Editorial

The National Strategy for Policy and Abatement Measures Relating to the Reduction of Greenhouse Gas Emissions, which was drawn up by the Climate Change Committee, makes almost a hundred recommendations affecting Malta's energy, transport and education sectors. More fundamentally, however, the strategy strikes at the heart of Malta's economic, financial, social and environmental sustainability and development over the next generation.

The strategy was debated in Parliament last week. But judging by the largely bad-tempered and often petty political point-scoring between government and opposition spokesmen, the enormity of the culture change which the effects of climate change - and Malta's urgent need to adapt to them - will have on every man, woman and child alive today, and generations still to come, has still not sunk in.

The Prime Minister attempted to raise the tone of the debate by warning that if nothing was done Malta's economy would not be sustainable within five years because it would have to pay dearly for its lack of action.

The strategy set out by the government is a comprehensive attempt to deal with Malta's responsibilities not only to meet its international obligations on the reductions of CO2 emissions, but also to adapt effectively to the consequences of climate change. While much of the debate in Parliament focused on the imperative to achieve the EU-imposed CO2 emission reductions by 2020 - including reducing CO2 levels by 20 per cent from the levels recorded in 1990 and ensuring that 10 per cent of energy is generated from clean, alternative sources - the strategy also envisages action on such issues as efficient lighting, more efficient road networks, public transport reform, staggered working hours for government employees, water and electricity information campaigns, water conservation and energy-efficient building construction, few of which rated more than a passing mention in the debate.

It was heartening to hear in Parliament that the closure of the Marsa power station, the commissioning of the new power plant at Delimara in 2011 together with, a year later, the hook-up to the under-sea inter-connector with Sicily, would mean Malta would meet its international obligations to the EU to reduce its CO2 emissions. While question marks continue to be raised about the merits of choosing heavy fuel oil over gas for the new plant, we can at least be thankful for that important achievement which would otherwise have cost Malta millions of euros in fines.

Doubts must continue to be raised, however, about our progress to achieve viable alternative sources of energy. As pointed out by the Auditor General, progress here seems painfully slow and the economic recession must surely pose further questions about the government's ability to meet the challenging targets it has set.

The strategy which Resources Minister George Pullicino has set out is an extremely ambitious one. Each objective in it spawns the need for detailed follow-up and many other actions before it can be achieved. Does the government have the political will and the concomitant resources to do it? Only time will tell. But as the Prime Minister said, time is not on our side. Moreover, earlier grand plans of this kind - the National Strategy for Sustainable Development comes readily to mind - have foundered on the twin rocks of lack of political will and lack of resources, human and financial. Let us fervently hope it will be different this time around.