ADPD welcomes PN's environment bill but says Opposition part of the problem

ADPD on Thursday slammed the PN for "laying the foundations for environmental havoc" and then proceeding to propose the introduction of the 'right to the environment' as an enforceable human right in the Constitution. 

In a statement, the Green Party said it had noted with interest the private member’s bill by PN MP Darren Carabott, which went through the first reading in parliament on Monday.

"While this is a step in the right direction, it comes rather late for the PN to speak in this way, after having been instrumental in laying the foundations for the environmental havoc we are experiencing today - an effort that has since been relentlessly continued by Labour in government," ADPD said, adding the Green Party itself had already presented similar proposals in the past.

ADPD's deputy chair, Carmel Cacopardo, suggested that rather than introducing new articles in the Constitution, the focus should be on reinforcing Article 9, which already establishes the environmental duties of the Maltese State.

"What is needed is to ensure that this article can be effectively implemented. This is specifically one of the proposals that the Greens have submitted to the Constitutional Convention, and it is also a proposal that has been repeatedly included in our electoral manifestos," he said.

"We hope that this debate will serve its purpose, and that those who have now converted to defending the environment are doing so out of genuine conviction and not political opportunism," Cacopardo added in a statement.

On Wednesday, nine NGOs and Momentum said they backed the PN's bill, but the hunters' federation - FKNK - said the proposal was "totally unacceptable".

Meanwhile, civil society has called a national protest for 10am on Saturday to press the authorities to withdraw controversial bills changing the development planning process.