Malta needs an ambitious global mitigation strategy, a top climate expert has warned, amid concerns that rising sea levels would contaminate the aquifer in future.

In an island vulnerable to water stress, lower rainfall would mean Malta would have to adopt a strict water policy, according to Michael Zammit Cutajar, a former executive secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and currently an EU negotiator. Mr Cutajar was addressing the first national climate change and global warming conference organised by the Fondazzjoni Tumas Fenech għall-Edukazzjoni fil-Ġurnaliżmu.

"Global emissions must peak by 2020 and halve by 2050 to a 1990 baseline," he told those present.

He recommended transforming energy use by investing in energy-saving equipment and developing cleaner technologies. He underlined the need for education and investment in energy-saving equipment.

MEP Louis Grech pointed out that the EU budget was insufficient to tackle climate change, with €60 billion needed to address this issue. There was no integrated policy, no budget line and no funding, he said.