Up to date on Aggornat

Aggornat (No. 358), the newsletter issued by Forum Malta fl-Ewropa, carried a report by Ronald Mizzi about the Council of Environment Ministers' agreement on the directive proposal on ambient air quality and Cleaner Air for Europe - CAFE (COM (2005) 447 final).

Mr Mizzi highlights that the fraction of air pollutants known as PM2.5 are seriously detrimental to health. Quite true! It is also true that this pollutant is emitted by cars "especially those with a diesel engine" as he further pointed out.

The directive proposal however does not single out cars as the cause of this class of pollutant and certainly does not even mention the word 'diesel' except in the context of advice to improve the quality of petrol and diesel fuel.

Nowhere in the 67-page document (COM (2005) 447 final) are cars specifically mentioned, nor is any reference made to diesel engines. The document identifies the several sectors contributing to air pollution, namely power generation, industry and transport.

Transport consists not only of cars but of all other road and rail vehicles, sea-going craft and aircraft. The composition of PM fractions varies from one locality to another and from one time and another. Mr Mizzi's personal generalisation included in this report singles out cars as the source of PM2.5. He repeats the mantra of local politicians who keep using the car as a scapegoat for all the ills of the air we breathe.

Facts indicate that the sources of PM fractions are varied and include all forms of construction industries, other industries, power generation and all forms of transport.

If we have to single out diesel engines, statistics show that the bulk of pollutants emitted by these engines are not caused by private passenger cars but by diesel commercial vehicles, including vans and LGVs, trucks and HGVs as well as public transport.

Collectively, the annual unit diesel consumption of these latter classes of vehicles is many times that of the average diesel passenger car. Moreover, 70 per cent of these 'work vehicles' are over 10 years old and sure to be past their best.

More relevant to Malta, Mr Mizzi should have also reported from Thematic Strategy on air pollution (COM (2005) 446 final) such as paragraph 4.2.2 Transport: "the Commission will further encourage shifts towards less polluting modes of transport, alternative fuels, reduced congestion..." and 4.2.2.1 "A proposal to reduce emissions of new passenger cars and vans will be adopted in 2005 (EURO V).

"The Commission will also come forward with a proposal to tighten further the emissions from heavy duty vehicles", and also "Older road vehicles cause disproportionate levels of pollution. Therefore, member states should consider targeted retrofitting and scrapping schemes when drawing up plans to meet air quality objectives."

Current strategy on air pollution in Malta seems to consist of relocating parking lots, endangering novice cyclists by placing them alongside undisciplined, uncouth Maltese motorists, and persisting with regulations which are unfavourable to passenger car replacement.