In environmental issues there are solutions of the country, of deserters and of individuals, so each country decides what it will do to mitigate and adapt to climate change and what will be your commitment.
Because, The Dominican Republic developed its environmental management goals several years ago, which it updated in December 2021 and is in the preparation of an action plan articulated with the National Development Strategy for the year 2030.
According to the Environment Officer of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), María Eugenia Morales, the country increased the ambition of the nation’s goal of reducing from 25% to 27% greenhouse gas emissions.
“Now, What does that 27% mean? That the private sector, through public policies, will take actions to change the energy matrix and that as a result, emissions will decrease, where there will be changes in land use decisions, they will take actions not only for mitigation, but also for adaptation, which is learning to live with these changes in a less vulnerable way, ”Morales explained.
Morales commented that National Contributions (NDC) mark the country commitment that the Dominican Republic has, which is precisely the goal of reducing greenhouse effects to 27%, of which 20% is subject to access to financing, since one of the demands that exist in the community of countries is that in order to making those changes takes money and if those resources are not available, states will still have a goal, but they will not take steps as necessary.
Of the remaining 7%, Morales said, 5% comes from commitments from the Dominican private sector and 2% corresponds to the public sector.
The executive director of Guakía Ambiente, Michela Izzo, added that the effectiveness of climate policies assumes an empowerment approach, for what he considered “interesting” to create a link with the work that together with UNDP has been doing with community groups.
“It is a central theme the effectiveness of cooperation funds because there is a reality and that is that efforts cannot be duplicated if there are already structures that are underway in the territory and that is why it is important that the national authorities that channel resources have a clear orientation on how to optimize them “, Izzo pointed out in the meeting headed by the director of the Listín, Miguel Franjul, and the editor of the Economy section, Cándida Acosta.
Create awareness
The National Business Support Network for Environmental Protection (ECORED), María Alicia Urbaneja, argued that people have to know the risk they are taking, that changes must be made and that the companies associated with this entity are a public that is aware of the environmental transformations that must be made, but they are not the real sample of the country. “You have to raise awareness in those people who do not pass by here (pointing to their heads) the issue and who begin to pray for the cyclone to go away, things that for us are obvious, but for the other they are not.
The role of the media is to build, that people understand that there is a risk alreadyBesides, it is everyone’s responsibility because it is the only way to make changes because of many public policies, many NDCs, but that is empowerment, ”Urbaneja revealed.
Rural situationMorillo, who is in the field daily, considered that we must find a way to raise awareness in the Dominican from the rural, since there is a deterioration of the country’s rivers, citing the case of Río Yuna, which represents 80% of rice production. “We are talking about food security and a progressive climate change in rural areas, where the crops that had to be grown from 500 meters downwards are already growing at 600 meters without problems,” he emphasized. He added that although the rural people are the minority, they have a responsibility and it must be taken into account that in areas where there were no “mosquitoes” before, there already are, a situation that puts people on alert.
Commitments
At the United Nations Conference on Climate Change in 2021 (COP 26), financing and forest commitments were made, in addition to the fact that for the first time there is talk of channeling resources to indigenous groups and local communities, according to with specialists from UNDP, and Ecored.
Meeting
María Eugenia Morales spoke during a meeting in the Listín Diario with the executive director of the National Business Support Network for Environmental Protection (Ecored), María Alicia Urbaneja, the executive director of Guakía Ambiente, Michela Izzo and the representative of the Federation of Peasants Towards the Progress of Bonao of the Upper Yuna River Basin, Stephany Morillo.
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