Under the Kyoto Protocol, Monaco has undertaken, between 2008 and 2012, to reduce its direct emissions of greenhouse gases by 8% as compared with 1990. Moreover, at the Copenhagen Climate Conference, H.S.H. the Sovereign Prince announced his desire to reduce the Principality's emissions by 30% in 2020 in comparison with 1990 and by 80% by 2050.

In addition, residual emissions must be offset, so the Principality of Monaco can become carbon neutral by 2050.

To this end, an Energy Climate Plan has been established in order to develop an exemplary energy policy that will allow these objectives to be achieved, or even surpassed. This Plan consists of three areas :

• controlling the demand for energy: improving energy efficiency and limiting consumption and peak demand;

• controlling local energy production: creating energy from municipal waste and developing renewable sources of energy;

• reducing greenhouse gas emissions: direct emissions (Kyoto) and indirect emissions (electricity, travel).

For each area, technical, regulatory, financial and awareness-raising activities are being carried out in the fields of: land use, the State's property assets (old and new buildings), private buildings (new and old) and energy supply.

Source: Directorate of Environmental Affairs, Monaco

 »Chiudi

In addition to this local monitoring, the Directorate of Environmental Affairs participates in the RINBIO (Réseau d’Intégrateurs Biologiques)(Network of Biological Integrators) campaign, organised every three years by the Rhone-Mediterranean and Corsica Water Agency and IFREMER (Institut Français pour la Recherche et l’Exploitation de la Mer)(French Research Institute for Exploitation of the Sea).

This study is based on the use of biological accumulators (moulds), which, by their presence and their demographic, morphological and physiological behaviours, characterise an environment and its evolution. This network offers the advantage of providing homogenous information on levels of contamination observed with regard to the Western Mediterranean (European Mytilos programme).

Finally, health monitoring of bathing water is also undertaken between the beginning of May and the end of September, with weekly sampling and analysis for each bathing site (the Plage des Pêcheurs, the Solarium and the Larvotto). A declaration of conformity is then prepared at the end of each bathing season. The readings are available to the general public at the monitoring station at the Larvotto beach, the "Nice-Matin" daily newspaper and on screens at the entrance to Monaco.

Source: Directorate of Environmental Affairs, Monaco

 »Chiudi

We wish to raise awareness among the boaters and the ones using the beach to preserve and respect the underwater environment as well as its biodiversity :

• Do not throw any waste on the beach nor into the water. Use bins and containers at your disposal in the harbours and at the beach.
• Privilege waste management wherever you are, on ground or at sea.
• Respect the existing fishing regulation, particularly the minimum size of the catch as well as the protected species like the grouper.
• Do not remove sea urchins during seasons when it is forbidden.
• The Larvotto area is an underwater reserve, delimited and regulated in order to preserve the plants and animals.
• Respect the existing flora and fauna. Do not feed the fish and do not remove any rocks or fixed objects.
• Use rather solvable sun block creams instead of sun oils as they build a film on the water surface reducing the quantity of light which is essential for life in water.
• Boaters, check your motor regularly and privilege a four-stroke engine which consumes and discharges less.
• Privilege less harmful cleaning products for the maintenance of your boat and reduce your water consumption.
• Privilege an anchorage in a sandy area. Raise the anchor slowly.

 »Chiudi