Efforts are being made to strengthen coordination among different ministries over issues of climate change, the Minister for Sustainable Development and Climate Change, Leo Brincat, told Parliament.

He was answering questions by Opposition MPs Charlo Bonnici and George Pullicino after making a statement to the House of Representatives on the UN Conference on Climate Change held in Warsaw a few days ago.

He said the government had engaged in a massive project to reduce CO2 emissions with the conversion of the Delimara power station into a gas powered plant instead of using heavy fuel oil. Malta was engaged in bilateral talks with Mediterranean states to serve as a catalyst in mitigating effects of climate change in the region.

This issue had already been raised in talks with Algeria and would also be discussed in Istanbul next month.

In his earlier statement, he said the government was giving importance to capacity building within existing structures, so as to establish policy on climate change and regulatory functions in government institutions.

The emphasis was on implementation rather than on the advisory process.