Environment Commission

The importance of sound planning in Malta – Environment Commission

Every year, the Interdiocesan Environment Commission (KA) issues a statement on this day to highlight the importance of sound planning for Malta, one of the most densely populated countries in the world. For such a small country, a planning process which is not hijacked by vested interests is of paramount importance, if the country is to pursue the route to sustainable development for the benefit of both current and future generations… Read more »

The environment: one step forward, two steps back

Il‑Kummissjoni Interdjoċesana Ambjent (KA) tinnota b’sodisfazzjon l‑approvazzjoni ta’ mozzjoni mill‑Parlament Malti li tiddikjara emerġenza fil‑klima.

Is‑sodisfazzjon tal‑KA għall‑pass li ħadet l‑ogħla istituzzjoni ta’ pajjiżna b’din id‑deċiżjoni ttappan bil‑kbir meta lbieraħ tħabbret id‑deċiżjoni li l‑Awtorità tal‑Ippjanar approvat applikazzjoni biex binja mitluqa fuq art barra ż‑żoni tal‑iżvilupp ġewwa l‑Qala Għawdex tinbidel f’villa moderna. Il‑KA ttenni li deċiżjonijiet bħal dawn juru insensitività kbira min‑naħa tal‑awtorijiet għall‑wirt naturali tal‑gżejjer tagħna u għal serħan il‑moħħ tal‑Maltin u l‑Għawdxin kollha, u tqisha bħala qabża lura mill‑aħbar tajba li kellna għaxart ijiem ilu… Read more »

The Environment Commission on the 2020 Budget

Għażiż Prof. Scicluna,

Proposta Baġit 2020: Studju Nazzjonali dwar il-propjetà

Bħalma għamlet fis-snin li għaddew, il-Kummissjoni Interdjoċesana Ambjent (KA) qiegħda għal darb’oħra tistieden lill-Gvern biex iniedi studju nazzjonali dwar il-propjetà. Sal-lum il-KA għadha ma tistax tifhem għalfejn il-Gvern qed iżomm lura milli jagħmel dan. Din hija r-raba’ sena li l-KA qed tħeġġeġ lill-Gvern biex jerfa’ r-responsabbiltajiet tiegħu u jniedi tali studju li jkollu l-parteċipazzjoni sħiħa tal-istakeholders kollha fit-tfassil tat-terms of reference…

In a statement issued on the occasion of this year’s Season of Creation (1st September – 4th October), the Interdiocesan Environment Commission (KA) highlights a number of examples of greenwashing which have characterized the local scenario throughout the 16 years it has been set up. Greenwashing is the practice of making unsubstantiated or misleading claims about the environmental benefits of a project in order to make it appear more environmentally friendly than it really is…

The Interdiocesan Environment Commission (KA) holds that the revised fuel stations policy has not been properly reviewed prior to its publication and that its drafting was a very hasty job, possibly driven by assertive public protests that started to cause embarrassment to the authorities.

The proposed policy states that if the “fuel station is not used for a period of three consecutive years within thirty years”, then the site “has to return to agricultural state.” However, earlier the policy states that the fuel station shall not be located on agricultural land…

“Everyone has the right to respect for his private and family life, his home and his correspondence” (Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights). It is the right of every individual to live peacefully and to enjoy his or her own property, safely. It is, therefore, an obligation of all players in the construction industry, including contractors, developers, policymakers, site managers, architects and other professionals and workers employed in the construction industry to leave no stone unturned to ensure apart from their own safety, that of people in spaces being developed/redeveloped and those adjacent to construction sites…

The Interdiocesan Environment Commission (KA) invited the Maltese candidates for the European Parliament elections to promote the KA’s bid, if elected, so that all citizens, both in Malta and in all other member states of the European Union, would be given the opportunity to express their views, effectively and at the right time, when all the alternatives in a development proposal financed by the EU are being considered…

Recalling its proposal of two years ago, the Interdiocesan Environment Commission (KA) urges the Government to publish all the studies and research carried out in relation to:
1. All the alternative options for better accessibility between Malta and Gozo, clearly indicating which option or options offer the most sustainable means of accessibility from the environmental, social, economic and operational perspective;
2. The opportunities for new jobs and investment that may be created thanks to the choice of such option/s;
3. The factors that still deter investors from investing in Gozo when such options, or at least one of them, would be implemented…

The Interdiocesan Environment Commission (KA) cannot understand why some are surprised that our country is facing a crisis when it comes to construction waste. What has long been crystal clear to people with a strategic vision, does not seem to have been so obvious to whoever was or is responsible for generating such waste and to the authorities who should have devised plans to avoid ending up in the situation we are in today long ago…

A prominent characteristic of the current Maltese skyline is undoubtedly the excessive number of cranes soaring high above our towns and villages, likened by many to monsters eating away what is left of our spaces and buildings of historical value. The irony of it all is that whoever is interested in simply swelling his coffers tries to have everyone believe that Malta cannot do without such development as this is a sign of progress…