We do not know the future. But we can definitely shape it. It is what our young people are striving very hard to achieve.

On Thursday I had the opportunity to meet representatives of our youths, active in eco-schools in Malta and Gozo.

They presented me with a copy of their memorandum for the 2022 elections. After reading through the said memorandum, it is quite clear that our young people are light years ahead of most of the political class.

They identify three issues which top their list of worries. They are striving hard to address them. They have a vision, one which shapes the future through positive action today.

Their first worry is the excessive number of cars on our roads and the pollution they create. This is followed by the second worry, the lack of open spaces because everywhere is being taken up by buildings and rampant over-development. Their third primary worry is the large amount of waste which we generate.

They are also extremely conscious of the climate emergency which we face. They chastise parliament for being too slow to act on the matter.

Their worries should be our worries too.

Our youths demand the right to be listened to. They implore us to act today: it is our actions today which can mould their future.

They further adamantly complain that the two parties currently in Parliament either take too long to react to eco-school proposals or else, at times ignore them, as they have been doing on requests to pay more attention to issues of sustainable development.

Our youths have a long-term view of our country’s needs. Unfortunately, the political parties currently represented in parliament are only capable of considering the short-term, that is up to the next general election. It is beyond them to consider beyond that!

The environmental education of our younger generation is the most rewarding investment and the eco-schools programme run by local environmental NGO Nature Trust, is one such fruitful investment.

In Malta, the eco-schools programme has been in existence for some 20 years.

The eco-School programme develops the skills of our younger generation. It raises environmental awareness, improves the school environment and creates a whole host of other benefits not just for our educational institutions but, moreover, for our community at large.

The eco-school seven steps educational process targets a change of lifestyle and the guidelines available on implementing these seven steps is very informative.

The first basic step is to set up a participative democracy in our schools through which all stakeholders are actively involved, with the students taking a democratic lead. Assisted by educators, students interact with the different stakeholders and, in so doing, identify the environmental issues that need to be addressed in their own little world and beyond. They are then trained to think critically, discuss and ultimately arrive at conclusions and results.

Environmental education is about much more than a respect for nature. Nature is not separate, isolated and compartmentalised during excursions: it also features in our way of life. We need to take it into consideration in all that we plan and do.

As a result of the environmental education which the eco-schools programme provides for our students, our younger generation is being equipped with the skills, knowledge and awareness that environmental damage can be halted and eventually reversed. They are learning that they can be active agents of the change we so desperately require in halting – and eventually reversing – the accumulated environmental damage.

Investing in our future generations pays huge dividends.

Carmel Cacopardo is Chairperson of ADPD-The Green Party in Malta.