Self-produced energy is what Cyprus needs, independent presidential candidate Achilleas Demetriades said on Monday when he unveiled in Limassol his policies for a ‘United and Green Cyprus”.
“What we want, what we need is self-produced energy, ” he also told a press conference.
He then proposed constitutionally safeguarding the rights of individuals as regards environmental protection so that they can challenge anti-environmental policies, interventions and construction in court.
The independent presidential candidate noted that the environmental threat posed by climate change affects the entire island – including the occupied area and the Bases.
And he stressed that this country belongs to all of us and it is our obligation to protect it.
“For this reason, I propose the establishment of a Technical Committee to address the climate crisis and to coordinate the services of the Republic of Cyprus and the Turkish Cypriot community, under the European Union’s civil protection mechanism RescEU to deal with natural disasters.
“Such as forest fires, floods, coastal erosion, earthquakes etc. As well as to draw up a joint study to manage the risks.”
As regards the constitutional right on the environment, he explained that this was an individual right for a clean environment.
It would safeguard effective participation and the public’s information regarding political decisions which affect the environment, as well as the public’s effective access to justice to protect the environment.
Achilleas Demetriades outlined his positions on key policies regarding the environment, energy and rural development so that Cyprus can attain the targets of the European Green Deal. More specifically, he set out the following proposals:
- Incentives, subsidy schemes and the creation of partnerships aiming at a decisive turn towards renewable energy sources (RES)
- Targeted public investments on RES infrastructure for energy storage and e-vehicles
- Green taxes on activities which burden the environment and tax breaks and subsidies for activities by individuals which benefit the environment and contribute to green growth
- Promoting green entrepreneurship and attracting green investment
- Upgrading infrastructure to implement a circular economy
- Upgrading the mandate of the Environment Commissioner to horizontal oversight of the implementation of policies for green growth
- Upgrading public transport and implementing a green town planning policy
- Drawing up a strategy for rural development that is based on sustainability, would attract young farmers to the sector and manage water resources in a sustainable manner.
