Flash floods, droughts, colder winters and unbearable summers. These are some of the realities that Mauritians now face due to climate change. This phenomenon of shifting temperatures and weather patterns, driven by unsustainable human activities, is already knocking at everyone’s door worldwide. And it comes along with very bad news for small islands like Mauritius. Without adequate interventions, rising sea levels are expected to cause havoc in coastal areas and communities.
This situation is so alarming that for the Pacific island of Vanuatu, projected to be completely submerged in the future, consideration is being given to the creation of a virtual duplicate of the island so that not all is lost when it physically vanishes. This is a grim prospect but pathways towards climate justice including in Mauritius can be an uphill battle. One that cannot be won without accountability on multiple fronts. Here’s three reasons why.
1. Playing the blame game
It is well known that climate change does not affect different countries equally. Some countries are more vulnerable than others despite contributing the least to carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and thus climate change. So in one form or another, rich countries that are also the biggest CO2 emitter need to compensate for climate change related loss and damages. But this does not absolve national leaders from their responsibility in making the right decisions and investing in sustainable and resilient land-use planning and development. Furthermore, these investments should be open to scrutiny by the very citizens that will bear the brunt of bad decision-making.
2.Natural disasters do not exist
There’s no such thing as a natural disaster. Catastrophes or disasters occur when a disturbance affect a community or a society. This “disturbance” is what we know as hazards and there are different types. For example, there are biological hazards like viruses and chemical hazards like oil pollution.
Many hazards like cyclones and heavy rain occur naturally and are thus inevitable. However, while we cannot control when and where they occur, there is nothing natural in the way they can destroy lives, livelihoods and infrastructures. The decisions made by and the actions of people will determine if, how and to what extent these natural hazards will have an impact on society, i.e. resulting in disasters. If we do not change the narratives on disasters and perpetuate the notion that disasters are ‘natural’, we become complicit in cultivating a culture where we just accept that nothing can be done to prevent disasters. Faced with the potential loss of lives, socio-economic well-being, security etc., such complacency is not an option.
3.Maladaptation exists
It is also crucial to highlight that not all interventions are equal and doing what needs to be done. Unfortunately, while the development and implementation of resource-intensive climate change adaption projects in Mauritius can give some form of assurance and security that efforts are under way to protect us, it all remain a mirage if these are not directly addressing the drivers and causes of vulnerability. Adaptation projects that are built on assumptions and poor data are basically trying to address a specific problem without a proper understanding of the problem. What can go wrong? While such projects can fail, resulting in the unjustified loss of precious resources and time, they can also make things worse. Here also, scrutiny and constructive criticism of adaptation projects should be welcome. We cannot waste time and resources. And we cannot put our lives as well as those of future generations in the hands of temporary visitors that develop projects for beneficiaries that they never meet or talk to.