Good governance in environment, climate and sustainable development is pivotal and it is incumbent on all governments to lead by example. However, education is the key that can ultimately ensure the success of efforts being made in these three crucial sectors.

As a firm believer in a carrot and stick approach, I feel that without changing people’s mindsets, change is unlikely to happen. This is what prompted us to embark on a three-year waste education campaign that will be targeted at different social strata and age and income groups.

I am aware that briefing sessions for the media have also been planned. This from a purely technical angle, without any political involvement in the process.

It is indeed a feather in Wasteserv’s cap that in recent years it has strengthened and sharpened its educational focus. The people at Wasteserv are to be equally commended for the agility with which they have also adopted a multi-media approach by showing full awareness of the ever-growing importance of social media.

Through their constant and consistent outreach they have heightened public awareness about the whole notion of waste management.

I am confident that once the Mepa demerger takes place and the environment authority is set up, issues like air quality, biodiversity, waste, natural capital and so on will all take centre stage in the authority’s agenda and public awareness campaigns.

Our national, international, EU, regional and local obligations in the environmental sector need to be cascaded to the public to ensure they are all brought on board without any undue delay.

The same can be said for the way the organic bag pilot project launch is being handled.

On another front, Eko Skola has been doing a brilliant job ever since its inception.

But apart from encouraging these noble endeavours, we cannot afford to rest on our laurels and rely on it to do our own job. We need to share responsibilities rather than merely farming them out. This will be the strongest proof of our commitment.

The education for sustainable development strategy in the pipeline would be expected to endorse the concept of education on climate change. Moreover, the government has already committed itself to the provision of further education and training on climate change at the university level.

Our national, international, EU, regional and local obligations in the environmental sector need to be cascaded to the public

It was no mere coincidence that, in our modest initial contribution of climate finance, rather than offering money we offered scholarships to students from developing countries to ensure that we can contribute, through the medium of education, to the enhancement of their technical and academic qualifications and specialisation in the subject.

Education is not only about widening our horizons but also about awareness raising. And this is exactly what the Lima Ministerial Declaration on Education and Awareness Raising did in December of last year.

The ministers and heads of delegation attending the 20th Conference of the Parties (COP) in Lima had specifically recognised that education, including formal, non-formal and informal, as well as public awareness campaigns and programmes, should promote the attitudes and behaviours needed to prepare our societies to adapt to the impacts of climate change.

The same applies to our challenges ahead in the environment and sustainable development sectors. Particularly now that the Sustainable Development Goals have been approved at the UN level, we have the responsibility to ensure that their indicators are identified and that they are adhered to, to the best of our ability.

The gargantuan test is only just beginning. It all hinges on the implementation process – which is likely to fail unless the cultural changes and paradigm shifts are carried out in such a manner that one can tell the difference in people’s perceptions, attitudes and behaviour.

This is not an overnight process. It cannot be resorted to through knee-jerk reactions. It needs to be well nurtured, cultivated and disseminated by adopting the most important channel of communication of all – the art of persuasion.

This is why such issues as the environment, sustainability and climate change action require public understanding of the issues at stake and the potential benefits for society if we all manage to shoulder our collective responsibilities.

Talk might come easy but people will only judge us by results.

Leo Brincat is Minister for Sustainable Development, the Environment and Climate Change.