PN proposes permanent committee for Climate Change Emergency

The PN has proposed the setting up of a Permanent Parliamentary Committee for Climate Change Emergency which will have actively fight against climate change.

In a motion which will be discussed on Thursday 17 October, when the Opposition will set the agenda of the House, the PN call for the setting up of this committee which will have the responsibility to keep Malta on track with its aims in the fight against climate change.

The motion, which was proposed by MPs Jason Azzopardi, David Agius, Frederick Azzopardi, and Robert Cutajar, states that this committee will have, amongst others, the power to nominate a person of “moral standing, legal wisdom, and the faith of Maltese society” to act as the Superintendent for Climate Change.

Parliament would have to approve the necessary amendments for this to happen, with those amendments being put forward by the same committee to ensure that the Superintendent is responsible to see that Malta reaches its aims for climate change – aims which should be established by Parliament itself and which must be in conformity with the levels expected from EU countries.

The committee would also have the role and duty to take any initiative and publish reports with the assistance of legal, technical, and scientific experts along with members of civil society who feel they can contribute to Malta beating the climate change emergency. The committee can propose any action it deems necessary for this aim to the House of Representatives.

The committee would also publish an annual report which shows what would have been done in the previous year and what needs to be done for Malta to reach the aims set by Parliament for the reduction in emissions up till 2030 and 2050.

The motion states that the committee would be made up of five members – three from the government and two from the opposition – and chaired by one of the government’s members.

The four-page motion lists various points in support of the setting up of this committee, noting namely the effect that climate change has had on the world, as noted by a report issued by the United Nations.

That report identifies human activity as the dominant cause of the climate change observed throughout the last century, and noted that global warming of over 2 degree Celsius over pre-industrial levels is causing, amongst others, mass migration away from the worst affected regions, the lost of over 99% of coral reef, over 350 million people being exposed to potentially fatal levels of heats by 2050, risk of billions of dollars of damage to public and coastal infrastructure, and the colossal extinction of hundreds of species of animals and plantlife.

The motion will be discussed in Parliament on Thursday 17 October.