Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1378870
11 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 30 MAY 2021 OPINION The Maltese climate emergency joke should be held directly respon- sible for those fatalities… and (more bizarrely still) to extend that guilt also to other trees of the same species, in other localities, which have never caused even the slightest traf- fic mishap, in all the 70 years they've been standing there… … I don't know. That's tak- ing public credulity just slightly too much for granted, wouldn't you say? But still: statistics are sta- tistics; and in this case, they translate directly into two deaths caused by the presence of a tree in a particular locality, over an indeterminate period of time. Now, let's look at the corre- sponding figures for people who get killed - directly or in- directly – by cars in this coun- try on a yearly basis. Suffice it to say that, accord- ing to NSO statistics released in 2019, the number of traf- fic fatalities in Malta averages out at around 13 a year: that is to say, more or less one every three weeks. Compared to the figure of on- ly two, in as long as such statis- tics have been recorded… well, I'd say it means your chances of being killed by a motorist are exponentially higher than your chances of ever being killed (or in any way harmed) by any number of trees, of any species whatsoever. And that statistic, by the way, is only concerned with people who have died in traffic acci- dents. If you were to extend the argument also to people who have died – and continue to die, day in, day out - as a result of respiratory problems caused by traffic-induced pollution… … suddenly, the figures start assuming almost genocide pro- portions. For instance: in May this year, a study by The Cen- tre of Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) concluded that "on average in Malta more than 500 people die premature- ly every year due to air pollu- tion alone…" And just to leave us in no doubt whatsoever that most of this deadly pollution is, in fact, caused by traffic… the same study observes that: "air pollution fell drastically dur- ing COVID-19 outbreak re- strictions in Malta, and so did asthma attacks; possibly due to both decrease in air pollution and restrictive measures…" As we all know from our own personal experience (and al- so thanks to the above-quoted NSO report), those restrictive measures directly resulted in a near-total absence of traf- fic from Maltese roads, for a stretch of several months. And not only did we all feel the benefits, just by taking a deep breath of fresh air… but it would not be an exaggera- tion to add that some people actually managed to live just a tiny bit longer than they would have, had there been no drop in traffic at all. Not, of course, that we actu- ally needed the confirmation… but there you have it, in a nut- shell. More traffic (and fewer trees) directly results in hun- dreds of deaths each year… and that, I hasten to add, is not an opinion of mine; but a scientif- ically confirmed fact. Conversely, it follows that hundreds of lives could be saved, simply by reducing traf- fic, and increasing the number of trees (which, in case nobody's noticed, happen to be around the only things in the entire country that are actually trying to mitigating all that air pollu- tion, and make our air slightly less harmful to breathe). So what do we do, when con- fronted with this incontrovert- ible, self-evident truth? Why, we remove every single tree, at every single opportunity, of course; in order to replace them with wider roads…. for more cars… to produce more pollution… to needlessly kill as many people as humanly possi- ble, without directly murdering them ourselves... Honestly, though. What could possibly be more logical, and sensible, than that…? IN October 2019 the Maltese Parliament voted in favour of a non-binding, legal- ly sterile resolution declaring a 'climate emergency'. A fictitious emergency, be- cause what an emergency means in places other than in Malta is that decisive, con- crete, and urgent action is taken to tackle that very emergency. In the meantime PLPN politicians spout the usual rhetoric, running with the hares and hunting with the hounds, and plant- ing stories in the press of how 'green' they are. They forget to say how the acceler- ator on savage development was pressed down hard in 2006, followed by a change to a 'faster car' in 2013 – again with the accelerator pressed down hard. When they speak about energy, they go on and on about the price of the fu- el of the moment – oil, gas or what- not, and fail to mention the huge investment needed to change our ener- gy sector to a truly modern, sustaina- ble and green one. They go on and on about interconnec- tors, when a local, sustainable energy industry is a must – for various reasons, including jobs. They go on and on about 'nice roads', while neglecting to mention that people are getting sick from pollu- tion, and that the 'car is king' mentality is one of our major issues which needs tack- ling immediately. In the European Parliament, we have Nationalists Roberta Metsola and David Casa, following the EPP position voting to dilute climate action, voting to allow polluters to pollute, and to sabotage 2030 climate targets. They are joined in press- ing the brakes in climate action by EU governments including our own Maltese government led by Robert Abela. While the EPP-dominated Commission, the EPP group and EU governments contin- ue to show a lack of ambition despite the real and present climate crisis, at least a majority in the European Parliament con- tinue to call for the EU to increase its 2030 energy efficiency target to 40% and make this binding. The naysayers, and friends of polluters in the EPP want to retain an in- effective, and shamefully low 27% target. In October 2020 the EU Climate Law approved by the EP called for a 60% re- duction in carbon emissions by 2030. Here again, the law is already rather weak. A 65% reduction is what science tells us we must achieve. Unfortunately the EPP sought to weaken the law further by keep- ing targets even lower. Leaked documents outed their attempt to shift responsibili- ty of climate action from polluters in the EU to poorer countries through dodgy 'carbon offsetting'. In the words of Green- peace, the pro-polluter EPP sought to push "developing countries to plant trees just so that dirty corporations can continue polluting". All the local pho- to-ops and wise cracks on Facebook will not change one thing. Despite the posturing and pos- ing, massive reduc- tions in emissions are desperately needed according to the latest science. These reductions will also generate economic and em- ployment benefits, while improving our quality of life. Back to the 'dis- cussion' on ener- gy in Malta. The PN keeps defending BWSC and heavy fuel oil 'because it was cheaper', and PL mess up the transition to gas and to re- newables thanks to a longterm contract with the corrupt Azerbaijani regime and Labour's star Konrad Mizzi taking 5,000 dollars a day together with his mentor Keith Schembri. The Nationalists sing the praises of the interconnector, as if relying totally on a non-local source of energy is a good idea, while Labour fails to make en- ergy efficiency, zero-carbon buildings the gold standard. The discussion is now ridiculously fo- cussed on whether electricity bills should be paid every two months or over a year instead of on energy efficiency, zero car- bon and the benefits of locally generated clean energy. Industrial, transport, tour- ism and economic policy should all have one aim: that of cutting carbon emissions quick. The move to clean, renewable en- ergy remains weak and slow. Greenwash rules. Ralph Cassar Ralph Cassar is secretary-general, ADPD All the local photo-ops and wise cracks on Facebook will not change one thing. Despite the posturing and posing, massive reductions in emissions are desperately needed according to the latest science