Bastions lights switched off to mark Kyoto Treaty anniversary

Malta has joined a number of other countries in a symbolic activity marking the second anniversary of the Kyoto Treaty.

The treaty was marked yesterday when the lights on the bastions of Fort St Angelo and Mdina were switched off between 8 and 9 p.m. to show recognition of the need to save energy.

The activity was an initiative of the Ministry for Resources and Infrastructure and the Ministry for Rural Affairs and the Environment.

As an EU member Malta was finalising the National Allocation Plan for 2008-2012, the government said.

The plan binds the country to contribute towards the reduction of gasses/emissions known as CO2 to continue reducing the impact on climate change.

It would be worthwhile if one examined what measures could be taken at home to cut on energy wastage, the government said.

Nature Trust, Friends of the Earth and ADZ-Green Youth marked the anniversary by recommending that Malta supports the EU in maintaining its leading role in the implementation of the Kyoto Protocol and in the post-Kyoto discussions.

The NGOs also encouraged the government to take a principled stand in favour of Kyoto in Euro-Mediterranean fora and to encourage the setting up of an educational campaign to empower citizens to fulfil the commitments of the Kyoto Protocol.

They also urged Malta to implement as soon as possible the suggestions of the National Climate Action Strategy that was issued in 2004.

The Kyoto Protocol is a unique exercise in compromise between countries in different regions of the globe to protect the environment.

Malta had originally proposed the climate to be considered as a common heritage of mankind. This was the first in a series of steps, through the 43rd General Assembly of the United Nations in 1988 and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, that led to the Kyoto Protocol in 1997.