Painting our agenda green

Public opinion seems to be divided over whether this budget was a "green budget" or not. On the one hand, this budget has been seen by many to have introduced a large number of incentives aimed at boosting environmental awareness and to gear our islands towards the European standards we ought to be achieving. The notion of eco taxation and eco contribution falls in line with the polluter pays principle and encourages us all to pay more attention to energy efficiency and energy wastage.

The other side of the fence is diametrically opposed to the one I have just defined. It argues that the alternative energy initiatives are limited to an extremely small cohort of individuals as countered by the fact that everyone will end up paying higher utility tariffs. Furthermore, the eco-taxes are seen as nothing more than a publicity stunt to cover up a new wave of taxes which have been imposed by the government. J'Accuse summed up this opinion best last Sunday by referring to eco contributions as a "Trojan horse of green taxes".

I would have tended to agree with "the other side of the fence" had this budget not attempted to tackle green issues and, more importantly, the issue of sustainability, on all levels. In reality, this budget has offered a myriad of incentives for us to cut down on waste, to get our house in order, and to effectively reduce our own energy bills by going slightly greener.

This year's budget will see the distribution of energy-saving light bulbs to our households. After weeks upon end of mockery by Labour at the thought of the government passing out bulbs, every family will now be given a "security voucher" which can be redeemed for energy-saving bulbs from any shops participating in the scheme. This scheme will be balanced by an eco-contribution on incandescent and fluorescent tubes and bulbs, which are known to waste much more energy than their alternatives. The eco contribution is a "tax", but one can hardly say that it has been thrown into the pot in the same fashion as standard taxes, because, while taxes are intended to generate wealth for governments, this eco contribution is intended to dissuade individuals from purchasing products which are not energy efficient.

Plastic bags will now also come at a price of 15 cents eco contribution per bag. This is largely due to the fact that over the past year we have collectively consumed circa 40 million plastic bags. It is clear that we have to waste less, and alternatives do exist. Having said this, few supermarkets have taken the opportunity to introduce cloth bag systems in the past. It would be a positive step forward if such green initiatives could find their way into customer bonus schemes, for example.

As has become a staple of the Nationalist government's agenda, this budget reconfirms its commitment towards household incentives such as the installation of solar water heaters, photovoltaic systems, roof insulation and double-glazed windows. Equally important at this stage, in my opinion, is the fact that such initiatives will be coupled with an education campaign about efficient use of energy, as well as the launching of a new service, spearheaded by Enemalta, which will provide families with personalised plans and suggestions for reducing waste within households. In this sense, it is also positive that domestic appliances will now have to be accompanied by information regarding their energy efficiency.

On a national front, the government has now heralded its first major investment in wind energy; surely the gigantic €130 million investment is more than a publicity stunt to take over the green agenda.

The Sikka l-Bajda wind farm will provide enough energy to cover the needs of 21,000 households, which is also equivalent to four per cent of the total consumption of our islands.

All these measures cannot be viewed on a solely sector level. As we discuss greening our households and national investments targeting alternative sources of energy, we could also take the opportunity to delve into the incentives which have been provided to industry and the concept of sustainable localities.

The overarching message of the budget is therefore based on the notion of adopting a holistic approach to climate change and sustainable development.

Whether this budget was the "green budget" or not, it surely served to paint our agenda green.

Mr Casa is a Nationalist member of the European Parliament.

www.davidcasa.eu, david@davidcasa.eu