Minister of Environment and Natural Resources, Miguel Ceara, said that the Dominican Republic is one of the 15 most vulnerable countries to the effects of climate change, media outlets reported on Thursday.

Santo Domingo.- According to Hoy daily, the minister warned that because this country is highly vulnerable, it must tackle these effects with concrete actions.

“Although we are not responsible for that process, we barely contribute 0.08 percent of greenhouse gases, being an island and our geographical location largely determines a high level of vulnerability,” the official noted.

He also said that another influential factor is the fact of being in the path of hurricanes.

Ceara told the press that it is fundamental to change the production model followed in the country after indicating that society has developed predatory patterns of natural resources.

This society is reproducing from the economic, social, and institutional point of view, he said, under models that in the long term have been large predators of natural resources and the environment.

He said that “we are currently aware of the fact that the issue of climate change is not an optional topic; it is real and we must face it.”

Finally, he said that it is urgent to change how solid waste is managed. “If we continue with that model, today we practically need two republics, twice the 48 square kilometers; therefore, that is not sustainable.” (PL)