415. To promote a decrease in energy consumption, a number of measures have been adopted recently notably the efficiency labelling of electrical appliances, energy audits of 88 public and private buildings, Solar Photovoltaic Rebate Scheme for Cooperative Societies and a Home Solar Project targeting 10,000 low-income households. Through the latter scheme, households will benefit from 50 kWh of electricity free of charge on a monthly basis for a period of 20 years, and any surplus electricity produced will be injected into the national grid. The Home Solar Project was ranked first out of 89 projects submitted to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). 416. To encourage the use of ecofriendly vehicles and reducing consumption of fossil fuels, excise duty on hybrid motor cars, between 1,001 to 1,600 cc, was reduced from 55% to 25% in 2016. Since its introduction, the number of hybrid cars registered has more than doubled. Moreover, excise duty on electric cars of up to 180 kw were removed. 417. Projects such as Small-Scale Distributed Generation (SSDG), for households and the Medium-Scale Distributed Generation (MSDG), for the commercial sector are being implemented. The SSDG project is based on the ‘Net Metering Principle’ which allows some particular clients (approximately 2000) to produce their own electricity from renewable resources. 418. From 2015 to 2018, a total capacity of 39 MW solar farms have been set up and commissioned. A 9 MW onshore wind farm is in operation since 2016. 419. In the Budget 2018/2019, a waste-to-energy project of total capacity 20 MW, increased battery storage from 4 to 18 MW, a new scheme for small scale distribution generation (SSDG) and the installation of 25,000 smart electricity meters have been announced. CLIMATE CHANGE 420. As a Small Island Developing State (SIDS), Mauritius is highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. The state of Mauritius is exposed to inherent environmental vulnerabilities including natural hazards such as high-intensity cyclones, sea level rise resulting in beach erosion, flash floods which are becoming more frequent causing significant damage to infrastructure, property and loss of human lives. According to the World Risk Report 2018, Mauritius is ranked as the 16th country with the highest disaster risk and ranked 10th on the list of countries most vulnerable and exposed to natural hazards. 421. Above all, the life of our citizens may be at risks due to the more frequent calamities and their unpredictability. We are bound to build resilience to climate change and facilitate our adaptation. We are exposed to the impacts of climate change in a disproportionate way, which could hamper our progress on poverty alleviation, economic growth and stability and our ability to meet the sustainable development goals. 144