Climate Change Committee to focus on reducing waste of energy

It is premature to choose which type of alternative energy technology to invest in, and the government should focus on reducing waste and being energy-efficient, argues David Spiteri Gingell, chairman of the Climate Change Committee.

"It is not realistic to go from 100 per cent fossil fuels to 100 per cent renewable energy, but it is very possible to work within our limitations and start making small changes that can have a big impact. A lot of little steps can make a huge difference," he said in an interview with The Times.

"Technology is changing rapidly, and as the West tries to reduce its dependency on fossil fuels, solutions which we cannot yet conceptualise will inevitably come to the fore."

Mr Spiteri Gingell believes the government should focus on educating the public to be conscious of the small things that can make a difference, such as switching the television off instead of leaving it on standby, and removing mobile chargers from plug sockets.

With this in mind, the committee will be recommending policies aimed at reducing energy waste and the demand for electricity, rather than advising the government on which forms of alternative energy to invest in.

The government-appointed committee was set up in June to address climate change and enable the country to attain its emission targets as agreed with the EU. Malta is obliged to reduce CO2 emissions by 20 per cent and ensure that at least 10 per cent of energy is generated from alternative sources by 2020.

The committee will be holding consultation meetings with various government agencies, non-governmental organisations and the constituted bodies, and it will be writing various papers that will form part of the final report to be handed in to the Resources Ministry by November.

Mr Spiteri Gingell explained that the committee is developing policies that target the behaviour of the population at large, independently of the type of energy used.

The policies are intended to change people's attitudes towards energy consumption, through education, financial incentives and restrictive measures.

Mr Spiteri Gingell declined comment on Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi's electoral promise to invest in offshore wind farms, saying only that Malta was limited by its size and the fact that it is surrounded by deep waters.

He said current technology for such forms of energy was either very expensive or still in the prototype stage. However, he believes that in the near future, thanks to the rise in oil prices, technology will improve to an unprecedented extent since necessity is the mother of invention.

One recommendation in the committee's final report might be for technoparks and other industrial buildings to use solar panels on their roofs for heating and cooling, which would reduce the main expenditure of air-conditioning.

He suggested that rather than excluding 30,000 households from the surcharge, another possible measure to decrease consumption could be to give credits to households which use energy-efficient appliances.

"At this point we do not want to be hijacked by the technology - technology must be seen as one of the tools that can help us achieve our aim - but there is no use investing in alternative energy if we are still being wasteful."

Asked about the five energy-saving energy bulbs that were promised to voters during the election campaign, Mr Spiteri Gingell argued that this was more than just a gimmick and was intended to encourage people to use the technology that is already available.

Asked whether this committee should have been set up years ago, Mr Spiteri Gingell said that it was only recently that the environment was given its due importance on an international level.

"Even if we are late, the important thing is to start. Forming this committee shows the government is taking the issue very seriously."

He argued that education is one of the most important tools to create an energy-conscious society, but while the younger generation was willing to learn, the older generation required financial incentives to change ingrained behaviours.

This is why a mix of policies is needed, where positive measures are complemented by enforcement and economic incentives.

"We do not want to produce a report that is airy-fairy. We would rather go into banal detail than have recommendations that are not implementable."