Church's environment commission calls for 'accountability'

All politicians should be held accountable for environment and sustainable development decisions, the Maltese archdiocese's commission for the environment said.

The commission also endorsed Labour's proposal to separate the Environment Authority from the Planning Authority. Noting that it had first proposed the separation in 2008, the church commission said the separation "is necessary to ensure that the two aspects (environment and planning) are granted the required attention and resources to function in a more focused, efficient and effective manner."

Last week Labour said that if elected to government it would separate the Environment Authority from the Planning Authority and turn the Malta Resources Authority into an Environment and Resources Authority. The development wing of MEPA would become the Authority for Planning and Sustainable Development.

This plan was harshly criticised by the Nationalist Party who described it as "dangerous." Environment minister Mario de Marco said that he was concerned about Labour's readiness to accomodate developers and sideline the environmental lobby.  

In a memorandum to political parties, the Church's environment said: "All environmental and sustainable development policies should guarantee accountability and responsibility of who takes decisions and who implements the policies at all levels, starting from the Prime Minister and his ministers to all stakeholders in the field, government and authority officials and citizens."

The commission stressed that accountability must translate into adequate compensation to whoever suffers from a loss in the quality of life as a result of the introduction or implantation of a wrong policy.

It added that his should be coupled with an educational process, which provides all the necessary information, and skills to help citizens recognise and stand up for their rights and effectively participate in decision-making processes.

In feedback received over its study on the impacts of the environment on health, the commission said that people have a tendency to "accept bad practice" because these are deemed to be the norm.

"To really improve citizens' health, it is necessary to underscore the link between health and the state of the environment." This could be reached through further progress in monitoring, the commission said. While acknowledging the progress achieved in the field in recent years, the commission noted that this was "forced" upon the government by EU directives and environmental regulations.

While saying that there was nothing intrinsically wrong with this monitoring, it urged the authorities to use the data collected to take decisions in the best interest of citizens and not simply to fulfil international obligations.

In its concluding remarks, the environment commission stressed the importance of "sincere and honest" reflection in the weeks preceding the general election. 
"This moment offers an opportunity to all citizens to strive for the common good of the whole country, and not for the benefit of political parties or personal gain," the commission said.

It also called on voters to look "beyond electoral promises" and elect representatives that safeguard the country's environment and guarantee sustainable development, together with economic and social development.