It seems that now everyone is conscious on climate change and there was some correspondence lately on how to tax cars in this regard. However, there are still some misconceptions.

Carbon dioxide (CO2) is the culprit greenhouse gas that is causing some confusion! This gas is colourless and odourless and has nothing to do with the black soot we often see coming out of old or badly tuned car engines, usually diesel-type. CO2 is a product of every type of organic combustion whether old or new; it makes little difference.

A monstrous permanent 4x4 drive car with a 25L petrol engine emits more CO2 than a much smaller ordinary car, even if the latter is 20 years old. Ironically, the catalytic converter in modern cars converts the poisonous carbon monoxide into the non-toxic but highly environmentally unfriendly dioxide.

Also, what guarantee do we have that the seemingly "new" cars we see on the roads are the same cars that once rolled off the production lines from their factories? How many "new" cars have their fuel system tampered with in order to increase their performance?

With windscreens getting bigger and bigger, modern cars have become "mobile greenhouses". They have become dependent on air conditioning, which means that more CO2 is produced. It is true that the aerodynamic shape has improved so that modern cars are, in general, more streamlined than older versions. But is streamlining an issue in Malta, when you can hardly use the top (5th) gear?

So, the fairest measure that I see if we really want to tackle this issue from a climate change point of view is to measure the amount of CO2 produced in a given time from the exhaust system using special probes. Otherwise, spit out the truth. Say directly: We don't want to see old cars any longer but, for honesty's sake, don't use climate change as an excuse.

Other measures to reduce the carbon footprint are to replace street lamps with solar-powered ones. However, with buildings getting taller and taller, their effectiveness may be compromised.

Having said all this, I now turn my attention to fireworks that produce tons of CO2 into the atmosphere. If you pollute you pay. I know this is difficult to digest. One must remember that, recently, we have also added extra fireworks festivals in our calendar with Notte Bianca and Notte so and so becoming also very popular.

International experts, on the other hand, have also warned us that tourism would actually decline in the Mediterranean region due to climate change.

So, please, no excuses and stop grumbling about the heat. And, you people living in low-lying areas of Malta and Gozo, do bear in mind that seawater will some day rise and enter your houses if you do not build a wall or something.

Good luck and enjoy those fireworks!