Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1204548
12 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 26 JANUARY 2020 OPINION I was struck when young stu- dents who went to visit the Prime Minister a few days ago, spoke to journalists on the im- portance of a better environ- ment and more green spaces. They said that this is what they wanted their Prime Minister to take action on. Despite their young age, these children are aware – and con- cerned – about green sustaina- bility in Malta. As the minister responsible for the environment, climate change and planning, I feel it is my duty to ensure that the chil- dren and families of today and tomorrow live in the environ- ment they deserve. These "green" challenges are not only faced by our nation, but by all developed economies experiencing high economic growth across the globe. This has been widely stated dur- ing this week's Davos meeting which highlighted the need for a new economic model which placed sustainability and the environment at the centre. This is also going to be highlighted during the project launched by Pope Francis, 'The Economy of Francesco' which seeks to realign the environmental in- terests within the current eco- nomic paradigm. The challenge ahead of us is not small. Globally, urban envi- ronments occupy just 3% of the Earth's land area, yet they are responsible for 75% of green- house emissions. Studies have shown that one of the main barriers towards environmental sustainability is the lack of communi- cation and co-op- eration between the stakeholders involved in spa- tial planning, the lack of un- derstanding of the complex- ity involved in the sector, and govern- ment policies based on short- term goals. Therefore, it was in good judgement that the Prime Min- ister combined the areas of planning and environment in one portfolio. After experiencing significant growth in construction over the past years, the combination of these two interrelated areas is imperative at this point in time. The construction industry is important for the Maltese econ- omy generating value-add- ed, employment and wealth creation. It has supported the creation of a new economic fabric. But for the sake of economic and social sus- tainability, it is time that policies relat- ed to planning start factoring an eco-system approach to planning. These policies should consider the complex setting within which planning takes place, by look- ing closely at the interplay be- tween the environmental, eco- nomic, and social factors in a concurrent manner. Based on the complexity of this eco-system, I believe that it is my duty as a newly appoint- ed minister to dig deep into the issues that presently define the two areas and the overlap between them. By cooperating with all stakeholders, I intend to devise a holistic vision and strategy for spatial planning in Malta and Gozo. This strategy will incorporate urban planning and management on a large scale and will definitely take into consideration the impact of such planning on the envi- ronment and climate change, as well as on people's daily lives and struggles. Striking a balance is necessary in order to ensure planning and development sustainability, which would translate to sus- tainable jobs. To this end, the strategy needs to aim at capital- ising on the synergies between the environment, society, the economy, and development. This can only be attained af- ter a thorough analysis on the strengths, opportunities, weak- nesses and threats of the cur- rent planning situation. Needless to say the environ- ment presents both challenges and opportunities and it is up to us to find the opportunities in the challenges. A case in point is waste man- agement. We all know that Malta is currently facing a number of challenges in this ar- ea, especially when one speaks of construction waste. With space available for such waste in its limit, we need to em- bark on a national strategy on how to manage such waste, by, among others, including ad- vanced concepts of re-use and recycling. The path towards a circular economy needs to start and it is part of our vision for this portfolio. Other opportunities exist in the sector. On an internation- al level, the Blue economy is gaining more traction. Being an island state, Malta is well- placed to not only pioneer this area but to act as a regional hub to attract the prototyping of new technologies. There is a vast portfolio of international and European funds in this ar- ea, and I believe that if we take an eco-system approach and Aaron Farrugia On the environment, we can no longer leave anything to chance Aaron Farrugia is minister for the environment and planning Construction is important for the Maltese economy… but for the sake of economic and social sustainability, it is time planning policies start factoring an eco- system approach Rash decisions simply to appease one sector of society or another can hurt us in the long term