ERA asked to be more courageous

Nine eNGOs have joined forces to submit their responses to the draft National Strategy for the Environment. The eNGOs are Din l-Art Ħelwa, The Archaeological Society Malta, BirdLife Malta, Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar, Friends of the Earth Malta, Għawdix, Moviment Graffitti, Nature Trust-FEE Malta, and the Ramblers’ Association of Malta. Whilst acknowledging the work that was done to prepare this draft, the eNGOs are calling on ERA to be bolder and more ambitious in their vision for the environment, to 2050. The eNGOs called for greater courage to address the difficult controversial issues that are currently hovering around the national agendas, such as land reclamation, over-abstraction of ground water, demography and carrying capacity of the islands; and to avoid terminology which gives the impression of progressive environmental action but which does not properly commit fully to it.

It was felt that the document almost completely omits reference to Climate Change, which surely is the most important environmental issue to affect our islands over the coming years. Mitigating and especially adapting to Climate Change should really have been the guiding principles for such a document, given the context of urgency and emergency which faces us. It was felt that there should have been a specific reference to different environmental strategies for different regions, such as Gozo, Comino, or specific areas in Malta, such as Marsa.

The eNGOs praised the fact that the document called for changes in consumer patterns, and raised the question of how sustainable economic growth ought to be measured, beyond GDP, even if it fell short of proposing any of the methods that are being adopted around the world.  The document also fell short of proposing tangible metrics, by which progress on the achievement of the strategic objectives could be monitored.

The eNGOs criticised the fact that over a third of the proposed “strategic objectives” were not really specific targets to be reached, but ancillary activities, which are relevant and important, but which cannot be called “strategic objectives”. The document contains 64 strategic objectives, but of these eight were related to research and study, four were related to ongoing monitoring, four were related to ongoing future scanning, four related to a greater commitment to enforcement of legislation and compliance, and cleansing and maintenance, and another three related to continuing maintenance (of the marine environment and of water resources) or international cooperation. There are also a couple of fiscal proposals, which could better be placed within the Action Plans, since they are about how to achieve specific targets, rather than targets in themselves.

At the same time, the eNGOs criticised that fact that the document did not give any indication of how the proposed strategic objectives were going to be achieved. Although the document promises that the publication of the Strategy would be followed by 10-year Action Plans, it was felt that given the urgency of the situation, the first Action Plan for at least the coming five to 10 years would be published as an Annex to the Strategy document.

The eNGOs called on the Government ensure that when the National Strategy was finalised, the document would be given a legal status which guaranteed enforceability, to avoid another strategy document picking dust on a shelf. It also called on Government to give ERA a stronger voice on all issues that impacted the environment, and, in particular, building development.

The eNGOs called on the authorities to engage in a real process of consultation with eNGOs and civil society, in the formulation of such important national strategies – eNGOs were willing to give their full contribution, even if their resources were limited. The eNGOS looked forward to a serious discussion on the detailed issues that they have raised in their submissions.

 

Għaqdiet ambjentali jingħaqdu biex pajjiżna jkollu Strateġija Nazzjonali għall-Ambjent li tixraqlu

Jappellaw lill-ERA biex tkun aktar kuraġġuża

 

Disa’ għaqdiet ambjentali ngħaqdu biex iressqu r-reazzjonijiet tagħhom għall-abbozz tal-Istrateġija Nazzjonali dwar l-Ambjent. L-għaqdiet ambjentali huma Din l-Art Ħelwa, is-Soċjetà Arkeoloġika ta’ Malta, BirdLife Malta, Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar, Friends of the Earth Malta, Għawdix, Moviment Graffitti, Nature Trust-FEE Malta, u l-Assoċjazzjoni tar-Ramblers ta’ Malta. Waqt li jirrikonoxxu x-xogħol li sar biex jiġi mħejji dan l-abbozz, l-eNGOs qed isejħu lill-ERA biex tkun aktar kuraġġuża u aktar ambizzjuża fil-viżjoni tagħha dwar l-ambjent, sal-2050. L-eNGOs qed jappellaw għal aktar kuraġġ biex jiġu indirizzati l-kwistjonijiet kontroversjali u diffiċli li hemm bħalissa madwar l-aġendi nazzjonali, bħalma huma r-reklamazzjoni tal-art, it-teħid żejjed tal-ilma tal-pjan, id-demografija u l-carrying capacity tal-Gżejjer Maltin; u biex tkun evitata terminoloġija li tagħti l-impressjoni ta’ azzjoni ambjentali progressiva imma li ma tikkommettix ruħha b’mod sħiħ għal dan.

