Malta’s regression on Sustainable Development Goals was even sadder when seen in the context that it was the country that once championed the issue of climate change, Nature Trust - FEE Malta said.
“Although the economy of our Islands is today booming, one cannot neglect other areas that form part of the Sustainable Development Goals such as social issues, the well-being of society and the environment.
“Despite the work being done by various NGOs and also the President’s Foundation for Well-Being of Society, which has been a leader in promoting the SDG targets for 2030, Nature Trust believes that, since the government and national authorities appear not to have a serious political commitment to social and environmental issues, it should come as no surprise that we have lost our ground in the world rankings,” the eNGO said.
It said the island could have positioned itself to be a world leader again in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals through wise use of the economic benefits achieved.
"Today, excessive and unsustainable development and the steady loss of green open spaces for families to enjoy, coupled with transport and traffic congestion, the spiralling cost of housing, obesity problems and lack of law enforcement on environmental protection, have become the order of the day. Economic gains made by a country should never be limited to providing a horizontal benefit.”
The NGO urged the political parties to work on long-term strategies and not just 5-year programmes – or be remembered as the generation promoting short-sightedness and avarice.