Malta is again finding it difficult to control dangerous gas emissions, according to the EU’s Environment Agency.
After managing to come clean in 2011 and fall within pollution limits set by the EU, the island experienced a sharp rise in pollution caused by traffic in 2012.
Provisional data issued by the EEA shows that Malta reported a 10 per cent increase in nitrogen oxides in 2012, surpassing the EU limit established for the island by 0.6 kilotons.
A year earlier, it had managed to control the pollutant by staying within the eight kilotons emissions allowed for the year. However, an increase in traffic, particularly the use of diesel engines, put the island back in the red.
Nitrogen oxide emission must be controlled with cleaner cars or less traffic
“The data evidently shows that rather than pollution from the power stations, which used to be the traditional main culprit in Malta’s data in the past, the increase is now deriving from transport,” an EEA official told Times of Malta.
“Nitrogen oxide emission must be controlled with cleaner cars or less traffic,” the official added.
Over the past years, traffic on the island increased drastically with thousands of new cars appearing on the limited road network every year.
The importation of second hand luxury cars from the UK, usually powered by diesel engines, contributed to exacerbate the problem of congested roads, which is now leading to dangerous high emission levels of nitrogen oxides.
Under EU rules – particularly the National Emissions Ceilings Directive – member states are obliged to keep the emissions’ four main pollutants under check.
Apart from nitrogen oxides, the only emission ceiling still being breached, Malta must also keep in check the release into the atmosphere of sulphur dioxide, non-methane volatile organic compounds and ammonia.
Although in its first years as an EU member, Malta was also exceeding levels in certain areas, particularly sulphur dioxide due to the power stations, it invested heavily in the use of less polluting fuel to fire the plants and in newer technology pushing emission levels in these areas to acceptable levels.
Malta is not the only EU member State to breach emission levels.
The latest EEA data put Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, Luxembourg, Slovenia and Spain in the same boat as Malta when it comes to pollution from transport.
At the same time, emissions in the majority of member states are within levels in all areas.