Climate Change Act 2020 (no 11/2020)

This document is Mauritius' framework climate law. Parts II, III and IV of the Act create climate-focused institutions and bodies and set their attributions.

Part II of the document creates the Inter-Ministerial Council on Climate Change, which is in charge of setting national objectives, goals and targets with a view to making Mauritius a climate change-resilient and low emission country.

Part III creates the Department of Climate Change within the Ministry responsible for climate matters. The Department's attributions encompass broad policymaking duties, including the following: 1) promoting adaptation and mitigation measures in all sectors, 2) establishing mitigation procedures and reporting mechanisms, 3) establishing and maintaining a climate change database, 4) promoting the implementation of Article 6 of UNFCCC on education, training and public awareness on climate change and related matters, 5) monitoring the implementation of mitigation and adaptation policies, and 6) annually publish the National Inventory Report on greenhouse gas emission by sources and removal by sinks.

Part IV creates the Climate Change Committee and charges it with a range of coordination and recommandation missions.

Part V mandates the Department, in collaboration with other executive bodies, to formulate a National Climate Change Adaptation Strategy and Action Plan, a National Climate Change Mitigation Strategy and Action Plan, and a National Inventory Report. It also sets a number of further procedural and reporting duties, and obliges departments to undertake public consultations when developing climate-related strategies and policies.

Part VI defines the legal applicability of the Act to the island of Rodrigues, for which dedicated institutional bodies will be created, and strategies and policies will be developed.

Part VII contains implementation, enforcement, liability, consequences of liability and confidentiality clauses. It also amends the Beach Authority Act, the Environment Protection Act, the Local Government Act, the
Pas Géométriques Act, the Planning and Development Act, the State Lands Act and the Tourism Authority Act with climate-related clauses.