A series of live installations were organised in Vittoriosa to highlight the implications of a weak climate change summit agreement.

The event was organised to coincide with the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Malta, taking place today at the same place where the live installations were set up.

The location was chosen specifically to remind the leaders of their responsibility to the people when they attend the COP21 meeting in Paris, Friends of the Earth Malta said.

Over 147 Heads of State will launch a two-week United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP) Summit on Monday, expected to deliver a global climate change agreement that would come into effect in 2020. On the eve of the Summit, hundreds of thousands of people are taking to the streets in some 150 countries to call for real action on climate change.

“People know that this time, we can’t count on the goodwill of our governments to save the world. We need civil society pressure in Paris. The transformation to socially-controlled, renewable energy, is underway, led by the real leaders – the people,” said Martin Galea De Giovanni, director at Friends of the Earth Malta.

The live installations at Vittoriosa.

Integra Foundation director Maria Pisani added: "The people are building a strong and radical climate justice movement which recognises that climate change is not a single-issue struggle, and that injustices are a result of a system that is also fuelling climate change. This includes the forced displacement and migration of millions of people, whose fundamental rights are denied on a daily basis."

"Despite all efforts made, governments either lack a long-term vision when addressing issues related to climate change, or are blinded by short-term monetary gains of economic growth," said Danika Formosa, secretary of Institute of Applied Science Student Organisation.

The NGOs said successive governments in Malta have failed to implement climate change measures across the board, and as a result, the country is still far from reaching its renewable energy commitments.

This situation is aggravated by the fact that damaging planning policies are running counter to climate change values, facilitating building on more virgin land and encouraging high-rise buildings which the UNESCO Sustainability Committee has confirmed create urban heat canyons and contribute to climate change. the NGOs said.