Melting ice may be seen as a stroke of luck for oil companies who want oil exploration to take place in the Arctic. But then it was the burning of fossil fuels that tipped us into climate meltdown in the first place.
Looking at some of the advantages to be had from a warmer climate reveals that all is not doom and gloom. We have it from the experts that melting sea ice is also good news for commercial shipping in the Arctic where a shortcut could save fuel. The thawing of the sea in the Northwest Passage has knocked 4,000 nautical miles off the journey from Germany to Japan.
Thanks to global warming this passage will serve as a growing link between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans without ships having to go through the Mediterranean via the Suez Canal. Currently much of the world's seaborne traffic brushes past Malta with ensuing emissions.
We may thank climate change for cleaner air in the Mediterranean if ships change course for the shorter trade route up north. On the other hand, the Arctic region could suffer a drop in air quality if things keep hotting up - and there is no longer any reasonable doubt that they will.
Climate change sceptics suddenly found themselves without political backing this year. With evidence from the scientific community stacked so high, US President George Bush reversed earlier dismissals of global warming while keeping industry appeased with an extension for dealing with it.
The changes ahead are expected to be "unfair" as they will hit the most vulnerable areas hardest. Among them, islands are high on the list. Long term projections predict that if ice over Greenland continues to melt irreversibly, then, within a few hundred years, coastlines around the world could go under by up to seven metres.
If we do not care about future generations, then we can go on doing nothing, failing to respond to the challenges. Malta, the small island nation which put forward the idea of common heritage to the United Nations, is hardly in a position to ignore climate change.
If human activity is not responsive enough to the climate challenge, then we risk over-shooting the 2°C increase in global temperature beyond which life on Earth may become "dangerous". The effects of such a jolt to the planet's thermostat could trigger a set of chain reactions.
Upsetting crucial processes of pollination in plant species and instability of marine ecosystems are just a few of the unwanted effects ahead if we do not react quickly enough.
The positive news is that measures to avert the worst effects of climate change can also lead to less pollution with better health as a result. Consumers can opt for a lower carbon footprint by choosing from products competing for the friendliest solution. Using a washing powder designed to wash clothes effectively at cooler temperatures is one of the many small steps that will help reduce future global warming and reduce electric bills too.
A one per cent decrease in the temperature of a heated or air-conditioned room is reflected in a decrease in the electricity bill up to 10 per cent. The EU building directive on energy efficiency for public spaces over 1,000 square metres will be tough to meet. Active as of next January, the directive offers the positive aspect of an increase in the value of the building.
Adaptation has always been the key to survival in difficult times. Tourism in the shoulder months may enjoy a spurt when Maltese summers get too hot to sustain current influx.
Malta's long term forecast of less rainfall (as rising sea water seeps into the fragile aquifer store) calls for a firm water policy over the present weak approach to water management. Experts agree that difficult times ahead will put a premium on getting water policy and tariffs right.
Last month the benefits of blending strategies which respond to climate change with policies on sustainable development were discussed at the United Nations. The cost of getting it right has been worked out as a mere three per cent reduction in growth of GDP between now and 2030.
Michael Zammit Cutajar has headed the UN framework convention on climate change since 1991. Although officially retired he will be chairing talks between the two major culprits for greenhouse gases - China and the US.
It is essential that the two countries are reined in on a separate but parallel track to post-2012 Kyoto discussions, or Europe risks isolation. Rapid growth in the developing world will cancel out any measures the US might take unless countries like China are committed to post-Kyoto discussions.
Presentations by Vanya Walker Leigh and other speakers on tourism's response to climate change can be viewed on the Meerea website.
An innovative process for water recycling in hotels was described by engineer Marco Cremona.
razammit@hotmail.com