‘Climate change is not a myth, it’s a reality’

 After retiring from office as President of the Republic of Seychelles in October 2016, James Michel said he would create new programmes to reinforce his presidential legacy and his passion for the Blue Economy.

Having gained valuable experience about the Blue Economy during his time as president and having also penned the book entitled ‘Rethinking The Oceans – Towards the Blue Economy’, Mr Michel, this week, launched the James Michel Foundation (not to be confused with the Jj Spirit Foundation which is still in existence).

Guided by the commitment to promote the Blue Economy concept, the foundation will help educate people about the need to promote environmental protection and sustainable development.

Seychelles NATION met former President Michel this week for an interview in which he talks about the foundation itself, the Blue Economy concept and the need for sustainable development.

Seychelles NATION: Congratulations on the launch of your new foundation.

Mr Michel: Thank you.

Seychelles NATION: The foundation is committed to promoting the Blue Economy concept, both in its national and international aspects. How will it do that?

Mr Michel: It all started with an idea. And it was followed by the determination and the drive to continue the work I started when I was still President of Seychelles. We joined forces with other small island developing states to fight climate change and give value to the Blue Economy by making the most of all the opportunities the sea provides us, but in a sustainable way, in line with the United Nations’ goals on sustainable development. At the same time, we should continue educating our people and the rest of the world, especially other island states as well as big industrialised countries about the Blue Economy. We need everyone’s solidarity to act on that commitment.  It is through this platform that I want to continue to make my contributions in a domain that is close to my heart.

At the same time the foundation will develop possibilities for young Seychellois who have a passion for the Blue Economy. This will be through programmes the foundation can get hold of through its networking with different international organisations which are also fighting climate change and are at the same time not only preserving the oceans but tapping into its vast potentials.

This is the reason I have formed this foundation with the help of people who are also passionate about the Blue Economy concept.

Seychelles NATION: Mr Michel, do you think that Seychellois really understand what is the Blue Economy?

Mr Michel: The seed has already been sown and we need to nurture the plant so that it grows into a big tree. It is only by educating our people that they will understand what the Blue Economy concept is and also play a part in making it a success. It has taken quite a long time for many countries to understand the potentials of tapping into the Blue Economy.  Seychelles has even brought this concept into the United Nations which has made it one of its sustainable development goals.  Even the African Union has included the Blue Economy concept into its programme. A number of international organisations have also adopted the Blue Economy concept and its potential.

Oceans are critical to sustaining Earth’s life support systems and the billions of people who are dependent on oceans for livelihoods, food security and economic development. So, we have to keep educating our people, especially the youths who are interested in furthering their studies in this field.

Seychelles NATION: One of the missions of the foundation is to provide scholarships and training programmes to young people of Seychelles with proven aptitude for the Blue Economy. How will this be done?

Mr Michel: It is an international practice for presidents who have served their mandates to set up a foundation when they leave office as they have gained a lot of experience which they want to share with their people and the rest of the world. Through these foundations, the former presidents work on projects that benefit their people or the whole world. This is the case in the United States of America and in many African countries. The former presidents are given a seed money facility by the government to set up their foundation. Unfortunately this is not the case in Seychelles. Following the official launch of the James Michel Foundation guided by a commitment to promote the Blue Economy and the setting up of its website – www.jamesmichelfoundation.org - we will partner with other foundations worldwide and from which we hope to receive help in the form of scholarships which will go to deserving Seychellois who have a passion for the Blue Economy and want to pursue their studies in this field.

We also have the incubator programme and I am sure there are a number of non-governmental organisations that want to sponsor projects in Seychelles. We will present the projects to them and look for financing. A committee will be set up to choose the best projects and we will help the young people set up their business. We also hope to organise conferences on the Blue Economy, run seminars with the involvement of foreign partners. We are also looking at running courses for environment clubs in schools.

Seychelles NATION: What is the incubator programme?

Mr Michel: Take for example a young person who wants to start a small business, either on land or at sea, in relation with the Blue Economy, but does not have the money to do so. We will give him/her a grant to start up his/her business. That person will be guided all along to make sure his/her business becomes successful.

Seychelles NATION: Sea levels rise is among the most daunting of climate change threats. How can we stay safe then?

Mr Michel: A lot of damages have been done and are still being done. But we have to mitigate these damages which are a concerning issue for the international community as no country will escape the impacts of climate change. At the same time there must be a political will and determination to stop pollution and limit global warming. Countries which signed the binding ‘Paris Agreement’ during the COP 22 conference have agreed to cut their carbon dioxide gas emissions so as to keep a global temperature rise this century well below 2 degrees Celsius. This is still not enough. We (all organisations working to promote the Blue Economy) therefore need to come together to pressure governments to lower the carbon dioxide emissions in the atmosphere. A high level of carbon dioxide emission is responsible for sea level rise and the situation will get worse until we decide to take actions to mitigate the ongoing problem. The only solution is that all countries, irrespective of their own agenda as well as political and economic interests, decide once and for all to reduce their carbon dioxide emission. It is disturbing for some world leaders to say that climate change is a myth, but it is only when they will be hit by a calamity that they will understand that it is in fact a reality.

Seychelles NATION: The Blue Economy is close to your heart. What difference would you like to see happening in this sector?

Mr Michel: Seychelles is blessed to be an archipelago with islands scattered over more than 1.2 million square kilometres of ocean. It is true we have a lot of challenges as the islands are far from each other. At the same time, we have a very vast ocean mass. We can have a number of activities and programmes to protect our environment. As carbon dioxide readily dissolves in water and the oceans provide a huge reservoir of carbons, we can use part of our ocean mass as carbon sink to help the ocean’s ecosystem renew itself, and at the same time we can exploit the potentials of other parts of the ocean. The Seychelles government is working on delimiting these zones to make sure the ocean is exploited in a sustainable manner. We also need to educate our people about the importance of taking care of our ocean and about sustainable development so that we can preserve the ocean and our country’s beauty.

It is OK to fish but we should do it in a sustainable way. Overfishing impacts on the marine ecosystem. We have to make sustainable economic growth the cornerstone of our development. Let’s value and manage our natural resources, preserve the coastlines of our islands to make sure we preserve our country for our children, grand children and great grandchildren.

So often as they want to gain political mileage politicians say we should fish everywhere but we should preserve part of the ocean. My biggest wish is that not only we in Seychelles preserve the environment but also the rest of the world. The James Michel Foundation will make its contribution towards realising such an enormous task.

Seychelles NATION: Is the government doing enough in this sector?

Mr Michel: President Danny Faure attaches great importance to the Blue Economy and this is why the Blue Economy portfolio falls under the vice-president’s office. I know he will continue to give the Blue Economy a lot of importance. The staff of the Blue Economy department are also very passionate about what they do and my foundation will make its contribution to the work being made by the government. This will help to make Seychelles shine as a small island state making big strides in not only developing the Blue Economy concept but also in a sustainable way.

Seychelles NATION: Finally Mr Michel, how do you think your successor, President Danny Faure, is doing after spending more than 100 days in office?

Mr Michel: I have a lot of confidence in my successor and this is why I chose him again as my running mate during the last Presidential election. I knew he would be the best person to succeed me as president of Seychelles. I know he will continue the work I started and so far he is doing a great job. I will continue to give him all the support he needs and I am sure he will bring Seychelles on the right path.

Seychelles NATION: Thank you Mr Michel.

Forrás: www.nation.sc