Maldives Strengthens National Planning for Action on Short-Lived Climate Pollutants

Speaking at the opening ceremony of an Institutional Strengthening project to reduce Short-Lived Climate Pollutants (SLCPs), The Maldives Minister of State for Environment and Energy, the Honourable Mr. Abdullahi Majeed, said that the mitigation of SLCPs is directly linked to public well-being and affects everyday lives noting that air pollution is a leading cause of ill health and premature death.

The project aims to increase the Maldives institutional capacity for SLCP mitigation, engagement of key national stakeholders across sectors and the level of SLCP mitigation action taken at the national level. It is part of the Climate and Clean Air Coalition’s (CCAC) Supporting National Planning for action on SLCPs (SNAP) Initiative.

At the workshop representatives from NGOs, transport, climate change, fisheries, health, and private sectors, together with the Maldives Meteorological Service, the United Nations Development Programme, and the United Nations Environment Programme, collaborated to identify waste management, diesel and reducing hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) as key issues for the Maldives.

“SLCP mitigation will bring about a rapid positive change to the near-term climate and will be vital if the world is to keep warming below 2°C,” Mr Majeed said. “Your role in our cardinal fight is a significant one. Your technical expertise and valuable time is priceless for us.”

The ultimate objective of the project is to substantially increase the level of action taken in the Maldives by improving the coordination and scaling-up of activities to reduce SLCPs at the national level. It also aims to increase the ability of the government to attend and participate more fully in different activities and in decision-making processes of the CCAC and its initiatives. The next steps will be to continue raising awareness, increase stakeholder involvement, refine priorities, and to identify needs, existing data and current projects relevant to SLCP mitigation.