ACT

Climate Crisis

The climate crisis is the greatest challenge of our times and Cyprus must contribute positively to the global efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Scientists are warning of catastrophic consequences if we don’t act now and reduce our emissions dramatically in the next 10 years to keep temperature from rising to more than 1.5 °C compared to pre-industrial times. Terra Cypria recognizes the dangers of in-action, for both humans and the environment, and is increasingly involved in the issue by pushing the government to implement national policies that will bring the necessary cuts to our CO2 emissions on time whilst benefiting society in the transition to a green economy.

For this to be achieved, a transformational change of society is needed. That is why, in collaboration with other experts in the field of energy and climate policy, we formulate recommendations to policy makers and keep check of the progress and the impact existing and future policies have, and will have, on mitigating climate in Cyprus.

Public Participation in environmental decisions – Aarhus Convention

One of our main aims is to ensure good governance by the state of Cyprus’s environmental obligations. We actively promote public awareness and participation; and we are strongly committed to participating in public consultations. At the same time, we monitor and promote the implementation of the Aarhus Convention for the public’s free access to environmental information, their active participation in decision-making and access to justice on environmental matters.

The Circular Economy

Turning the European economy towards sustainability by 2050 is a big EU bet. The Circular Economy meets the need for sustainable development, at a time when economic growth is consuming more and more of the planet’s natural resources. A typical example is that the average European citizen produces 475kg of waste each year and 28% ends up in landfills. Cyprus holds the second place in the EU.28, producing 626kg of waste each year, of which 75% ends up in landfills and only 13% is recycled (Eurostat, 56/2016).The transition to a circular economy promotes change (with “waste” being transformed into raw material, aiming at reuse, repair, renewal and recycling of existing materials and products). The objective is the linear economy which is based exclusively on resource mining, to be replaced by a more circular economy that is more sustainable.Also, according to the EU. Two million jobs are expected to be created through better product design, re-use and waste prevention, while € 600 billion could be saved if we use our resources more efficiently.Changing towards a cyclical economy requires the involvement and participation of all, with policymakers taking the leading role. Companies will need to redesign the production chains of their products.

Consumers play the most catalytic role in achieving change through their choices. The more conscious consumers are, the more pressure is exerted on the creation of goods and services that are involved in the circular economy.

In this newsletter you can see how consumers can choose sustainable products and services.

The Terra Cypria Foundation participates in the Working Group of the European Environmental Network EEB for Circular Economy.

The video: “How do we make gold from garbage?” is illustrates how the circular economy could work.

Sustainable Tourism

The tourism industry has been one of the most important sectors of the economy of Cyprus for decades, significantly contributing to its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and labour market. However, it has not been adequately appreciated that tourism itself depends on our environment.

The natural environment provides cultural ecosystem services that include recreation and tourism. If not properly managed, these activities can threaten ecosystems. This has been seen in Cyprus during recent decades in many cases where protected areas and the countryside have been facing multiple pressures as a result of unsustainable development. Such pressures include habitat degradation and land use change.

Since the start, Terra Cypria has worked to influence national policies for the great returns that come from preserving nature. The tourism sector stands ti benefit from policies that minimise development in natural areas and preserve the features that attract tourists to Cyprus, for example, by reducing seasonality.