Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1093354
18 maltatoday EXECUTIVE EDITOR Matthew Vella MANAGING EDITOR Saviour Balzan Letters to the Editor, MaltaToday, Vjal ir-Rihan, San Gwann SGN 9016 E-mail: dailynews@mediatoday.com.mt Letters must be concise, no pen names accepted, include full name and address maltatoday | SUNDAY • 17 MARCH 2019 18 March 2009 Stop criticising Libya - Carm Mifsud Bonnici JUSTICE and Home Affairs Carm Mifsud Bon- nici yesterday launched an impassioned plea in parliament – apparently aimed at the Opposi- tion, but understood to also refer to officials within his own Nationalist Party – to desist from criticising Libya over its questionable handling of the immigration phenomenon. Speaking on the second and final day of the immigration debate, Mifsud Bonnici urged Libya's detractors to moderate their tone. "It is a mistake to speak out against Libya in this issue," he said in response to Joseph Muscat's 20-point action plan, presented in parliament yester- day. "We recognise that immigration is also a problem for Libya, and we are doing our bit by putting pressure on Europe to offer more aid to Libya to help it control its borders." His plea came only days after Nationalist MEP candidate Frank Portelli launched a stinging at- tack on Libya's role in the ongoing human traf- ficking racket behind irregular immigration; and also after government backbencher Jeffrey Pul- licino Orlando repeatedly urged the government to act tougher with its neighbour to the south. These and other comments from Nationalist Party sources are understood to be the cause of diplomatic tension between the two govern- ments, resulting in the minister responsible for immigration taking the opportunity to publicly praise Libya for its efforts to bring the situation under control. But the bulk of Mifsud Bonnici's intervention was aimed at defending his own government's track record, under attack by Op- position leader Joseph Muscat, who claimed on Monday that "not enough" was being done about immigration. "I am surprised the Opposition leader, in his 19-point plan, forgot to include important fac- tors such as repatriation; the need to pursue agreements with third countries to accept re- turned migrants; the 'laisser passer'...." (referring to a travel document issued by the United Na- tions). The minister hinted that the Opposition's plan was "hurried" and poorly thought-through. "Nonetheless I welcome that we are having this debate; but there is need to tackle such a complex and sensitive issue at greater depth." Mifsud Bonnici also insisted that a "quota sys- tem", of the kind suggested by the Labour party, was not workable in practice. "What will we do when we reach our quota? Put up a 'no vacancy' sign at sea? Do we let them drown?" Evidently nettled by Muscat's comments about a government which "lacks a backbone", Mifsud Bonnici countered that "having a back- bone" also meant not trading in one's principles for short-term electoral gain. This, he added, is what the Labour party appeared to be doing when it uttered statements and made proposals that seemed to come straight out of a manifesto of an extreme right-wing political party. MaltaToday 10 years ago Quote of the Week Humanity's inevitable fate Editorial ''Someone who finds merits in the deadly fascist regimes of the past is unworthy to remain President of the European Parliament.'' MEP Philippe Lamberts hits out at Antonio Tajani over comments that praised part of Benito Mussolini's Legacy FRIDAY'S 'strike' by Maltese students, over global inaction in the face of climate change, could not have arrived a minute too soon. Malta University students joined thousands of students and youths in 92 other countries, by marching towards Parliament in Valletta to demand that government, authorities and all stakeholders take the necessary action to halt – or at least slow down – climate change. It is particularly apt that this initiative should have been spearheaded by students, and youth in general. This is the generation that has been bequeathed a poisoned planet… one which now may soon become uninhabit- able, unless drastic action is taken. It is also an issue that the younger generation clearly takes more seriously than their elders: not merely for the obvious reason – i.e., that it is their future that has been compromised – but also because they themselves are not respon- sible for the present situation. Yet they will be the ones to face the conse- quences. Ultimately, then, this is more than just an environmental issue. It is also a ques- tion of justice. We thirst for the altruism of the young, and the inter-generational justice that must be delivered for the mess that we and those be- fore us have made of climate change. Nothing short of radical global action is required. Malta is generally not considered to be a contributor to global climate change and emissions, if only by way of its minuscule physical/geographical footprint. But arguably, a lot could be said about its global footprint as one of the world's larg- est shipping registers; its role in regulating another energy-hungry industry, the crypto- currency market; and as well its role, tiny though somewhat significant, in global tax avoidance. As things stand, carbon emissions from ships at sea will only be regulated for the first time now, following a historic agreement to halve shipping's greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 – an agreement that requires an energy revolution in the sector, as ships are over- whelmingly fuelled by heavy oils at present. Given the urgency of tackling climate change, even these targets may not be enough. Greenhouse gas emissions from shipping and aviation – which only account for 2% of carbon emissions – were omitted from the 1997 Kyoto protocol and have been excluded from regulations on carbon ever since, even though shipping is used for 80% of global trade. But the point here is: who pays for our much-needed transition towards cleaner fu- els and reduced carbon emissions and inter- national mitigation measures against climate change, if not the corporations and industries that are part of the global trading system that produces man-made climate change? The same can easily be said of bitcoin and the international cryptocurrency market: bitcoins are "mined" by computers that are constantly working to solve ever more com- plex algorithms to verify transactions. This process is computationally demanding, with heavy hardware requirements, but the elusive nature of this process means that determin- ing its carbon footprint can prove compli- cated. The demand such currencies place on the energy system are enormous, and this drives up carbon emissions which in turn add to the overall global warming effect. Based on a conservative appraisal, a team from the University of Hawaii at Manoa found that the cumulative emissions from bitcoin would be enough to push global warming beyond 2C in 22 years. If the average rate of technology uptake is used instead, this number is closer to 16 years. And once again, the cost of climate change – the ravages on infrastructure, the effects it will have on global transport and logis- tics, food stocks, the demand for energy, the mitigation measures it will provoke – will have to be funded by national governments. It stands to reason that in a global trading system where tax piracy is legalised, allowing tax revenues to be channelled to tax havens and 'financial centres' such as London, the Netherlands, Cyprus or Malta, will mean less money for governments to fund the climate transition. This global race to the bottom only under- pins the complex relationship between the global capitalist system and climate change: mitigating the far-reaching effects of climate change can only start by targeting capitalism, by bringing polluting industries to heel, mak- ing them pay for their role in greenhouse gas emissions, and by ensuring a level-playing field on taxation rather than encouraging piratical policies to siphon off tax revenues from other countries. This generation of striking students is the first to demand that inter-generational jus- tice be made for the indifference and hostility of those that came before them, and the pas- sivity of us who see them take to the streets. These people have been failed, and by the same token we have also failed generations to come, who now are bequeathed the legacy of irreversible climate change. No amount of greenwash, anti-littering campaigns, or solipsistic attempts at individ- ualistic behavioural changes will change the ticking time-bomb of climate change. Only global, governmental reforms can do that… if they are designed at mitigating the effects of climate change, and forcing the transition away from carbon to cleaner fuels, to reduce our dependency on fossil fuels, and to suc- cour our basic life system, will do. And this time, failure is really not an op- tion.