In summary, this means a gradual RE-ENGINEERING OF MAURITIUS, (within the period 2006-2020) to successfully thrive in the “l’apres-pétrole” era. This means transforming an island dependent on imported petrol into one INDEPENDENT OF PETROLEUM FOR ITS ENERGY NEEDS. A quite realistic target would be for 50% of all our fuel needs to be met by locally produced biofuels by 2008/2010. This would represent an annual net saving of at least 150 million US$ on our fuel import “bill”, which in 2004 stood at 300 million US$ and is due to rise.

How? It means developing alternative energy supplies, together with solar and wind power developed on a full industrial scale. It means changing lifestyles to learn to live happily with much less. Learning again how to live at village level, producing much of the food, energy and supplies one requires. Learning to recycle and reuse everything, to collaborate in exchanging products.

AT HOME: SUSTAINABLE LIVING (SL) is best defined as a lifestyle that could, hypothetically, be sustained for many generations without exhausting the natural resource base. SL means achieving self-sufficiency for oneself, one’s family and for the island, by consuming mainly things one produces. It means learning more about environmental impacts of daily life activities, getting your household water, energy, wastes, transported, supply of food and medicines audited and from there on take self-sufficiency measures. SL activities can and must involve everyone, for example the entire family going to work/school/shop/seaside by bicycle!

IN SCHOOL: The eventual National Curriculum for Mauritius for the 5 to 16 age group of compulsory schooling must incorporate, across the board, elements of Sustainable Development Education now the subject of a World Decade of UNESCO for the period 2005-2015. The initiation of the young generation into the skills and attitude for sustainable living is crucial. There is now a sufficient number of good primary and secondary schools for most children to stop wasting commuting time in buses and private cars and simply walk to the (local) school.

AT COUNTRY LEVEL: I propose the setting up of a SUSTAINABLE ENERGY DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME, whose role would be to increase the use of renewable energy and energy efficiency, and to further develop a sustainable energy industry, IN PREPARATION FOR THE COMING EXHAUSTION OF PETROLEUM STOCKS, and in order to allow Mauritius to cope with daily life activities when the supply of imported oil is DISRUPTED, possibly resumed for a time, before being finally and completely INTERRUPTED.

In the transition period, as petrol becomes a scarce commodity, we must increase our storage capacity to cover 10 x the present (i.e. enough for 6 to 9 months supply). With immediate effect we must secure a diversity of suppliers of petroleum products to ensure continued supplies when the first crunches start. As a non oil-producer, it would also be in our best interest to closely co-operate with these oil-multinationals operating in Mauritius.

IN PARLIAMENT: Legislation is required to redefine the ENERGY EQUATION to enable Mauritius to obtain “energy forever” through the use of renewable energy sources, taking Brazil as the example to follow - Brazilian energy policy makes it mandatory to blend ethanol with gasoline. Other aspects of this policy include regulations in order to set the blending rate, requires government agencies to buy 100 % ethanol-powered vehicles, offers storage credits to millers, maintains a differential tax break, favouring gasohol over pure gasoline, while popularising the concept of FLEXI-FUEL - vehicles able to run on a variety of fuels.

Such considerations have budget implications for the next 10-15 budgets, favouring sustainability and locally self-sufficient solutions, offering immediate support for investors in new energy technologies as these emerge, managing the pump-price of diesel (the driving-force of industry, specially SMEs),including producing biodiesel, to keep it at affordable levels for as long as possible.

BIOFUELS: All out support for biofuels production (our energy life-line for the future), coupled with the recent plan of Minister Boolell to restructure the sugar-cane industry, could result in a serious boost for our sugar industry through a new role as major contributor to ensuring the island’s energy sustainability. While the Minister has chosen the option to further centralise, reducing sugar mills to only 4 (which makes good economic sense), a large number of small units would better ensure the diversity required for survival. This could even mean re-opening mills which have closed.

REGIONAL FLEXI FARMS: The transformation of S.E. (sugar-estate) into RFF would be much more than a change of name! These RFF, or integrated farms, can be run by the private sector or on a co-operative basis. They would produce and supply gasohol, aquahol and biodiesel, sugar and its by-products, agricultural products, methane gas for cooking and ELECTRICITY, fed into the CEB National Grid or into new Regional Grids. Electricity generated by a diversity of sustainable means, namely through WIND-FARMS, SOLAR-FARMS, through small hydro-electric dams, bagasse, biomass and other biofuels etc. The Nuclear option is not considered feasible for Mauritius because of the very high costs, all the inherent dangers of atomic energy and perhaps because it’s far too early for nuclear fusion generators, which are likely to be a source of almost limitless energy in a few decades! The wave-energy and geo-thermal energy options require much more research before application on an industrial scale.

AIR-TRANSPORT: NO KEROSENE, NO PLANES, so we must adapt our travel habits and more importantly re-engineer our tourist industry to respond to rising fuel costs and hence costs of air-tickets. The average European tourist who can now afford Mauritius may soon return to Morocco, Malaga or Monaco and other closer-to-home destinations. In this context, IRS schemes may be more income generating than short-stay visitors.

LAND TRANSPORT: Can we afford the LRT in 2006/07? Can we afford NOT to have an LRT (utilising electricity generated from renewable sources) in 2016/17 when it may be the only mass transport system available? Going back to walking and cycling can no doubt be good things for healthy living, but limited in how far they can get you or your goods and supplies!

IN CONCLUSION: On a world scale I can predict that those individuals, companies and countries that first master the research in some key areas WILL PROSPER NO END! For example the production of hybrid cars (Japan and Germany), a sustainable replacement for petrol (France with all its TGV able to run on nuclear electricity), a replacement for aviation kerosene. Nations mastering the cyber field will gain tremendously, since in CYBER matters geographical distances matter not, hence an ideal option for Mauritius and other small islands. How many small-island developing states will succeed this transition? Mauritius has all the brain-power needed to do so, provided all aboard work together.

<B>Dr. Michael ATCHIA

[email protected]</B>