Cyprus is lagging in sustainable development goals, but unlike other European countries faced with serious sustainability issues, there are advantages that it can exploit, said Hans Bruyninckx, European Environment Agency (EEA) Executive Director.
He said Cyprus should explore solar energy, as the island has more sunshine days than any other European country, while EU membership has “has tremendously benefited your environmental policies.”
“There are ample opportunities for becoming a sustainable society. What you need (like all other countries) is a long-term vision to enable this transition.”
He said Cyprus could take advantage of large EU funds that are available for investments in climate-friendly technologies and protection of nature.
The EEA chief also said Cyprus could reform its tax system, making it consistent with the vision to become an economy that is very efficient in the way it manages its natural resources, its energy and its waste.
“There is no alternative. Imagine a world with an average temperature of 4 degrees higher than in the pre-industrial era. Along with many other world regions, Cyprus may become unliveable. We need to act fast, and we have the knowledge to do so.”
Bruyninckx brushed aside the concerns that serious changes can only happen after a war or a natural disaster as “unsubstantiated”.
He argued that large transitions have happened in the past without conflicts or natural catastrophes, such as the industrial revolution, the rapid development of the Internet since the mid-1990s and the huge change in energy investments during the last few years.
“We need a fundamental shift in the way we produce and consume food and energy, the way we satisfy our mobility needs, and the way we organise our cities. Such fundamental shifts can enable the transition required to achieve sustainable societies.”
The EU, he said, can certainly continue to lead by example.
“Our setting is unique globally: 28 countries deciding voluntarily to agree on common policies in so many aspects, in a continent that has suffered so many wars in the past.”
“It does not happen anywhere else in the world. In the environmental field, we transfer our expertise and vision globally – we assist many large countries of the world in designing and applying sound environmental policies,” Bruyininckx, said.
