Environment
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Yes to reclamation on land
With the Labour Party favouring land reclamation, one might be forgiven for overlooking the significance of massive reclamation exercises being conducted on land, which involve the reinstatement of vast swathes of land which were previously in a...
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Man-made chemicals cited in health scourges – UN report
Man-made chemicals in everyday products are likely to be at least the partial cause of a global surge in birth deformities, hormonal cancers and psychiatric diseases, a UN-sponsored research team reported last week. These substances, dubbed...
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‘Alien’ wildlife wreaks havoc
Animals and plants brought to Europe from other parts of the world are a bigger-than-expected threat to health and the environment, costing at least €12.1 billion a year, according to a study. More than 10,000 ‘alien’ species have gained a foothold...
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Icy Siberian caves show tiny warming
Ancient records from icy caves in Siberia show that a small amount of global warming can thaw vast areas of frozen ground and release harmful stores of greenhouse gases, a study showed. Any melt of permafrost, or permanently frozen soil that covers...
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Ocean life is under threat
History is repeating itself as global warming threatens a reoccurrence of extinction and upheaval in the oceans last seen 180 million years ago, scientists have warned. A study of ancient rocks and fossils along the North Yorkshire coast in the UK...
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Blemished food in UN banquet
The United Nations treated government ministers and officials to a meal of blemished African fruit and vegetables on Tuesday to highlight how perfectly edible food is being rejected by European supermarkets. The five-course meal for 500 delegates...
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Gaping flower
The chasmanthe is an alien species of flowering plant from South Africa. It was presumably first brought to Malta as a garden flower but now grows wild, usually in the vicinity of urban areas and close to farmhouses where it was probably...
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Ice thaw may leave polar bears hungry
A thaw of sea ice floating on the Arctic Ocean last year sent extra plant food to exotic creatures on the deep sea floor in a shift that might leave polar bears hungry at the surface, scientists said. The study, using robot submarines down to 4,400...
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19% of reptiles facing extinction
Almost one in five reptiles is facing extinction, experts warned. The first global assessment of its kind of reptile species, which include crocodiles, lizards, snakes, tortoises and turtles, estimated that 19 per cent of them are struggling to...
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A carnival of promises
In an election year you can be sure that an unfettered street carnival will unmask environmental posturing as politicians jostle for power. Nadur’s famed carnival featured much mockery with a belching power station on wheels. Energy issues apart,...
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Unsightly earthworms
If we had to judge the value of an animal solely by its aesthetic appeal, then the earthworm would not get anywhere near the top of the list. It has no bright colours and has the shape of a pinkish segmented tube. Furthermore, it spends most of its...
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Pledges no one will make
With so many electoral pledges being floated around, it’s a given that there is only so much the Nationalist and Labour parties are ready to commit to. For example, take Armier, the iconic shanty town emblematic of other shanty towns peppering the...
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Fortress mentality
Despite a drive to lower all rubble walls to a maximum height of 1.2 metres, some still resemble those of fortresses, extending much higher up and blocking country views.
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‘Illegal, unregulated and undeclared’
The tuna ranching industry must be clapping its hands for joy following the news by the Scientific Committee of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) of the improvement of the bluefin tuna stock after having...
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Second round of prizes for collectors of plastic bottles
The second draw of Wasteserv’s Collect and Win campaign was held at the Luqa Civic Amenity site, with prizes being awarded to five members of the public who deposited plastic bottles for recycling at the Civic Amenity sites. Draws are carried out in...
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Promoting eco- and agri-tourism
Merill Eco Tours, the first company in Malta fully dedicated to providing a range of eco- and agri-tourism services, recently marked the second anniversary of its launch by reaching an agreement with the owners of Ta’ Mena Estate in Marsalforn. The...
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Leguminous plants
The common birdsfoot trefoil, known in Maltese as qrempuċ tal-mogħoż, is an annual plant that produces small, yellow flowers in winter and spring. It belongs to the leguminous family in which we also find important members such as beans, peas and...
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Arctic oil spill plans ‘too vague’
Arctic nations’ plans to start cooperating over oil spills are vague and fail to define companies’ liability for any accidents in an icy region opening up due to global warming, environmentalists said yesterday. A 21-page document by the...
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Deforestation on the rise again in Amazon
After years of gains against destruction of the Amazon rainforest, Brazil appears to be suffering from an increase in deforestation as farmers, loggers, miners and builders move into previously untouched woodland, according to data compiled by the...
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Mepa permit renewals public consultation
Mid-February is the deadline for comments following a public consultation on permit renewals as part of ongoing reforms at the Malta Environment and Planning Authority. The draft guidance sets out to draw a line in shifting sands. It will be five...
