The Institute of Earth Systems recently submitted a document outlining its reaction to the public consultation draft of the NSE 2050, the National Strategy for the Environment issued earlier this month by Malta’s Environment and Resources Authority. The Institute’s feedback document draws on the expertise of its staff in a wide range of environment-related subject areas and provides comprehensive feedback on the strategies being proposed and on the measures needed to implement them.

There is widespread concern among the local population about the state of the environment, with urban issues, the lack of green spaces, declining air quality and pollution being among the most cited. The strategy is therefore a very welcome initiative, offering a highly desirable vision of where we want to go during the next three decades, and aiming to alleviate the considerable pressures imposed by the country’s constraints of space and population.

Excessive congestion and the lack of green spaces in urban areas, the need to safeguard landscape quality, the largely fragmented state of local biodiversity, the creation of a road network that prioritises cars and disincentives alternative modes of travel, various pollution issues that reduce quality of life, and the loss of precious water resources through excessive hard landscaping are among the issues identified as requiring urgent and committed action. The Institute’s feedback document underlines the very real challenges of implementing the measures contained within the strategy document, while also putting forward a number of recommendations for additional actions.

It is important to note that enacting real and lasting changes will depend on effective enforcement and on the political will to truly address these issues. For instance, a radical reform of the current land-use planning system to ensure that it prioritises our right, and concomitant duty, to a healthy environment is fundamental if we are to safeguard the common good of both current and future generations.

 Also being recommended is increased collaboration with the University of Malta’s various Faculties and Institutes, a significant number of which already carry out essential research and capacity-building initiatives in environment-related areas of concern.

The full feedback document is available online, as is a THINK article providing an assessment of the NSE 2050 written by Professor Elisabeth Conrad, Head of the Institute’s Environmental Management and Planning Division.