Malta's greenhouse gas emissions double in a decade

Malta's greenhouse gas emissions have increased by 46 per cent in 10 years, particularly from its two power stations, according to a European Commission report.

The report, Progress Towards Achieving The Kyoto Objectives, estimates Malta's carbon dioxide emissions in 2004 at 3.2 million tonnes - one million tonnes more than in 1995.

This is one of the highest increases registered in the EU and goes in the opposite direction of efforts by members states to cut emissions.

Malta is still not bound to cut its emissions under the Kyoto Protocol because it was considered as a developing country at the time the protocol was signed. The scenario is similar for Cyprus.

Commission sources said the Malta figures were based on an estimate as the emission figures for 2004 had still not been supplied by Malta at the time of the report's drafting.

Only Cyprus and Spain surpassed Malta in their increase of greenhouse gas emissions. Cyprus registered a 48.2 per cent rise and Spain 47.9 per cent.

Still, Malta's contribution to climate change may be deemed insignificant compared to large countries. For example, Germany in 2004 produced 1,015 million tonnes of greenhouse gases. But this was 17.5 percent less than in 1995. The report says that EU-25 emissions fell by 7.3 per cent between 1995 and 2004. The projections show that with only existing policies and measures, this reduction will shrink to 4.6 per cent by 2010.

If additional policies an measures already agreed are also taken into account, emissions in 2010 would be 8.1 per cent lower than in 1995.

The first phase of the Kyoto protocol will come to an end in 2012 when a second phase, still being negotiated, will come into force. Malta is expected to join the protocol by then.