Max Puig, the executive vice president of the National Council for Climate Change and Clean Development Mechanism (CNCCMDL), Max Puig says the government needs to create more awareness in young people of the damages caused by climate change and how the new generations will pay the price for the lack of corrective actions.
Puig spoke of a survey of young people (6,093 students in 341 schools in 18 regions nationwide) carried out by Gallup polling firm to determine the perception of the population regarding climate change and its effects. He said one of the findings that creates the most concern is that while people’s concern has increased, the awareness of the causes and the consequences of climate change among the population has declined.
Puig said the government is committed to develop initiations to educate and create an awareness in the population. He said these include talks at institutions, and audiovisual campaigns, such as the “Climate School”, and collaborations with other institutions.
In April 2025, Puig had called for rethinking construction in the country to build taking into account climate change, as reported by the Presidency.
At the time, Puig had issued a call to build resilient infrastructure in the face of climate change. He called for a transformation of construction codes and quality standards to ensure infrastructure resilience, particularly during post-disaster recovery.
“It is an accepted reality that the consequences of climate change are impacting the infrastructure of cities and communities worldwide, especially in highly vulnerable countries like the Dominican Republic,” Puig stated. “Beyond routine maintenance, we must fundamentally transform construction codes and quality standards to foster greater resilience, especially in the aftermath of disasters.”
Puig reaffirmed CNCCMDL’s commitment to bridging global climate knowledge with local realities in the Dominican Republic. He emphasized the need for continued collaboration across government, the private sector, and civil society to develop adaptation actions to climate change and build a safer, more resilient future.
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Presidency
10 June 2025