Joseph Muscat’s response to the protest against construction on ODZ reveals the stance his government will be taking. Those who do not accept his ‘compromise’ will be portrayed as extremists or, to use his word, “absolutist”.

Those of us unwilling to accept any further depletion of our few remaining public spaces are about to get a paternalistic talking to regarding “common-sense” and “compromise”.

This is the same “common-sense”, one assumes, that is spouted by people like Sandro Chetcuti, of the Malta Developers Association, when he declares that without further construction, Malta’s economy will be doomed to fail. This claim must be so obviously true that we apparently don’t even need to conduct any studies to verify it.

It is the same “common-sense” of the majority who believe, unhappily perhaps, that the economy must come first and that protecting the countryside is a luxury we may not always be able to afford.

This “common sense” would have us believe that the appropriation of our public spaces is necessary for the sake of economic growth and if you disagree then you’re an extremist and not worth taking seriously.

Yet, if we consider this whole saga from a global perspective it becomes immediately apparent that it is Muscat’s government, as well as all previous ones, and, most importantly, the benefactors of both political parties, that are absolutist and uncompromising. The insistence that economic growth absolutely requires construction is unfounded and, what is more, it directly contradicts policies and legislation set at global and regional levels.

The whole world accepts, at least on paper, that sustainability should be the objective for any further development, in other words, that economic growth must become of that type that makes it possible to be sustained well into the foreseeable future, if not indefinitely.

Malta has signed international agreements, at UN and EU level, which bind it to seeking sustainable alternatives to our current form of development.

More recently, the Vatican, the president’s Foundation for the Well-being of Society and our Archbishop too have all been vociferous about the need to implement sustainability.

Is it uncompromising and absolutist of us, then, to demand that Malta would actually take some steps towards this globally-recognised ideal?

It is evident to everybody that further construction on our open spaces is unsustainable; there is no way we can continue building at this rate forever. Successive governments have failed the entire world, as well as us, by continuing to permit our GDP to rely so heavily on construction (if, indeed, it does).

In what other ways, then, could we develop places like Marsascala and Żonqor Point to generate income in a sustainable manner? How do we strengthen the general economy of Malta in such a way that does not require further construction on ODZ?

Fortunately, there are experts who have been thinking about this problem for decades, both internationally and on the domestic front.

The insistence that economic growth absolutely requires construction is unfounded

The UN’s Environment Programme, for instance, has concluded the following about tourism: “Like all industries, the tourism industry can have adverse environmental, economic and social effects. These impacts are mostly linked with the construction and management of infrastructures such as roads and airports, and of tourism facilities, including resorts, hotels, restaurants, shops, golf courses, and marinas…

“On the other hand, tourism has the potential to contribute to environmental protection and poverty reduction by capitalising on biodiversity assets... If efficiently planned and managed, tourism could become an ally and a supportive economic and political force for conservation.”

Unep even provides advisory services, consultation and training programmes to those countries wishing to render their tourist sector more sustainable.

I can only wonder whether and how often our successive governments have made use of these.

Moreover, there are multiple funds available from the EU for developing a sustainable economy. The first two grants I happened to find that could be used to develop Żonqor, namely Horizon 2020 Funds 3.2 and 3.5, together have an annual budget of more than half a billion euros. This makes Sadeen’s offer seem rather paltry in comparison.

These funds could be used to restore Żonqor’s natural and cultural assets - a long-term project which would create multiple and diverse jobs including not only specialist positions in ecology, agriculture, landscaping, restoration and so on but also general management and clerical positions, jobs in transport, machine handling, public relations, catering, security etc.

Further funds exist for governments and SMEs to invest in greening the economy, for example, by expanding the agritourism and ecotourism sectors.

I learnt about various possibilities on how to do this at a conference I attended, hosted by Mcast’s Institute of Applied Science. The theme was ‘Greening the economy’ and the speakers’ enthusiasm for the possibilities was infectious.

At the end of the seminar, graduates in environmental sustainability and in environmental conservation gave us a short presentation of their work.

Unfortunately, the Minister for Sustainable Development never got to hear any of this because he left almost immediately after delivering his keynote speech.

It is evident that the absolutists here are those who will not consult the experts, nor listen to reason or public opinion, never mind global and regional authorities. As a last resort, we can now even appeal to the Pope himself to make our case.

Here’s what he has to say on such matters as whether we should continue to build up our open spaces:

“Whenever these questions are raised, some react by accusing others of irrationally attempting to stand in the way of progress and human development. But we need to grow in the conviction that a decrease in the pace of production and consumption can at times give rise to another form of progress and development. Efforts to promote a sustainable use of natural resources are not a waste of money but rather an investment capable of providing other economic benefits in the medium term.”

Let’s only hope, now, that this government truly is one that listens.

Colette Sciberras is part-time lecturer in philosophy at the University of Malta.