Science is the key to our future. It is all around us. It is practically in everything we do and it goes hand in hand with education.

Malta needs to take the renewable energy sector seriously- Robert Henry Bugeja

Malta is not a country outside the real world. It is a real country in an ever-changing physical system, a system fuelled by the laws of physics and of the universe.

We cannot pretend to live in a cocoon that will shield us from everlasting change. Change will happen whether we like it or not. It is up to us to endorse change and adapt to new situations or we can waste our energies resisting change and try to maintain the status quo.

Malta can be among the best countries in terms of living standards only if it endorses change and make the best out of what that may bring.

For example, for the next 20 years we need to seriously invest in science, research and innovation. If we think about it, these three disciplines really complement each other.

Science is a subject that, unfortunately, in Malta is still not enjoying its well deserved attention, especially in the primary education system. It is a subject that can give great insight to our children from an early age and that may ultimately produce greater results for our country in many advanced fields.

Malta needs to be more innovative and innovation comes with having more creative people with a good background in science and art subjects. I believe that Malta has that potential but, unfortunately, it is not using this to its full capacity.

New buildings for scientific purposes are positive steps but science has to be free from any religious shackles in order to flourish. The potential is there, so why don’t we release it? It’s not enough to invest in nice school buildings. It’s what comes out of those buildings that counts.

If we mention energy we cannot leave out science because it is part of the equation. The energy sector in Malta is passing through a bad patch not just because of oil price fluctuations but because we were not careful and forward-looking enough to invest in anything innovative in the energy sector. Had we done so his at least 15 years ago we would not have the big problems we are facing today.

And when I mention energy I am not just referring to renewables like solar, wind, waves or biomass but also to new ideas and scientific discoveries in the energy sector worldwide, which are there to grasp but perhaps we did not pay enough attention to them.

The same applies to medicine.

New technologies and techniques are always popping up in different arenas in the medical world. New ways are being created to overcome all sorts of illnesses and defects.

Take technology that already exists and which soon will be available in the organ production sector were a 3D bio printer has the capability of reproducing new organs from the living cells of the original patient. Possibly, we will be in a position to order new organs and replace damaged ones.

This will undoubtedly help to eradicate numerous physiological and psychological pains and even cheat death. Therefore, we cannot let any religion, bureaucracy or the status quo hinder the advancement of science if we really want to move forward, live better and healthier and watch our children live in a pleasant, healthier and safer world. After all a person, when seen as an individual entity, deserves to have and make his own choices and not be prevented to live the life he desires (unless that harms others) by any group of people.

People nowadays know the potential a technological world has to offer because information is available at their fingertips. Nevertheless, just having iPads, iPods, iPhones or any such gadgets does not make a country a technologically-advanced one. Such gadgets do exist in many countries even if not all of them are considered as being advanced.

It is an open mentality and economic discipline that makes a country being rated as such.

The same applies to various other subjects. Water, heat and air are most dear to humankind. In Malta, we need to use these elements to our advantage, which, unfortunately, we are not doing at present.

It’s not enough having photovoltaic panels on the roofs of a handful of families. A government needs to invest in a broader way in the energy sector and with a more social-oriented conscience.

If we talk in terms of power generation, Malta (with the present HFO system in place at the Delimara power plant) went back to a very archaic stage.

We can mention Denmark as an example. That’s a country were renewable energy usage aims are high. By 2020, Denmark hopes that 50 per cent of its energy will come from wind power.

They built new ‘eco estates’, which homes an entire renewable energy network. Rainwater is used for washing and flushing toilets. Solar energy is used for cooking and stored for house heating. Manned wells are used to cater for the use of an entire estate.

We need to invest heavily in students who show promising results in the science, environmental science, physics, mathematics and, of course, IT.

The disciplines of microbiology, nanotechnology and computer science are a must.

Malta needs to take the renewable energy sector seriously and not play about with it only for political reasons.

We can do this if we really want to, if the Administration truly believes in science as a way forward.