Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1468438
maltatoday | SUNDAY • 22 MAY 2022 13 OPINION Refuelling Europe when climate change is the real pandemic ON May 1, Workers Day, I penned an opinion called "Bring- ing Workers' Rights into the Fu- ture". In it, I noted that as a so- ciety we need to work towards a culture of collectivism and not individualism in order to ensure the wellbeing of society. My piece was penned with workers' rights in mind, and I firmly stand behind the idea that this is imperative in order to ensure that not only the plight of the most vulnerable in our society is improved, but that we all move forward. Collectivism is the view that we can live better, as individuals, by ensuring cohesiveness amongst ourselves and by prioritizing our wellbeing as a group. I am a firm believer in the idea that if you set the standard to cater for the most vulnerable in that society, everyone will benefit. Many will argue that this is something that should be applicable only to em- ployment and social rights, but it is becoming increasingly evident that this viewpoint should be applicable for multiple forms of governance, including and espe- cially climate governance. Climate change is the real pan- demic of our time. The global effects of climate change are being felt with alarm- ing frequency by, for example, freak fires, floods and extreme weather conditions affecting places across the globe from Aus- tralia to the Mediterranean. The earth is begging us to take action, and to do it immediately. This is where collectivism comes in. We cannot fight climate change alone as individuals. Not as sin- gular individuals, not as individ- ual states and definitely not as individual continents. What we need to fight climate change is collective governance – and we need it now. Climate change means radical change However to ensure good and effective climate governance, we need to think and act differently. We need to reformulate the way that we do the things that allow us to function, and sometimes change the foundations on which our society is built. This is indeed a radical idea, one that invokes much fear among many of us. But if the planet that we are on is not surviving, then our foundations have nothing to stand on. When I say that we need to rethink the way we function, I mean that we need to rethink three main things: the way we create, consume and move. We need to create in a way that can be reused, not just recycled, and we need to consume in a way which reflects sustainability not squander. Rethinking the way we move Out of the three functions where we need radical change, the one which to me is most imperative is that of rethinking the way we move. When I am in Malta, I make it my mission to rethink the way I get around the island. If I have to move between my home- town of Sliema to a nearby town like St Julian's, I will use a bike or scooter. If I have to travel to a town a little bit further off, such as Msida or Valletta, I will take the bus or preferably, the ferry. If I travel outside of these areas, I will use a car. The change took some getting used to, but I know that my individual decision has an impact on the bigger picture – especially if more and more peo- ple choose to do this. I will ad- mit: it is a challenge to get other people to commit to this lifestyle change, especially as we are not there yet in terms of transport in- frastructure. In the next five years, we will be seeing the Government embark on this journey slowly but surely, in order to transition our coun- try away from dependence on mobility choices which pollute, towards choices which reduce. As an avid believer in this goal, I would encourage Government to invest more in short voyage ferry trips across the island as a mobil- ity solution. The government in- itiative to increase the number of ferry crossings across the island has been a clear breath of fresh air for so many citizens, especial- ly those residing in the southern harbour region needing to travel to the country's capital every day. But what happens at a local lev- el is only one part of the chain of change. In order to fight climate change through sustainable mo- bility, we also need to return to source by rethinking the way mobility is fuelled. Earlier last month, the European Parliament Environmental Committee voted on a set of recommendations to the European Commission on the Refuel EU initiative. The in- itiative is based on two proposals – one dealing with sustainable aviation fuels, and the other deal- ing with sustainable maritime fuels. The European Commission es- timates that transport emissions need to decrease by 90% by 2050 in order for us to hit our climate neutrality targets. To do this, the Commission is proposing an ini- tiative which would mandate fuel suppliers to blend a minimum volume percentage of 63% of sus- tainable aviation fuel in the avia- tion fuel supply by 2050. Similarly, the Commission's second proposal aims to reduce the average carbon intensity in maritime fuels by at least 40% by 2030 and 70% in 2050 and to cut total maritime emissions by at least 50% by 2050. Without taking such drastic action (de- spite the fact that I would have preferred to see more ambitious targets) the EU will not be able to ensure the International Mar- itime Organisation 2050 aims, and the Green Deal targets will not be met. In all of this, while my position is to have the most ambitious policies at Union level, I also want the EU to cater for the spe- cific realities of islands and outer most regions. Keeping consumers at the core through a just transition While doing this, the European Union and Member States need to constantly keep consumers in mind. We cannot move towards the decarbonisation of the mar- itime and shipping sectors without also ensuring that our policies keep transportation affordable and accessible for all of us in society. We cannot compromise on that, because if the COVID-19 pandemic has taught us anything it is that travel and transportation are essential parts of our lives. This is why collectivism in the climate cause is so important. If we are to reach our climate goals and create a sustainable future, we need to work collectively. But if we are expected to work col- lectively, we must have the same opportunity to do so. Affordability is key here and this is why as Socialists and Demo- crats in the European Parliament we call for a Just Transition – to ensure that no one is left behind. Higher costs for consumers in or- der to counter the cost of carbon and climate neutrality is not an option. We need to ensure polluter pay principles are in place, to make sure that it is those most respon- sible for the deterioration of our planet who are made to change their ways and be held account- able for our planet's destruction. Industry not families. Contrac- tors not workers. It is for this reason that we are emphasising on the need of a So- cial Climate Fund to help families and small businesses through this transition. No one must be left behind. The road to rectifying the dam- age that has been done will be long, and the road to ensuring a sustainable future will be even longer. But we can indeed do it, if we do it together. Through the individ- ual choices that we make when we travel from point A to point B, to the higher-level decisions on what we allow to be manufac- tured and produced, we all have a part to play in the collective chal- lenge that is climate change. Cyrus Engerer is a Labour MEP (S&D) Cyrus Engerer