Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1253597
maltatoday | SUNDAY • 31 MAY 2020 14 COMMERCIAL Melita supports Malta Together's Festival of Gratitude and Inspiration MELITA Ltd has continued to widen its commitment to support local initiatives during COVID-19 with the latest en- dorsement being a donation of €10,000 towards the recently held Festival of Gratitude and Inspiration organised by Mal- ta Together. Melita's support included the provision of tel- ecommunication services to- wards vulnerable families lack- ing internet at home. Mireille Muscat, Head of Marketing said: "The re- sounding success the Festival achieved is testament to the inspiring generosity towards vulnerable communities and a true gesture of appreciation towards the front liners bat- tling this pandemic. "We are thrilled that our con- tribution has helped bring a ray of light towards those most af- fected, while saluting all those who are working tirelessly to support the community during these unprecedented times." Malta Together is a com- munity website that was cre- ated to help people in Malta live their lives better during the COVID-19 pandemic, by providing access to support, activities, entertainment, and useful services for individuals, families and businesses. It aims to grow into a platform where companies, organisations, individuals and the communi- ty can support each other and make a difference in Malta. Individuals and organisations who are interested in support- ing any of the voluntary or- ganisations or be part of Malta Together, may visit the www. maltatogether.com or contact them via email on action@mal- tatogether.com. Central Bank involved in climate change research THE Central Bank of Malta, mindful of the po- tential impact of climate change on the nation- al and global economies, is actively involved at the forefront global warming research. Dr Simone Russo is a senior researcher in the Strategic Management Advisory & Research Team (SMART) in the Office of the Governor at the Central Bank of Malta. He is one of seven authors of a report on global warming and hu- man impacts of heat and cold extremes in the EU, just published by the Joint Research Cen- tre (JRC), the European Commission's science and knowledge service. The other researchers (Nauman G., Ibarreta D., Forzieri G., Girardel- lo M., and Feyen L.) are from the JRC and from the Università di Trento (Formetta G.). One of the report's findings indicates that if temperatures were to rise by 1.5°C, the num- ber of people in the EU and the UK exposed to extreme heatwaves would increase from 9.6 million to 105 million, and heatwave fatalities could rise from the present 2,750 to 30,000. The rise in human exposure to and fatalities from extreme heat is most pronounced in southern European countries. Dr Russo specialises in the development of indicators of global heatwave risk associated with global warming for future pathways of societal development. He was a co-author – with colleagues from Italy, Norway, Portugal and the US – of a re- port entitled 'Half a degree and rapid socioec- onomic development matter for heatwave risk' published in Nature Communications 10, 136 (2019). Dr Russo is also part of a team commissioned by the Network for Greening the Financial Sector (NGFS), an international initiative by 65 central banks and financial services super- visors launched in 2017 – of which the Central Bank of Malta is a member – to assess the eco- nomic impact of climate change. Dr Simone Russo