Public Consultation

CONSULTATION BRIEF

Start date: 26 April 2019

Closing date: 19 May 2019

Title of the public consultation: Intent for the National Strategy for the Environment & its Vision for 2050

Ministry: MESDC

Entity: Environment & Resources Authority (ERA)

1. Background

Intent
ERA is in the process of commencing the development of the National Strategy for the Environment (NSE) in terms of the Environment Protection Act (Cap. 549). This is a strategic governance document that will set the policy framework for the preparation of plans, policies and programmes issued under the Act or under any other Act related to the protection and sustainable management of the environment.

Through this National Strategy, planning for approximately the next 30 years, i.e. to 2050, will be undertaken and it will set out what should be done to improve the environment within a generation. This long-term approach aims to look at what is necessary beyond the usual 5 to 10 year cycles and forward thinks where the environment should be at in 2050. Although long-term goals will be set for 2050, details and plans of actions that need to be undertaken will be in 10-year phases (i.e. 2020, 2030, 2040) with intermittent reviews to update the Strategy as necessary.

Following the above, the overall objectives of the National Strategy for the Environment for 2050 are to:

ensure a better and sustainable quality of life
provide clear and long-term direction for our environment
set out national environmental targets
address the main environmental challenges Malta is facing
integrate and synergise efforts of all policies and stakeholders who directly or indirectly influence the state of our environment

The process to develop the Strategy will involve envisioning the desired future state of Malta’s environment in the next 30 years (i.e. till 2050) and establishing the strategic priorities to reach this vision. Detailed objectives and measures will then follow for 10-year periods, till 2030, 2040 and 2050. An action plan will also accompany the Strategy for each of the above 10-year periods, consisting of timeframes, budgets and responsibilities for each of the measures, to ensure that the Strategy is a workable plan of action with clear parameters for its implementation. Sets of metrics will also be developed to assess progress towards the Strategy’s objectives and priorities. Progress will also be reported on regularly and the Strategy will be reviewed every 4 to 5 years to make sure that actions continue to target the right improvements.

Setting the Strategy in the right framework is essential in its early stages. To this effect, the first focus of the Strategy will be the preparation of a Vision for 2050. The underlying premise is that a healthy environment is both our duty and our right and it is each and everyone’s moral and legal obligation to contribute towards a sustainable future.

The vision for 2050 will be developed following a scenario building exercise, through which multiple scenarios will be explored so as to support decision-making processes by providing an analytical framework for finding suitable, or robust, options with regard to a specific policy target.

The key objectives of the Vision for 2050 are to:

envision our environment in the long-term
set the context and become the guiding principle for developing the Strategy itself
outline the strategic aspirations for the environment

2. Consultation questions

Q1. Do you agree with the proposed overarching objectives of the Strategy?
Q2. Can the objectives be further refined, keeping in mind the long-term goal of this Strategy till 2050?
Q3. What aspects do you retain to be crucial to consider in the vision for 2050?
Q4. What parallel developments would you expect to see to enable a sustainable quality of life?
Q5. What are in your opinion Malta’s main environmental challenges in the next 30 years?

3. Submission of feedback

ERA wishes to invite public entities, private sector organisations, constituted bodies, civil society and individuals to assist the development of the National Strategy for the Environment by providing feedback in the form of answers to the above questions. Additional suggestions may also be put forward.

Submissions should be sent by email to [email protected].