Action, not rhetoric

Ban Ki-moon has come and gone. We had a celebration of what our country did 20 years ago when the Fenech Adami Administration proposed that the issue of climate change is included on the United Nations agenda. Remarkably, in one of his speeches, the UN Secretary General praised Malta's foresight on this issue.

In truth, not everyone was in favour of this bold step 20 years ago, so much so that one of Labour's parliamentary representatives, Dennis Sammut, had even gone as far as trying to ridicule that proposal. On November 7, 1988 he had said in Parliament that "the present government is trying to hide behind vague initiatives which are distant from today's political realities. One of these is Malta's recent proposal to the UN regarding climate".

Twenty years on, the opposition now recognises that this was a positive development. However, it is not enough to look back. There is an urgent need for us to implement the necessary decisions in order to ensure that we are prepared to honour our emission reductions and renewables obligations. It is highly ironic that the Leader of the Opposition stated in front of the UN Secretary General that the government opted not to approve an opposition motion on climate change. Joseph Muscat failed to specify that what he refers to as a motion was a mere 153-word resolution. They had an incessant campaign aimed at giving the false impression that what they had in store was in fact a draft Bill on climate change! Our position was very clear: Before any Bill we need first a proper national strategy with recommendations for actions and a proper course of action.

Recent experiences show that we were right. The opposition has already started shooting down proposals aimed at helping Malta reach its renewable energy targets, such as the proposal for a thermal treatment facility, without offering any alternatives. The opposition should be more politically mature and translates its climate change rhetoric into concrete actions and proposals. Ban Ki-moon referred also to our endeavour to generate energy from wind and he is right when he says that "We need to take action now". One will have to wait and see whether it will take another 20 years for the Labour Party to understand and support his appeal - April 23.

Déjà-vu

Plus ca change plus c'est la meme chose... the more things change, the more they stay the same... Karr's epigram fits perfectly the Labour Party. Yesterday, I participated in what was purportedly a consultation meeting at Marsaxlokk about the proposals included in the draft of the first revision of the solid waste management national strategy. One of the proposals is siting an incinerator next to the Delimara power station. Such a thermal facility will receive 20 per cent of all waste generated locally to produce clean energy. Although the consultation period, which ran for eight weeks, ended at the end of March, it was my ministry that had asked for such a meeting to be organised. It was intended to be a constructive information meeting, but instead it was reduced to a mud-slinging match.

Regrettably, the meeting only served as a catwalk for prospective Labour candidates vying for a seat in the upcoming European Parliament elections. They seemed intent on trying to garner the heartiest round of applause. We were subjected to listening to one meaningless speech after another, totally devoid of any concrete proposals or suggestions on how the country could manage its waste and derive energy from it. It is mind-boggling how certain Labour Party activists, some of whom are respected individuals in their own right, having forged successful professional careers, allow a crowd, so clearly bent solely on confrontation, to get the better of them. When I was called to give my views as, after all, I was asked to do, insults and catcalls were hurled at me, before I even had the opportunity to utter a single word!

Four years have passed since the nasty rows at Marsascala. In spite of the fact that the Labour Party has since lost yet another election, and now has a new leader who promised a major shake-up within the party, unfortunately, after events like yesterday's, I am left with no alternative but to conclude that, in truth, nothing at all has changed. A politician, who genuinely respects the electorate, should look beyond trying to ingratiate himself momentarily and should work in the national interest to reap accolades perhaps, yes... but from future generations. - April 18.

Energy Globe award

As part of the programme of the Informal Meeting of European Ministers for the Environment in Prague, I attended the Energy Globe World TV Gala 2009. Ten years ago, the first Energy Globe Award was held as a regional Austrian initiative but, today, the award is the most prominent environmental prize worldwide. More than 110 nations participated in this year's selection process.

The nominees were grouped into five categories: Earth, Fire, Water, Air and Youth. In the Earth category, the award went to the Chilean project Step, which tackled the sustainable disposal of electrical appliances containing dangerous materials. In the Fire category, the award was won by the Myanmar solar hospital project. A master plan for a project to ensure lasting local availability of clean, bacteria-free drinking water for the population in the north of Tanzania won the Water category and a project from the Spanish city of Burgos that explores new approaches to sustainable mobility was the winner of the Air category. Finally, the project Solar Rock submitted by Portuguese schools won the Youth category.

The overall winner was Salinee Tavaranan for the project in Myanmar, which had also won the award in the Fire category -April 15.

Mr Pullicino is Minister of Resources and Rural Affairs.

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