Gozo can become carbon-neutral before Malta 2050 target, says MEP

Labour MEP Miriam Dalli and the Gozo Business Chamber agree that business sustainability can help Gozo retain its unique features and attract specific economic niche markets for the sister island.

Dalli and the Gozo Business Chamber discussed ideas on how Gozo can be geared towards being an island that serves as a testing ground for innovative solutions that can help achieve decarbonisation.

Amongst the ideas discussed were electrification and Zero Emission Vehicles, solar power technology, teleworking options, and other innovative technologies that are being tested with the aim of being rolled out on the market.

The health pandemic is having its effects on Gozitan business as well. According to official figures, the number of passengers travelling between Malta and Gozo during the second quarter this year went down by 63% when compared to the corresponding quarter in 2019. The numbers started picking up again in the summer months.

“This proactive way of thinking can put Gozo in the forefront of European targets. Although the EU aims to be climate-neutral by 2050, this target can be reached before in Gozo, thanks to its small size, with clear willingness and direction by all,” Dalli said.

The Gozo Chamber and Dalli exchanged tangible examples of how this can be obtained, such as by testing the use of widespread electric vehicles, promoting remote working across the island and the idea of incentives to help attract specific industries to Gozo.

These ideas were discussed in the context of a climate-neutral economy that will eventually produce net-zero greenhouse gas emissions; an objective that is at the heart of the European Green Deal. It was agreed that whilst being a challenge, this transition can create an opportunity for a better future.

Dalli paid a visit to Farmers Foods, a Gozitan family-owned business that is striving to do business in an innovative and sustainable way. Patrons explained their no-waste policy, whereby tomato peels and seeds are returned to farmers to provide nutrients for their soil or to feed animals. Seasonal local vegetables are used in order to produce genuine Gozitan products, that are in turn sold to local businesses and consumers or exported.

Dalli urged the importance of supporting local and for Gozitan businesses to think in a long-term manner, to make their businesses resilient against the various challenges that they will inevitably face.