Government’s worst rating 72% believe – environment is not safeguarded
63% of PL voters condemn government on environment
A staggering 71.9% of respondents believe that Malta’s environment is not being safeguarded, the November edition of the iSurvey commissioned by The Malta Independent shows.
Respondents were asked: Do you feel that Malta’s environment is being safeguarded? A proportion of 21.8% agree that it is, 71.9% disagree and 6.24% are undecided.
Environmental issues first made headlines under the current administration following the government’s announcement in May 2015 that it planned to site the American University of Malta on virgin Outside Development Zone land, taking up 90,000 square metres in Zonqor. The agreement was made between Sadeen Group and the government.
Two successful protests where held, one outside Parliament in Valletta and the other on the proposed site. After weeks of pressure from a number of NGOs, stakeholders, civil society and the general public the government announced a “compromise” and split the campus in two. The current agreement sees the proportion of land taken up reduced to 18,000 square metres of ODZ land, with the second campus hosted at Dock Number 1 area in Cospicua.
As part of a promise to protect the area surrounding Zonqor point, a legal notice to establish the long-awaited national park around the site in question has been published, with 955,000 square metres having been declared a protected area.
The government’s environmental woes did not stop there, following public outcry at a number of high-rise towers proposed in Mriehel, Sliema, St Julian’s and Gzira. A number have already been approved by the Planning Authority, decisions which have been appealed by a number of eNGOs and groups coming from civil society.
With regards to the Mriehel four tower development, by Tumas and Gasan Holdings, a number of organisations argued that the locality was placed on the list earmarked for such developments by “stealth”, after the public consultation period ended.
The Sliema high-rise tower, known as Townsquare, has been vociferously opposed due to, what critics say, is a lack of fundamental impact assessment reports, the fact that Sliema has a serious drainage and waste management problem as it is, the visual impact of the area and lastly that not enough parking bays have been provided for the added cars that the project would bring to the area. In addition to this, the already heavily congested Sliema is feared to not be able to take the added vehicles passing through, creating even further gridlock.
On last Thursday’s edition of INDEPTH, a current affairs programme produced by this newsroom, the government’s very own foreign minister George Vella said that he is uncomfortable with high-rise buildings, adding that Malta is experiencing “over-development”. He also said that he is not against development, but called for better equilibrium between the urban and the rural elements.
This government demerged the former Malta Environment and Planning Authority, into the Planning Authority and the Environment and Resources Authority, with parliamentary discussions concluding in December 2015. The government claimed that the demerger would strengthen the responsibilities of each entity, giving the environment a stronger voice.
Roughly a year on since the ERA was set up, it appears as though Maltese and Gozitans are more concerned than ever before about the environment.
This has, however, been a culmination of environmentally illconceived decisions taken during past Nationalist Party administrations. Criticism against the former government included the Delimara power station and the use of Heavy Fuel Oil, allowing the illegal boathouses in St Thomas Bay, Marsascala, in Armier (however both major parties have entered into agreements with the Armier lobby to foresee the reconstruction of the village so long as no agricultural damage takes place) and in Gnejna Bay. The Planning Authority has just demolished illegal structures and a kiosk in Delimara, however media reports state that Enemalta, the state power station, has entered into an agreement to place the illegal structures on the electricity grid.
The PN is currently no longer bound to any agreements with the Armier boat house lobby however the PL signed as recently as 2013. Calls have been issued to annul this agreement.
Other criticisms against PN on their environmental polices include the mismanagement of Smart City, the indecision surrounding White Rocks. PN has been heavily criticised for the state of Pembroke and also for investing in the North of Malta but ignoring the South.
People got so tired of the way Malta’s most limited resource was being treated, that the environment was a prominent issue featured on the PL pre 2013 general election campaign.
The treatment of environmental issues have long been carried out as a political football, as can be illustrated above. Both parties have a history of taking environmental decisions, in favour or against, for the purposes of appeasing one particular group or another, be they developers or eNGOs.
While this survey shows rapidly growing concern for Malta’s environment, PA applications seen by this newsroom show that back in the first six months of 2012, a total of 196 applications were filed to build on ODZ land, rising to 253 in the first six months of 2013. These do not refer to applications that have been approved or rejected, but have been filed and are pending initial review.
PL and PN voter spread
According to the way respondents voted in the 2013 general election, 30.5% of PL voters feel that the environment is being safeguarded, 63.1% feel that it is not with a minority of 6.4% undecided.
Of PN voters, 11.52% feel that the environment is being protected, 83% disagree and a paltry 5.4% could not say either way.
Out of those who were not eligible to vote in the last general election, primarily because they had not yet reached 18, 91% feel that the environment is not being safeguarded. This is a strong indication that today’s youth are becoming increasingly environmentally aware.
When breaking down respondents by gender, males and females are almost evenly split on the matter. A proportion of 22.4% and 21,2% of men and women respectively feel that the environment is being safeguarded. Conversely, 71.1% and 72.3% of men and women respectively feel that it is not. A minority of each representing 6.3% and 6.2% could not give an answer.
All age cohorts are relatively evenly split on their belief that the environment is being safeguarded or otherwise, apart from the oldest, 65+ cohort. From 18 up to 55 the split ranges from 25% agreeing with the question and 72.2% disagreeing in the youngest cohort, and 20.8% of 5564 year olds believing that it is safeguarded vs 74.5% who do not. For the 65+ cohort however, 27.7% think it is, 59.7% think it is not, while a significant 12.6% are undecided.
The November 2016 iSurvey – the sixth of its kind – was commissioned to Business Leaders Malta on behalf of The Malta Independent. A total of 600 respondents were used, representative of age, gender and spread of localities. With such a sample size, the margin of error is +/- 4%.
According to the way respondents voted in the 2013 general election, 30.5% of PL voters feel that the environment is being safeguarded, 63.1% feel that it is not with a minority of 6.4% undecided.
