Seychelles takes climate change fight seriously

Hon. Gervais Henrie, MNA is the Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly of the Seychelles and he is the CPA Africa Region’s representative on the CPA Small Branches Steering Committee. He was first elected as a proportionately elected Member from 2007 to 2011. In 2016, he was elected for the district of Mont Buxton and in 2020, he became the first MNA to successfully defend his mandate in the constituency and return to the National Assembly as a ruling party. He is also an award-winning journalist with over 27 years’ experience.

In May 2016, the former United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on the 5th National Assembly of Seychelles to support the UN’s effort in tackling three critical challenges: climate change, global sustainability and easing humanitarian suffering. The call did not go on deaf ears.

Following the election of the 6th cohort of the National Assembly in October 2016, the institution embarked on a series of projects showing its leadership in the use of renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies and adopting sustainable practices to showcase possibilities and hopefully inspire other Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to do the same.

In 2020, the 7th cohort of the country’s legislative body, comprising of 26 directly elected and eight proportionately elected MNAs, took office. Members are well aware that Small Island Developing States (SIDS) such as the Seychelles are among the most vulnerable and greatly affected by the negative impacts of climate change.

The three main islands, making up the Seychelles archipelago, Mahé, Praslin and La Digue, where the MNAs’ constituencies are situated, have over the years witnessed the adverse impacts of climate change, related to rising temperatures, sea level rise and changes in rainfall patterns.

The primary impacts have led to coastal erosion in constituencies including in Amitie and Anse Kerlan (Grand Anse Praslin), Au Cap, La Digue and North East Point (Glacis). Meanwhile, other coastal constituencies like Pointe Larue, Au Cap, La Digue and Providence (Cascade) suffer from recurrent flooding.

Coastal erosion and massive flooding events are damaging critical coastal infrastructure such as airports, ports, desalination plants, and main roads, utility lines (for both electricity and water), houses, hotels and other buildings.

It should be noted that it is not only the state that must be held accountable for its contributions to climate change but also businesses based in each of the constituencies which have the responsibility to respect human rights and do no harm in the course of their activities.

The country’s water security is also under threat of sea level rise which can cause saltwater intrusion in the underground water storage systems affecting water quality and availability, according to the Seychelles National Climate Change Strategy published in 2009.

Seychelles’ massive Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of about 1.37 million square kilometres of crystal-clear waters have suffered ocean acidification and coral bleaching, which have negatively impacted on the country’s natural beauty which tourists the world over come here for.

Its outer coralline islands now commonly experience coastal erosion, storm surges and tropical cyclones. During the 2006-07 South-West Indian Ocean cyclone season, the intense tropical cyclone Bondo severely damaged buildings and vegetation on Providence Atoll, which is approximately 710 kilometres from the capital Victoria, on Mahé island.

Ten years later, between 17th and 19th April, tropical cyclone Fantala, one of the most severe storms to ever hit the South-West Indian Ocean, twice passed near the Farquhar group, which is located 770 kilometres (478 miles) southwest of the capital.

The storm caused widespread damage to nearly all private and public buildings, including the destruction of important desalination facilities (only four cyclone-proof facilities on the island survived), while significantly impacting on the community and livelihoods in the archipelago. Cyclone Fantala also affected the Providence Atoll.

“As a legislature, we are aware of the importance of political will in order to not only mitigate the effects but also in finding sustainable solutions to the issues that have already become a challenge. This is why, since the former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s call, the National Assembly has remained determined to be a key institution that is leading in sustainably reducing its environmental impact by its current ongoing green campaign. ”

The massive storm that hit Farquhar caused US$4.5 million in damages and losses, according to a World Bank report following an assessment of the destruction caused by cyclone Fantala. The Government of Seychelles lost around US$500,000 in revenue which it would have collected as Value Added Tax (VAT) and business tax from Farquhar during the island’s gradual recovery.

Amid everything that is happening around us, the National Assembly of Seychelles starting with the 6th cohort came up with various proposed solutions to address the negative impacts of climate change through adaptation.

The National Assembly has improved its water management using a rainwater harvesting system for use in its daily operations, which has not only helped it to make considerable annual savings but also eased pressure on budgetary requirements.

A second project which is in line with the institution’s strategic priority of taking the lead in environmental sustainability and reduction of carbon footprint is the installation of a solar panel system on the rooftop of the National Assembly building at Ile du Port on Mahé.

The installation of the solar panel was made possible through a grant from the Indian Government in collaboration with the Public Utilities Corporation (PUC).

The 90kWp solar photovoltaic system produces about 126,000 kWh per year, which translates into annual savings of R616,169 (US$44,000) on the National Assembly’s electricity bill at present tariffs.

