AD calls for investment in energy efficiency

Efforts to move towards greater energy efficiency and cleaner energy technologies have been practically non-existent, Ralph Cassar, Alternattiva Demokratika's spokesman on Energy, Industry and IT, said yesterday.

Malta's carbon emissions have doubled in recent years and something had to be done, Mr Cassar insisted while speaking in front of the Marsa power station to mark the global day of action about climate change.

Reducing the country's dependence on fossil fuels made sense because, above all, it meant having a healthier population.

It also meant having a secure supply, since it was no secret that most of the remaining oil reserves were in the world's most volatile and unstable regions.

During the press conference, AD proposed to reduce the use and cost of fossil fuels by investing in energy efficiency and making a concerted effort to reduce electricity theft.

It also proposed a scheme to replace a million light bulbs with one million energy-saving lamps.

"If a serious and targeted effort towards greater energy efficiency is made, a reduction in the surcharge from 65 to 50 per cent is achievable," AD chairman Harry Vassallo said.

He said that the recent report on the economic effects of climate change by former World Bank chief economist Sir Nicholas Stern made it clear that dependence on fossil fuels had to be reduced for the sake of current and future generations.

Dr Vassallo pointed out that massive investment had been injected in projects such as the new hospital, so now was the time to invest in the island's energy infrastructure.