PN leader Bernard Grech is appointing a core group to organise a national conference on climate change and its impact on Malta.

The initiative comes in the wake of a global report by the UN's Intergovernmental Conference on Climate Change which on Monday issued a stark warning that climate change is well underway and some of its impacts may already be irreversible.

The PN is also calling for a government action plan for Malta to manage the impact of climate change on society and the economy. 

"Climate change is a matter of national importance which is not being given sufficient attention because the government is reluctant to plan long term," PN spokesman Peter Agius told a press conference. 

The shadow minister for the environment, Robert Cutajar, recalled that two years ago, the PN successfully moved a motion in parliament declaring a climate emergency. But no action was being taken by the government. Rather, damaging decisions were being taken, such as the uprooting of trees in various localities.

Gabriel Micallef, new president of the MZPN, the party's youth branch, said his movement will seek to bring youth organisations together to discuss climate change and make proposals to the national conference.