Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1107757
16 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 21 APRIL 2019 INTERVIEW The 'Guardian of Future Generations' was established by Article 8 of the Sustainable Act, with the aim of "safeguarding inter-generational and intra- generational sustainable development in Malta". Can you tell us a little about how this entity is composed, and how it works in practice? What does the GFG plan to do, to ensure sustainability in Malta? If I may, I would like to quote Norwegian Prime Minister Greta Thunberg, who said in 1987 that "We act as we do because we can get away with it. Future genera- tions do not vote. They have no political or financial power." So, it is left to us, as Guardian of Future Generations, to look out for their interests. Originally, the GFG was composed of four members chosen by the govern- ment, and recently we were given a secretary and joined by another member. Our duties include see- ing to it that, while the needs of present generations are being met, these will not compromise the needs of our future genera- tions. As you know, countries tend to go through periods of prosperity, followed by periods of economic downturn. This is nothing new; it happened thou- sands of years ago, in the Biblical story of the 'seven years of plenty, followed by seven years of fam- ine'. We hope that this will not happen in Malta. Avoiding that scenario may take more than just 'hope', though. The law that established GFG also specifies that its members should convene every quarter, and develop audits of areas or sectors "deemed to contribute towards sustainable development". How many audits has the GFG carried out so far? Initially, we had a bit of a blip with the financing… Yes, in fact, your predecessor Michael Zammit Cutajar, stepped down in protest at the lack of resources… [Nodding] But now we've final- ly got the financing we needed, and additional staff, and we've hit the ground running at full speed. We were supposed to be meeting once every three months; we are now meeting every three weeks. We've had two conferences, both of which were very successful… but our job is not just to know the state of play; but also, wher- ever possible, to do something about it. To put forward recom- mendations. So we've also had several meetings with different stakeholders – Caritas, to men- tion one example – and we have identified a list of priority areas. There are 17 Sustainable Devel- opment goals, established by the United Nations, which have to be reached by the year 2030. As a group of only five people, we cannot tackle them all at once. We need to prioritise, and we've chosen to focus on poverty as the number one priority because there are people – not many, perhaps, but not an insignificant number either – who are sleep- ing in the streets. It is disconcert- ing that – in a country where we are supposed to have a surplus, and where there are only 2,000 people out of work – the number of people living in a state of ma- terial poverty stands at around 14,000… Poverty is no doubt a top priority – it is, in fact, number one on the UN list of sustainable development goals. But some of the other 17 UN targets are also very critical and urgent. There is water sustainability; climate action; sustainable cities and communities; clean energy; sustainable economy and infrastructure… how sustainable is Malta on any of those fronts? It is our role to examine each of those goals – and yes, there is something to say about each of them. But we felt we had to distinguish between those situ- ations that are urgent, and de- mand something to be done straight away… and those which, while still urgent in themselves, may not require immediate ac- tion. We felt that poverty, and the risk of poverty, is something that cannot be postponed any further. But we have also identi- fied three other priority areas: the economy, health, and the en- vironment. One other thing I feel I have to point out, however, is that Malta has not, so far, ratified the 2000 European Convention of the Council of Europe – which [quoting] 'promises the protec- tion, management and plan- ning of landscapes […] inspired by heightened national concern on what is regarded as overde- velopment in many localities, to the detriment of urban fabric and aesthetics'. So far, 39 coun- tries have ratified this conven- tion. [wry smile] The only two countries that haven't, are two countries to which I have a con- nection myself: my own country, Malta; and Iceland, of which I am honorary consul. As GFG, we would like to see this convention ratified… All four priority issues you mention – poverty, the economy, health and the environment – are connected with 'overdevelopment'. The construction boom is, in part, fuelled by demand from wealthy immigrants employed in financial services, etc; this in turn pushes up rental and property prices, and fuels inflation. The same economic motor also affects public health – air quality, noise pollution, etc, – and the connection with the environment is too obvious to even mention. Wouldn't you say, then, that Malta's 'years of plenty' are unsustainable? There are two ways to look at this, as with everything else. Something can be positive in it- self, but may have negative reper- cussions. Construction, in itself, is not a bad thing. Why do we have buildings…? Thirty years ago, I used to go abroad, and people would ask me: 'Where is Malta?' Today, they have found Malta, and they are coming in their droves. On holiday, as tour- ists; but there are also people who are coming here because we also have full employment. Un- like many other countries where there are economic problems, here, they find work. So, a lot of people are coming… and obvi- ously, they need a place to live. Now: what does the government do? Tell them not to come…? Earlier you used the analogy of the 'years of plenty'… followed by 'years of famine'. What if this Biblical prophecy comes true? What would happen if there is an economic downturn, and all those people leave? I'll come to that. At the mo- ment, however, it is govern- ment's policy to attract as many people as possible, so that the economy continues to grow… I'm not saying it's necessarily the right policy; but that is the gov- ernment's policy… But that's precisely what I'm asking. Do you agree with that policy? Is it sustainable? There is a lot of construction going on. I don't know if it's go- ing to be too much…. but per- sonally, I do feel it is too fast. We could achieve the same positive economic results, without the undue haste. Let me give you an example; for the past seven years, I have been visiting Corfu regu- larly. In those seven years, I have not seen one single crane. And the greenery runs all the way from the mountains, down to the sea. I don't call it 'Corfu'. I call it 'Paradise'. And the people there follow Plato's theory that happi- ness is the most important thing in life. Happiness, not money. In Malta, I'm afraid we have turned that on its head. In Malta, money is all too often the most impor- tant thing. Many would agree with you there. But I'm afraid, at this point, I have to ask an awkward question. In 2017, in a commentary to your own Mizzi Organisation newsletter, 'Sustainability' is a serious concern in Malta, where the speed of economic growth has raised questions concerning poverty, social injustice, environmental degradation and economic irresponsibility. Chev. MAURICE MIZZI – director of Mizzi Organisation, and also the State-appointed 'Guardian of Future Generations' – outlines the main priorities… Sustainability in Malta's Raphael Vassallo Raphael Vassallo rvassallo@mediatoday.com.mt