[WATCH] Climate change motion is not perfect but it’s in good faith, Jason Azzopardi says

Climate change motion is not perfect but it's in good faith, Jason Azzopardi says

Nationalist MP Jason Azzopardi has defended the Opposition’s climate change motion described by the government as flawed, adding now is not the time for partisan divide. 

The MP admitted at a press conference on Friday that the motion was “not perfect”, having been criticised also by some environmental campaigners over inaccuracies.

“The motion is not perfect and I’m not infallible… but we should rise above partisan politics and rise to the occasion,” Azzopardi said.

Speaking at the PN headquarters, Azzopardi said that he had received plenty of messages in solidarity with him saying that people were taken aback at how members of the government responded to the motion he tabled.

Azzopardi was criticised because his motion made reference to cruise liners that berth in Malta’s Grand Harbour and that these should apply a filter to tone down the heavy fuel oil residue — particulate matter — which has no relation to climate change and greenhouse gas emissions.

“Sulphur dioxide is not directly linked to greenhouse emissions but indirectly, it does contribute. BirdLife was the first NGO to show that while cruise liners are in port, their level of emissions is 148 times worse than emissions on Aldo Moro in Marsa. Remember that a third of the Maltese population live in the Grand Harbour region… if we can address something that is dangerous, shouldn’t we?” he asked, admitting that while the motion wasn’t perfect, it addressed Malta’s quality of life. 

Azzopardi said that while the shipping industry was crucial for Malta and that it should be safeguarded, Malta should follow what was happening in the Baltic, where Hamburg announced a €10 million investment to declare an Emission Control Area.

“I’m hoping that the entire Mediterranean is declared an Emission Control Area — Spain and France are already doing this — where a filter is applied to ships to limit the effect of sulphur in the air,” Azzopardi said, adding that five people were dying needlessly per week due to bad air quality.

Azzopardi said that the government’s argument that the 2015 law had already addressed what the Opposition’s motion was communicating was misleading. 

“The 2015 law is simply a declaratory bill and does not bind the government to any particular targets. And while the climate ambassador, Simone Borg, is a person of integrity and earns the respect of fellow academics, she is ultimately a representative of the government. We should have someone in this field who is completely independent and who has the power to take action.

“With the steps Malta is taking, Malta would not be reaching the 2030 EU climate targets by 46%. The point of our motion yesterday wasn’t to criticise or to be partisan. We are not angry, we are disappointed,” Azzopardi said.

Earlier in the day, Environment Minister Jose Herrera justfied the reaction of government MPs to the Opposition's motion, putting this down to different political styles and Azzopardi's divisive characater.