“Hundreds of demonstrators gathered in Valletta on Friday, calling on the country’s politicians to prioritise environmental protection. Protestors gathered in front of Parliament holding signs reading ‘Save our soil’, ‘Save trees, reduce pollution’, and ‘Politicians save our environment’, among others. Representatives from 14 NGOs, as well as a number of Opposition politicians were present for the demonstration.
The protestors then walked through Republic Street stopping by the Great Siege monument in front of the law courts where activists addressed those present. Activists voiced concerns about they said was a lack of holistic planning in the way infrastructural projects were planned, insisting that Malta’s environment was being threatened by “so-called progress”. They lamented what they said was a reduction in agricultural land across the island, which they said was the result of a lack of planning and egoistic behaviour on the part of decision makers. Trees, they said, were an essential part of Malta’s heritage, and had both economic and cultural value.
They said that in recent years, all safeguards in place to protect the environment had been dismantled and insisted that planners were not carrying out proper consultation with stakeholders and experts before green lighting infrastructural projects. The protest was called in wake of a number of instances in recent weeks where trees were uprooted to accommodate infrastructural projects. Just last week, the government was forced to backtrack on plans to uproot over 200 trees for the road leading from Attard to Rabat to be widened.
Another concern raised by those present related to the use of alternative modes of transport. They said that politicians were not doing enough to encourage the use of alternatives modes of transport. Instead, they said it was choosing to widen roads to accommodate more cars, despite the fact that in the long run this would not reduce traffic on the island.
Above all, those present pleaded with the country’s politicians to keep future generations in mind when taking decisions on the built environment, insisting that they could not allow Malta to become a concrete jungle.”
