Ecology and Sustainable Development 2 / The Way Forward by Najeeb Fokeerbux Le Mauricien 28.05.2011

8THE WAY FORWARD SERIES*

Ecology and sustainable development (2)


NAJEEB FOKEERBUX
(on behalf of La Jeunesse Militante)

Waste management

We should place green labels on products as per strictly specified guidelines and monitor of all products on the market as well exempt these green label products from a percentage of taxes. For example, a product with little packaging or low negative impact on the environment can be exempted from taxation so as to encourage people to buy that product. The tax imposed on a product not having a green label by a certain percentage should be increased.

The green label must be subject to three or more variations. We cannot classify a product either as eco-friendly or non-eco-friendly as the two scales. There must be grades. Say, 75 - 100% eco-friendly, 50 - 74% eco-friendly, 25 - 49% eco-friendly and 0 - 24% eco-friendly. For different ranges, different conditions of taxation would thus apply; the conditions being, as previously mentioned, subject to strictly specified guidelines. This will help in reducing waste generation and protection of the environment with public contribution to fight environmental issues. Waste should be separated and treated so as to recycle and reuse wastes to decrease the amount left for disposal. Households and public places and institutions must have different dustbins to separate their wastes. Then, these wastes must be recycled and reused. Organic wastes can be turned into compost.

Transportation

The transportation sector is crucial for the development of a country. It determines the development of a particular region, the social mobility of people and the exchange of information. To achieve a major change, bold and practical measures are needed which include the following:

• Decentralise our economic centre from Port Louis to other regions.
• Favour the use of public transport instead of private cars by improving the public and professionalising the transport system.
• Enforce legislation so that new buildings, especially commercial ones and offices have appropriate parking spaces.
• Create parking spaces in cities and just outside cities and use bus transits between key places in the city area.
• Favour tracks/sidewalks in cities so as to encourage people to walk to places 20 minutes apart on foot rather than using their cars or taking buses.
• Subject private vehicles to the green label rather than imposing a green tax on fuel use. This way, the vehicle to be bought will be expensive; whereas public transport will still be cheap; which will encourage people to use it.
• Review the system of free transport and give such facilities only to needy families. The government should pay the concerned families an amount equal to that disbursed by the family for school transport expenses after each semester based on attendance.
• Display at bus stops and main bus terminals the time schedule of buses so that people will not lose time and get tired waiting for buses, and thus be encouraged to use the public transport system.
• Impose a limit on cars and other vehicles being imported annually so as to control the number of vehicles on our roads.

The End

Our next paper dealing with these issues will cover the following themes: Energy, Culture, Governance and Meritocracy.