Creative climate solutions
September 24, 2013
Project goal: turning waste into energy, part of Dominican Republic’s plans to slash CO2 emissions by 25 percent in the coming years
Project type: strategies for adapting to climate change
Project size: delivering 4,000 old car tires a day to a cement plant
Project volume: Funding worth4,5 Million euros ($6.1 million) within the framework of the International Climate Initiative
When it comes to climate protection, the Dominican Republic is a shining example of success in the Caribbean. The country has set an ambitious goal of slashing its CO2 emissions by 25 percent in the coming years. Together with the International Climate Initiative, the island nation has created a national climate plan. One of its main target areas is tourism, a mainstay of the country’s economy. In Punta Cana, a tourist magnet in the east of the country that boasts pristine white beaches and turqouise blue water, a hotel is using biomass produced by earthworms to power its washing. That’s allowed it to save 60 percent of its energy costs. CEMEX, a cement factory near the capital Santo Domingo, has also embraced the green tide: instead of burning fossil fuels, the facility has started to use discarded car tires. The process generates enough power to fuel the cement factory and the surplus energy is fed into the national electricity grid.
A Film by Kilian Schütze