Watch: ‘It is madness’: Greta Thunberg on Manoel Island development

Climate activist Greta Thunberg described the MIDI consortium's plans to develop Manoel Island into a luxury residential and commercial zone as “madness” saying politicians' priorities should be in people’s wellbeing. 

Thunberg was one of the humanitarians who, earlier this month, were in Malta preparing to board the Gaza aid mission vessel, Conscience.

Yet the mission was stopped short after the ship was allegedly attacked by Israeli drones while waiting just outside Maltese territorial waters for the activists to board and head to Gaza. The boat had been denied entry to Malta after it was de-flagged just a day before the incident.

In a short video, Thunberg was asked for her opinion on the Manoel Island development saga. 

“I think it is madness to increase inequalities and rapidly escalating existential, environmental and climate emergencies to build more luxury hotels,” she said. 

She said what the world needs is a system that prioritises people and their wellbeing over and above profits. 

“Keeping the green spaces is one simple and very concrete way of doing it. The fact we cannot do these very low-hanging fruit shows us exactly what our politicians and people in power are prioritising."

Her comments endorse a parliamentary petition calling on the government to turn Manoel Island into a public park.

A Manoel Island: Post Għalina spokesperson, the campaign behind the petition, said they were honoured to have the opportunity to meet Thunberg while she was in Malta and to discuss their campaign.

"Of course, the people of Malta do not need Greta to tell them that we need green open spaces where we live, but as a modern icon of environmentalism and social justice, it does not come as a surprise that her views on the necessity of public open green spaces mirror ours," the statement said.

The petition calls for plans by the MIDI consortium to develop the island into a luxury residential and commercial zone to be scrapped. It has already received over 14,000 signatures.

The campaign, ‘Manoel Island Post Għalina (A Place for Us)’, is led by Moviment Graffitti and Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar and has been endorsed by over 40 organisations and NGOs, including Din l-Art Ħelwa, Richmond Foundation, and Kamra tal-Periti. 

The parliamentary petition calls for the creation of a publicly accessible park in the heavily urbanised north harbour region, and for the government and MIDI to negotiate the return of Manoel Island to the public, scrapping planned commercial and residential units and replacing them with green open spaces.

Last Sunday, Prime Minister Robert Abela said taking Manoel Island back from the consortium would cost the country "hundreds of millions".

MIDI has said its revised masterplan for Manoel Island "placed heritage at its core" and contemplated a significant reduction in the volume of development with public open spaces occupying 60% of MIDI’s concession, including the 80,000sqm public glacis park encircling Fort Manoel and extending to the sea on both the north and east sides of the island.