Ħassejna li d-dokument kważi jħalli barra għalkollox kull referenza għat-Tibdil fil-Klima, li bla dubju hija l-aktar kwistjoni ambjentali importanti li se teffettwa lill-gżejjer tagħna fis-snin li ġejjin. Li ntaffu, u speċjalment nadattaw, għat-Tibdil fil-Klima fil-verità kellu jkun il-prinċipju li jiggwida dokument bħal dan, meta tqis il-kuntest ta’ urġenza u emerġenza li għandna quddiemna. Inħossu li kellu jkun hemm riferenza speċifika għall-istrateġiji ambjentali differenti għar-reġjuni differenti, bħalma huma Għawdex, Kemmuna, jew żoni speċifiċi f’Malta, bħall-Marsa.

L-eNGOs kellhom kliem ta’ tifħir għall-fatt li d-dokument isejjaħ għal bidliet fit-tendenzi tal-konsumatur, u jqajjem il-kwistjoni dwar kif għandu jiġi mkejjel it-tkabbir ekonomiku sostenibbli, lil hinn mill-PGD, anke jekk jonqos milli jipproponi xi wieħed mill-metodi li qed jiġu adottati madwar id-dinja. Id-dokument naqas ukoll milli jipproponi indikaturi tanġibbli, li permezz tagħhom jiġi mkejjel kemm qed jintlaħqu l-għanijiet strateġiċi u xi progress ikun qed isir f’dan ir-rigward.

L-għaqdiet ambjentali kkritikaw il-fatt li aktar minn terz tal-“għanijiet strateġiċi” proposti mhumiex verament miri speċifiċi li jridu jintlaħqu, imma attivitajiet anċillari, li huma rilevanti u importanti, imma li ma jistgħux jiġu deskritti bħala “għanijiet strateġiċi”. Id-dokument fih 64 għan strateġiku, imma minn dawn tmienja huma relatati mar-riċerka u l-istudju, erbgħa huma relatati ma’ monitoraġġ kontinwu, erbgħa huma relatati ma’ future scanning kontinwu, erbgħa relatati ma’ impenn ikbar lejn l-infurzar tal-liġi u l-konformità, u t-tindif u l-manuntenzjoni, u tlieta oħra relatati ma’ manuntenzjoni kontinwa (tal-ambjent marittimu u r-riżorsi tal-ilma) jew koperazzjoni internazzjonali. Hemm ukoll xi proposti fiskali, li jkun aħjar li kieku jsibu posthom taħt il-Pjani ta’ Azzjoni, għaliex mhumiex miri fihom infushom imma aktar għandhom x’jaqsmu ma’ kif jistgħu jintlaħqu miri speċifiċi.

Fl-istess ħin, l-eNGOs ikkritikaw ukoll il-fatt li d-dokument ma jagħti l-ebda indikazzjoni dwar kif l-għanijiet strateġiċi proposti se jintlaħqu. Għalkemm id-dokument iwiegħed li l-pubblikazzjoni tal-Istrateġija se tkun segwita minn Pjani ta’ Azzjoni mifruxa fuq perjodi ta’ 10 snin, inħossu li minħabba s-sitwazzjoni urġenti, għall-inqas l-ewwel Pjan ta’ Azzjoni għall-perjodu ta’ bejn ħames u għaxar snin oħra għandu jiġi ppubblikat bħala Anness għad-dokument tal-Istrateġija.

L-eNGOs appellaw lill-Gvern biex jiżgura li meta l-Istrateġija Nazzjonali tiġi finalizzata, id-dokument jingħata status legali li jkun jiggarantixxi li l-istess Strateġija tiġi infurzata, ħalli jkun evitat li jkollna strateġija oħra li tispiċċa fuq l-ixkaffa. Insejħu wkoll lill-Gvern biex jagħti vuċi aktar b’saħħitha lill-ERA fuq il-kwistjonijiet kollha li b’xi mod ikollhom impatt fuq l-ambjent, u, b’mod partikolari, l-iżvilupp tal-bini.

L-għaqdiet appellaw lill-awtoritajiet biex meta jiġu mfassla strateġiji nazzjonali daqstant importanti, isir proċess ta’ konsultazzjoni vera mal-eNGOs u s-soċjetà ċivili – l-għaqdiet ambjentali lesti li jagħtu l-kontribut sħiħ tagħhom, anke jekk ir-riżorsi tagħhom huma limitati. L-eNGOs iħarsu ’l quddiem lejn diskussjoni serja dwar il-kwistjonijiet dettaljati li qajmu fis-sottomissjonijiet tagħhom.