Malta needs to build its capacity if it is to successfully tackle future environmental challenges such as climate change, Environment Minister Leo Brincat said this afternoon.

Mr Brincat was speaking during a meeting with Sarah Suleiman and James Scicluna, the winners of the 2014 edition of the Malta Student Science Forum, which is organised by the National Student Travel Foundation (Malta).

The two students represented NSTF Malta at the International Wildlife Research Week in Switzerland, and presented the minister with a report detailing their activities there.

The ministry is sponsoring the MSSF, and Mr Brincat explained that the sponsorship reflected the need for capacity building in the environmental sector. He noted that while human resources have been developed over the years, certain sectors – he mentioned waste management and climate change as an example – were lagging.

“We need a leap of quality, and these young people can help achieve it,” the minister said.

Mr Brincat also observed that as was the case with other countries, Malta was committing itself to meeting several targets on climate change, stating that these commitments would only increase if upcoming UN Climate Change Conferences – particularly the Paris summit that will be held next year – produce the desired results.

“If we do not engage in capacity building, we will face an uphill struggle,” he said.