countries to sign the Paris Agreement, failed to even submit its updated NDC…
Another Environmental betrayal
Mauritius continues to lag behind. Since its first NDC in 2016, which pledged a 30% carbon emissions reduction by 2030, the country’s emissions have instead risen by an average of 3.3% per year.
When the Paris Agreement’s ratchet mechanism called for enhanced ambition, Mauritius responded with an arbitrary 40% reduction target in 2021, set without scientific justification, credible planning, or enforceable measures. Compared to its peers, Mauritius’s climate promises remain largely rhetorical, exposing a persistent pattern of inaction and missed opportunities.
On 29 September 2025, Mauritius finally submitted its third Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC 3.0) to the UNFCCC Secretariat, nearly seven months past the deadline. Despite being framed as more ambitious, NDC 3.0 largely reiterates the same pillars as NDC 2.0 – a 40% emissions reduction target, renewable energy expansion, a gradual coal phase-out, electrified transport, circular economy initiatives, coastal protection, and heavy reliance on international support. In many ways, it reads like ‘the same old wine in a new bottle.
Emissions continue to climb locally while the government fails to show strategic alignment or transparency. Without enforcing policies, delivering projects, or tracking results, the country risks becoming known for climate pledges that remain empty promises on paper — rather than genuine leadership among Small Island Developing States.
Side-by-Side Comparison of Mauritius’s NDC 1.0 vs NDC 2.0 (2021) and vs NDC 3.0 (2025)
Comparing Mauritius’s NDCs since 2015 is important because it allows environmentalists, policymakers, researchers, and the public at large to track continuity, progress, and credibility in climate commitments. By reviewing what was pledged in NDC 1.0 (2015) and checking what has been repeated or adjusted in NDCs 2.0 (2021) and 3.0 (2025), we can see whether Mauritius has delivered on earlier promises or simply rolled them forward. The Paris Agreement’s “ratchet mechanism” requires countries to raise ambition over time. Comparing across NDCs highlights whether Mauritius has genuinely increased ambition or weakened timelines (e.g., keeping the 40% emissions reduction but pushing it to 2035).
A side-by-side view exposes areas where goals have remained rhetorical (e.g., OTEC pilots, coal phase-out) and where new issues (like Blue Carbon) have been introduced, showing gaps between vision and action
Mauritius’s NDC 3.0 (2025) largely repeats the commitments of NDC 2.0 (2021) with minimal new measures. The main differences are the extension of the emissions reduction timeline (2035 instead of 2030) and the addition of a Blue Carbon programme. Without bold implementation steps, there is a risk of repeating the last decade’s limited progress.
In short, in the comparison since 2015, I have tried to separate words from action while showing whether Mauritius is truly moving towards resilience and decarbonization. It also provides a basis for civil society and international partners to press for accountability.
(End of Part 1)
