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MALTATODAY 28 November 2018 Midweek

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NEWS maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 28 NOVEMBER 2018 8 DAVID HUDSON MALTA is setting positive trends in the environmental sector but the problems it faces now and in the near future are associated with rapid population growth, according to the State of the Environment Report. Tabled in Parliament recently, the report was drawn up by the Environment and Resources Authority and it covers seven years of data. At a seminar on the report held yesterday in Għajn Tuffieħa, Eu- ropean Environment Agency expert Kees Schotten praised Malta for its strategy. "At the European level we want to do what Malta is already practising, to go from a problem-oriented report to a solution-oriented re- port," he said. Claire Cordina Borg, Unit Manager at ERA quoted statis- tics from 70 sets of indicators. "40% of species and 43% of habi- tats of community importance have a favourable conversation status," she said and mentioned how this was an improvement on previous years. Marine quality Very few contaminants were found in inland surface waters during the seven-year period, with 93% of all samples being of bathing water quality, she said. The majority of natural coast water bodies are considered to be in a good ecological status, showing a generally low level of nutrients. Mercury was the common contaminant detected in all sampling stations, usually due to naturally occurring background levels of mercury in the Medi- terranean. Environmental health The EU's Schools Indoor Pol- lution and Health Unit (SIN- PHONIE) observed how pupils within classrooms facing roads are facing an increased risk of exhaled carbon monoxide levels and higher incidents of recur- rent wheezing. In 2015, the stock of licensed motor vehicles reached almost 350,000 with an estimated 1.24 inhabitants per vehicle. "There continues to be an urgent need to make public transport alter- natives a reliable and attractive alternative to private car use," the report said. Consumption and waste In 2015, Malta's production of waste was at an all-time high and in a seven-year period produced 155,481 tonnes of waste. In 2015 alone, Malta produced 16,569 tonnes of hazardous waste. This amount has increased over a short amount of time. The debilitating factor is the fact that Malta only recycles 7% of all its waste. Malta also saw an all-time high in the consumption of billed electricity in 2015, owing to a significant increase in popula- tion. Between 2008 and 2015, billed electricity consump- tion increased from 1,665.2 to 2,032.9 gigawatt hours, an in- crease of 22.1%. Land development 2008 was the year where most planning permits were approved for apartments, maisonettes, and terraced houses. The figure was close to 7,000. In 2015, however, 35.6% of the permits were granted on virgin land. "The cumulative impact of development on the limited virgin land is cause for concern," the report said. The year 2015 also registered, however, the highest number of converted dwellings since 2000. The exemption of stamp duty for first-time buyers could part- ly explain such an increase and points towards a positive reori- entation of the construction sec- tor towards rehabilitation. In 2015, the percentage of total virgin land stood at 35.6%. Climate Change According to the report, Mal- ta's number of infringements had decreased considerably since 2009 with only two active infringements in 2015. As of 2016, 3,481 jobs were all related to the green economy, making up nearly 2% of total employment. Despite these efforts, a strong- er warming trend of +0.38°C per decade was observed for the an- nual mean minimum tempera- ture. Warmer nights are becom- ing increasingly common. Even surface temperatures of Maltese waters are increasing by +0.35°C per decade. "The pres- ence of alien marine species has also been mainly attributed to the general warming trend of the Mediterranean," the report said. Over the period 1981-2015, the total yearly precipitation showed a negative trend with a rate of decline of -6.3mm per decade. Despite the general consen- sus being that this was a posi- tive report evincing positive trends, the report also showed that Malta continues to suffer the effects of the exacerbation of environmental health due to increasing number of cars on the road, the creation of unsus- tainable amounts of waste and the loss of virgin land as a con- sequence of an expanding and needy demographic. Malta's environmental problems stem from increased population MATTHEW AGIUS A man who was permanently stripped of his hunting licence after he had been found guilty of illegally keeping speci- mens of protected bird species has been punished further after also being convicted of giving false evidence dur- ing his trial. Nathaniel Agius, of Sannat, Gozo, had been convicted in 2015 of possessing specimens of Marsh Sandpipers and Spotted Crakes, both protected species. The court of Magistrates in Gozo had heard how Agius had initially told the authorities that the birds were his, say- ing he had been unaware that the Spot- ted Crake was a protected bird and that the Marsh Sandpiper had been caught by his dog while out hunting. But whilst testifying, he had told the court that the birds were old specimens belonging to his grandparents and that he had lied about catching them to pro- tect his grandmother. "I didn't want my grandma to get into any trouble. She never has and she's not going to start at eighty!" he had said. But the court of Magistrates in Go- zo, presided by magistrate Joe Mifsud had not been convinced that the birds were that old. Noting that the man had given a detailed account of how he had caught the birds to officers at the time of his arrest, the court had been clear: "The court did not believe... the ac- cused when he said the birds were his grandfather's and today he wants to act the Knight to avoid worrying his grand- mother and avoid her having to testify in court. At the time of arrest he had told the police the birds were his." In addition to an €8,000 fine and the revo- cation of his licence, Magistrate Mifsud noted that he had given false testimony and ordered a transcript of his depo- sition and that of the prosecuting of- ficers be sent to the commissioner of police for further action, leading to the charges in the case decided yesterday. Although it was initially considered, the court eventually opted not to sum- mon the grandmother to the stand. In a sentence handed down yesterday, the Gozo Court of Appeal, presided by magistrate Joanne Vella Cuschieri ob- served that before magistrate Mifsud, the man had said that it had been the police's advice that he not mention his grandmother and before the Court of Appeal he had claimed that his lawyer had suggested it to him. "In the circumstances, when the ac- cused repeatedly told the police, both orally and in writing, and after consult- ing a lawyer, that the birds were his and that he had killed the Spotted Crake himself whilst the Marsh Sandpiper had died in captivity, the first court was fully entitled to accept as truth what he had said to the police and reject as un- true that which he had testified before the first court." "This apart from the fact that it is very strange that at first the accused was ready to sacrifice himself to cover for his grandmother but then when taken to court some months later, this altru- istic attitude towards his 80-year-old grandmother vanished and he began to point his finger at her." In its considerations on punishment, the court took into consideration the nature of the crime with which the ac- cused was being charged and that it had not been provided with a copy of his criminal record. The accused ought to be given the opportunity to change his life's course and start taking criminal law and its consequences seriously before it is too late, said the magistrate. Agius was sentenced to two years' im- prisonment, suspended for four years and was placed under a 10-year general interdiction. Inspector Bernard Charles Spiteri prosecuted. Hunter, stripped of licence in 2015, also guilty of lying to court, magistrate rules The hunter, who had lost his licence after being found guilty of illegally keeping protected bird specimens, has now been convicted of giving false evidence

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