Malta to push climate action during Commonwealth meeting

Climate Action ambassador Simone Borg addresses the plenary session of the 20th conference of the parties of UN framework convention on climate change

Climate action will be one of the main themes to be discussed at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting which will be hosted in Malta in November 2015.

Addressing the plenary session of the 20th conference of the parties of UN framework convention on climate change, Maltese ambassador for climate action Simone Borg insisted that there was no more time for complacency.

“Malta believes it is vital to avail ourselves of all opportunities in the various international fora to address this unprecedented threat facing our planet Earth and thus maintain the required impetus that will render Lima and later on Paris a success story. This is not an option but an obligation we have towards future generations,” she said.

Borg said that, ever since Malta’s initiative 25 years ago to put climate change on the international political agenda, the island remained determined to work incessantly towards securing an Agreement by 2015 on climate action.

Together with other EU member states, Malta has already undertaken significant commitments and was looking into long-term goals beyond 2020.

“The recent EU framework for climate and energy policy is testament to this. Malta also believes that ambitious mitigation targets must be underpinned by a strong, legally- binding monitoring, review, verification and accounting framework to ensure effectiveness and transparency,” she said. “An efficient compliance regime will serve to enhance self-regulation and thus foster mutual trust and confidence by leading all Parties to adhere to their obligations and to provide for legal certainty and predictability.”

Malta, Borg said, augured that these elements would form part of the mitigation component of the new Agreement: “Malta strongly advocates the linkages between adaptation and mitigation cannot be overemphasized. Successful mitigation implies a higher likelihood for ecosystems, societies and economies to adapt in a timely manner, while failure to mitigate would increase the probability of adverse impacts and make adaptation efforts extremely costly or even unfeasible.”

Malta will fund a number of scholarships for eligible candidates from developing States most vulnerable to climate change to study at the University of Malta at the post graduate level through Masters by research in climate mitigation, adaptation and governance.

“On a national level Malta is adamant to mainstream Climate Action at all levels. This approach has spurred us to promulgate for the first time a Climate Action Act that ensures ownership by all sectors to ascertain Malta reaches its mitigation targets transforming itself to become a low carbon economy. The Act also aims to enhance resilience in a cross sectoral manner, to meet the adverse effects of climate change upon Malta.”