The biggest question of all regarding the climate issue is: How does one start fixing the climatic changes which are destroying our planet? The second one comes in direct connection with the first one: How can we do something about it in our own country?
Well, I say that if every soul living on planet earth does its part without looking at its own self interest then, for sure, we would not be living in a state of emergency like we are in today.
On a global scale things are very worrying. The Copenhagen summit came and went and with it the high hopes of millions of people around the world. A number of small nations, which looked at this summit with optimistic hopes, were surely left disappointed. For today we know well that climate health comes in direct collision with our own survival. Unfortunately, as most industrialised nations attending the summit have yet again placed their national financial interests before this international issue, Copenhagen has turned into just another climatic bartering exercise.
But can the human race afford that global politicians fool around with this serious universal problem? The planet is sending us very clear signals. If we are not seeing them or pretend not to for the sake of our own interest then it will be the second biggest mistake ever made in the history of the world.
All over the planet we are experiencing massive weather phenomena, temperatures and weather anomalies that are leading to a number of worrying factors. Nature is coming back with a vengeance and the price to pay is our very own survival. Politicians can argue how much they want about the issue but the reality of the present will not be solved by simple rhetoric. Our planet is sick and the only cure for it is us. We ignore it and we will pay the price. We accept it and work on it and there will be a ray of hope.
It is only with this reasoning and nothing else that we can save our planet. If you ever dreamt of saving the world, now here's your chance. Politicians around the world need to understand that if without a strong economy there is no business and, therefore, no prosperity, then without a healthy planet there would be neither any economic hope nor a chance for prosperity.
We need to heal or otherwise we will perish. If politicians do not understand this scenario then it means their political will is weak and they are not seeking the planet's interest but their own.
There are many people around the world who argue that the climate change issue is just a myth and what is happening around us is just a normal process of earth's cycles. Or is it? In scientific terms it is true that the earth passes through these so-called "phases of change" but it is also true that since the industrial revolution these phases of change have multiplied by 100 times. When a phase of change happens naturally, it is referred as being in harmony with nature but when a phase of change is triggered by human interference that is definitely not in harmony with human nature and, therefore, not normal.
Presently, the scientific consensuses on climate change is that human activity is very likely the cause for the rapid increase in global average temperatures over the past several decades. Consequently, the debate has largely shifted onto ways to reduce further human impact and to find ways to adapt to change that has already occurred. Of most concern in these anthropogenic factors is the increase in CO₂ levels due to emissions from combustion by, for example, power stations and car emissions, followed by (particulate matter in the atmosphere) and manufacture.
In Malta, we have quite a package of these environmental law-breakers and they are the main cause of quite a number of social problems: from an increasing number of serious health-related cases, due to poor air quality and unhygienic bathing areas, to the traffic-related problems created mostly by the numerous monstrous cranes and trucks.
What seems to be compliant for a few fat businessmen might absolutely not be good for the rest of the Maltese nation. When we refer to our nation we do not refer to the rock foundations but to the people who live on it. The same people who are sharing their daily lives with the natural environment because, if there is no harmony between the two, problems will surely raise which will ultimately affect both in a lethal manner.
Proclaiming Gozo an eco island is very good, if that is put into practice, but what about Malta? Does Malta deserve to be treated any less then its lovely sister island? The government needs to inject a serious dose of political will to restore the environmental order that is now found under a critical pulse. From Birżebbuġa and Marsaxlokk to Sliema and all the way to Mellieħa, including the surrounding coastal waters, a serious environmental restoration programme needs to be put into practice as we speak if we really want to be credible about the health of our natural environment and that of our people.