Draft national climate change plan approved by Cabinet

The Cabinet of Ministers has approved a draft national plan on climate change, making it one of the first EU member states to have an action plan.

Environment minister Leo Brincat toady announced that the draft plan includes a number of initiatives including the creation of a national low carbon development strategy and a strategy to adapt to climate change.

“Malta will manage to reach what other much large countries are still very far away from reaching,” Brincat said, while harking back to 1988 when Malta proposed the conservation of climate to the United Nations.    

Stressing the need for a global plan to address the phenomenon, Brincat said, “we cannot take climate change lightly. The price of doing nothing about it is much higher than that of taking action against it.”
He added that environment conservation and economic development should go hand in hand and not come at the cost of each other.

The draft plan also includes plans for an inter-ministerial climate board and a climate action fund. Brincat underlined the need for capacity building and expertise in the field.
“A lot of people who work in the field of climate change are actually specialised in environmental management,” he said.

He also pointed out that together with Finland and the UK, Malta is a pioneer in legislating on climate change.