The environmental initiatives unveiled in Monday’s Budget were described as “being very thin on the ground”, with the Government’s green credentials lambasted as “non-existent” by environmentalists.
The Government committed itself to a three per cent target for the generation of clean energy next year and the setting up of a pilot project for intelligent street lighting.
It will also provide a €500,000 global subsidy on residential solar water heaters and roof insulation; retro-fitting on various public buildings for more energy efficiency; and free experts’ advice for a voluntary energy audit.
Environmentalists told Times of Malta that most of these measures are a continuation of existing ones.
Alan Deidun, environmental senior lecturer at the University of Malta, said the Budget was sorely lacking in “tangible financial commitment towards our environment”.
Administration does not realise the impact on the environment when certain decisions are taken
“The green initiatives announced run very thin on the ground and are restricted mostly to token, small-scale measures on air quality, car scrapping initiatives and waste management,” Dr Deidun said.
He said the budgetary measures mostly aim to address social needs, rather than to shore up “our ailing environment as well”.
Dr Deidun would have wanted to see funds dedicated to the conservation of biodiversity and the management of protected areas.
“Authorities entrusted with such tasks, such as Mepa, have to resort to EU funds for essential tasks related to such protected areas.”
He also said Malta’s five Marine Protected Areas “exist on paper only” with no implementation in the field. “Fish resources within such areas, which would yield dividends by attracting sustainable diving tourism, are at the mercy of poachers,” he said.
Environmental enforcers, he said, have been left to fend for themselves, with Mepa’s understaffed unit not coping with the deluge of planning infringements.
“Have any funds been allocated to environmental NGOs which supplement the work done by Mepa through their dedication?” he queried.
Carmel Cacopardo, AD spokesman for the environment, said the green credentials of the Labour administration were “completely wrong” and “non-existent”. He cited the Armier boathouse issue and the Mistra case as matters which should have been raised in the Budget.
“This administration is not realising the impact on the environment when certain decisions are taken,” Mr Cacopardo said.
In an ideal budget he would have liked the Government to do a U-turn on the separation of planning from environment which will see Mepa focusing solely on permits.
“This is a fragmentation of governmental administration because planning is a subset of environmental governance,” he said. He added that the environment directorate is “in a worse position than ever”, as it is now without a head.
Marco Cremona, a water treatment engineer, said it appeared that the focus of the National Water Management Plan mentioned in the Budget will be on a public consultation campaign.
“While raising public awareness is important, it is even more important that the Government invests in the professional expertise, human resources and studies that are desperately needed to come up with a robust plan on which the future of Malta’s water resources will ultimately depend,” he said.
Dr Cremona had hoped the Budget would produce a much-needed injection of funds for capacity building in the water sector so that a draft plan would be in place by the end of 2014.
When the Environment Ministry was asked about the environmentalists’ claims that the Budget left much to be desired on the green front, a spokeswoman said the Government had committed €103.6 million for the protection of the environment and the agricultural sectors.
She also added that according to its electoral mandate, the Government will be addressing the separation of entities between the environment and planning directorates of Mepa.
“This will eventually result in an Agency for the Environment and Resources which will focus specifically on the protection of the environment,” she said.
The Government, she stressed, was giving priority to the improvement of air quality, environmental health, as well as to addressing waste management and noise pollution.