Youth council calls on Parliament to declare climate change a national emergency

The National Youth Council (KNZ) has called on Parliament to recognise that climate change has caused a national state of emergency.

In a statement on Wednesday, the council said that the commitment of MPs would serve as the first step in dealing with the climate change problem.

KNZ made the call during the annual National Youth Parliament, held this week, in which young people aged between 13 to 35 years old discussed current hot global topics.

During the debate, various issues, including gender inequality, Artificial Intelligence and the concerns surrounding single-use plastics were highlighted.

Offered the platform to speak at the highest representative body in the country, the youngsters were granted the opportunity to pitch policy ideas with MPs.

They used the opportunity to call on parliamentary representatives from all powers to declare a state of national emergency regarding climate change. 

“This will not only serve as a commitment from both sides ofParliament but also as the first step for a unified Maltese front, from all stakeholders, to achieve this impossible task [of successfully addressing climate change],” the council said.

The youth council also called on young people and organisations from across the country, to come together and join the call, in efforts towards dealing with the issue.

KNZ added that it had served as a catalyst for change on multiple occasions, suggesting polices such as Vote 16, civic education and the legal status of 16-year-olds in voluntary organisations.