KNZ has held the final event for its Environmental Task Force, during which the finalised policy paper was presented to youth, dignitaries and other stakeholders.

“This policy was the result of 9 months of tireless work where youths had the opportunity to make their voice heard on environmental issues,” explained KNZ President Chiara Vassallo.

She also emphasised the fact that, “during these difficult and turbulent times in our country, we need to ensure that our institutions are functioning so that policy proposals such as these can be acknowledged and worked on by the relevant authorities.”

Ms Vassallo reiterated that youths should be able to make their voice heard without fear of getting attacked for voicing their opinions.

KNZ’s Policy and Youth Rights Commissioner Sandrine Borg expressed how difficult it is to stand in front of a crowd and convince people that they should care about the environment during a time when other matters must take precedence.

Borg explained the process of establishing the Environmental Task Force which is made up of 5 subcommittees, which over the past months, have deliberated on various proposals, looked through case studies and policies, and consulted with professions as to come up with various solutions.

Borg stressed that KNZ will make it its mission to make sure the work of these youth will be recognised.

She encouraged youth activists to never give up and questioned how all youth aren’t outraged with the situations that surround us, she said that “youth need to pay more attention and make sure that they don’t allow people to gamble with their future.”

Speaker for the Opposition on the Environment, Maritime Affairs and Green Initiatives Jason Azzopardi thanked KNZ and members of the Environmental Task Force for their hard work.

Dr Azzopardi said that however, “to be able to discuss how our natural environment can thrive we must deal with the state of crisis within out political environment.”

He argued that “it is a crime for those in power to rob youths of their future and therefore it is up to them to stand up to a culture of organised criminality.”

Azzopardi emphasised that this is not about politics but about the Maltese and Gozitan individuals and that the biggest victims of corruption is the environment.

Mr Charlot Cassar Deputy Director within the CEO office at ERA mentioned that the authority is working on a national depollution policy as well as a deconstruction policy, while also thanking the Council for its work and reminding attendees that even the smallest gesture can make a big difference such as single-use plastics being avoided this festive season.

Finally, members of each subcommittee presented key proposals from the policy.

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