Climate change threat: Government focused on 'cosmetic projects and gimmicks'

A number of organisations have hit out against the government for carrying out "cosmetic projects and PR stunts" rather than properly tackling climate change.

In a joint statement, the organisations said “precious time” has been wasted by policy makers, as they have repeatedly missed targets on greenhouse gas emissions, renewable energy production, and waste management.

“This is now costing us our quality of life, and will increasingly continue to do so for future generations in Malta,” they said.

The organisations’ statement follows a report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which showed that ongoing emissions of damaging greenhouse gases could see a key temperature limit broken in just over a decade.

The IPCC’s document confidently states that “it is unequivocal that human influence has warmed the atmosphere, oceans and land”, with the United Nations Secretary General António Guterres describing the report as “a code red for humanity”.

The organisations called out ministers for occupying themselves with “cosmetic projects and PR stunts while missing previously set targets by a mile.”

“Rather than tackling ultimate causes, the Government launches expensive projects of questionable intentions and doubtful results,” they said, referring to the recently announced carbon-neutral park in Kalkara.

“High maintenance “carbon neutral” gimmicks, whose carbon costs of production and upkeep are not factored in, take the place of serious environment conservation and restoration - rewilding is more effective at climate change mitigation.”

The organisations also said “to add insult to injury”, government persists in allowing activities most damaging to the local climate and biodiversity to continue and flourish unhindered.

“Cementing private car dependency, promoting over-construction which accentuates the urban heat island effect and uses unsustainable materials (cement production accounts for 27% of global CO2 emissions), authorising rampant soil sealing by private and public ventures, not seriously addressing water scarcity and food security issues due to worsen, jeopardising the natural terrestrial and marine environments which could act as a carbon sink, and making no real commitment to halt biodiversity loss,” they said.

The statement concluded by saying that while Malta’s role in global emissions may be insignificant, it is no excuse to avoid launching serious mitigation and adaptation measures that ensure some quality of life for current and future generations living on the Maltese Islands.

“The current greenwashing and a “business as usual” attitude points to poor governance unwilling to recognise the challenges ahead,” they said.

The statement was endorsed by: ACT Malta, Attard Residents Environmental Network (AREN), BirdLife Malta, Din l-Art Ħelwa, Extinction Rebellion Malta, Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar, Friends of the Earth Malta, MaYA Foundation, Moviment Graffitti, Nature Trust Malta, ORCA Malta, Rota, The Archaeological Society Malta, The Biological Conservation Research Foundation, BICREF, The 'Grow 10 Trees' Project and The Ramblers’ Association of Malta.

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