The National Assembly of Seychelles spends a significant proportion of its annual budget on generating electricity from diesel engines and since this system is connected to the grid, it is expected that there will be a large reduction in diesel consumption.

So far the National Assembly has also undertaken a successful climate change and sustainability audit assessment of its institution in collaboration with a non-governmental organisation, Sustainability for Seychelles (S4S).

As a result of this report the Secretariat have made big steps in ensuring that the National Assembly continues to be a greener Parliament and continues to be the leading institution implementing these environmental practices as part of its daily operations.

A Sustainability Policy was formulated and adopted by the management team. The Secretariat then established an internal Committee called the Environmental Implementation Committee (EPIC) chaired by the Sustainability Practice Manager. This Committee put together an action plan that includes the recommendations in the S4S report, as well as a monitoring and evaluation system whereby it can track progress being made and discuss how well the sustainable practices are being implemented.

Thus far the Committee has drafted and adopted the below policies: • Waste Management Policy • Water Efficiency Policy • Energy Efficiency Policy • Green Purchasing

The move ensured that the National Assembly is the first Government institution in Seychelles to have an internal Committee dedicated to the environmental and sustainable practices.

The legislature has also banned the use of plastic bottles on its precinct, as part of a sweeping effort against plastic waste that despoils beaches and pollutes oceans.

Seychelles is proudly part of the international coalition of nations which is taking the important step to reduce littering and plastic pollution in our oceans and seas.

In April 2019, twenty-five tons of waste - including some 50,000 flip-flops - were collected on the Seychelles’ remote atoll of Aldabra, which is 1,150 km away from Mahé.

For five weeks, five volunteers from Queen's College, Oxford University and seven from Seychelles joined the Seychelles Islands Foundation (SIF) team, to help clean up the world's second largest coral reef, where a lot of man-made rubbish especially plastic waste has accumulated in recent years.

The National Assembly of the Seychelles was the first state institution to set this new and ambitious standard, paving the way for the rest of the MDAs.

The Government and Opposition parties in the National Assembly also agreed to reduce the large quantity of printed material given to MNAs and instead move to a more modernised system of using electronic forms of documents. The move was hailed as one that would not cause environmental damage and save money.

Each MNAs has been given a laptop. These documents and reports are sent via email and saved in those laptops. The National Assembly now also has E-Sittings and E-Committee meetings to reduce paper wastage and cut down costs. It purchases more consciously and is making steps to greatly improve its current waste management system.

The National Assembly is currently running an educational awareness campaign led by the Public Relations Officer to educate staff on different kinds of sustainable practices that can be implemented at home and at work.

It has a project to establish a ‘Speaker’s Garden’ which will be the home of endemic flora only in order to promote more endemic biodiversity on its grounds. The project is currently on hold because the impact of COVID-19 has resulted in budget cuts. However, the National Assembly is looking at partnering with TRASS or any other environmental NGOs to get it back up and running.

The National Assembly has also started composting in a move to feed and nourish the reclaimed soil where the institution has been built. The Commonwealth Garden is expected to have improved soil, with a new generation of endemic plants.

Although Seychelles still remains an insignificant emitter of greenhouse gases (GHGs), its level of susceptibility to the negative impacts of climate change will keep increasing over the years as the impacts become more severe. The country emits less than 0.003% of global GHGs, an insignificant amount globally but an average of 5.38 tons of Co2 is released per person, and this is growing annually.

An increase in the average global temperature of 2 degrees Celsius will be catastrophic for Seychelles given that over 90% of the critical infrastructures are located along the shoreline.

Members of the National Assembly are mindful that because of the impacts of climate change on human rights, it must effectively address climate change in order to honour their Constitutional commitment to respect, protect, promote and improve human rights standards for all.

Seychelles has come a very long way since the Rio Earth Summit in 1992 with various achievements made to date in combatting climate change. It was the 16th country to ratify the Paris Agreement on Climate Change and has since taken the issue of climate change seriously.

As a legislature, we are aware of the importance of political will in order to not only mitigate the effects but also in finding sustainable solutions to the issues that have already become a challenge. This is why, since the former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s call, the National Assembly has remained determined to be a key institution that is leading in sustainably reducing its environmental impact by its current ongoing green campaign.

“I count on Seychelles to engage in these important events. During the years of discussion, one thing has become very clear to me. Small states have big ideas and big political will. Your experiences, commitment and insights have been invaluable”, the former UN Secretary-General told the Seychellois Legislators five years ago. He stressed: “When you are united, small states can change the world.”

Ultimately the power to mitigate and adapt to climate change lies with the public, but the National Assembly like other Parliaments around the world, plays an essential role in representing short and long-term interests, leading the public in change, promoting green policies and holding the Executive to account.