EkoSkola students met with representatives of main political parties last Thursday, to reiterate their pleas to be involved in decisions that affect their quality of life, an environmental NGO said.
In a statement, Nature Trust Malta pointed out that procrastination on various environmental issues by those in power over the years had seriously impacted the quality of life of the students’ generation.
The meeting was a last-ditch effort to try to convince the country’s potential leaders to keep to their promises as only a few featured in their respective electoral manifestos, the students said.
This plea comes after repeated EkoSkola Parliamentary sittings throughout the past 20 years, during which students put forth a series of recommendations to the Members of Parliament to address issues that are seriously impacting their quality of life.
The predominant concerns of the past years have mostly been the lack of green spaces due to unchecked urban sprawl, the increase in traffic pollution and the amount of waste generated.
The ten EkoSkola students from 5 schools enrolled in the international Eco-Schools programme commended the contending parties of the upcoming general election for including some of their recommendations, but they also reiterated “they come a little too late.”
While presenting their ideas, they made reference to the fact that way back in 2008 they had already called upon the Members of Parliament to consider Climate Change as a national emergency.
Eleven years had to pass until this was finally enacted in 2019, they said.
The EkoSkola students claimed that instead of waiting for the yearly EkoSkola parliament sitting, they would prefer to meet the country’s policy makers more often and thus proposed again their wish to be represented in the Standing Committee on the Environment, Climate Change and Development Planning.
This wish was not only acknowledged, but also promised by the main parties in the past 4 EkoSkola Parliament sessions, but to date it has not yet materialised, they said.
Hon. Robert Cutajar - shadow Minister for the Environment and Climate Change and new candidate on the PN’s party ticket Julie Zahra, received the students at the PN headquarters on behalf of Dr Bernard Grech – PN party leader.
Dr Lydia Abela- wife of Prime Minister Robert Abela, Ramona Attard- PL president and Daniel Micallef- Deputy PL leader received the students at the PL headquarters on behalf of Dr Robert Abela – PL party leader.
For the ADPD, party leader Carmel Cacopardo and candidates Ralph Cassar and Brian Decelis met with the students at the Pinetum Ta’ Xbiex.
Despite its agenda as an environmental NGO, Nature Trust FEE Malta is committed to keep separate its agenda when lobbying with Government and other entities, but continues to provide students a platform to voice their concerns, take informed decisions and concrete action whenever students feel the need to do so as it believes it is their basic right to do so.