Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1478813
9 NEWS maltatoday | SUNDAY • 11 SEPTEMBER 2022 how Malta plans to go green transport for schoolchildren who are chaperoned by two adults one acting as the driver who leads and the other as a conductor who follows as stu- dents walk to school along a set route, with designated stops at which students are picked and dropped. The document also hints at greater use of information tech- nology to rationalise road use. Yet in the absence of decisions on which kind of mass trans- portation system is ideal for Malta, such proposals sound a bit cosmetic. 5. Access to rooftops for solar panels The document very vaguely promises "efforts" to address various challenges related to the legal access to rooftops, shading by other properties and con- flicts with other uses for roof- tops, as well as aesthetic issues. It is unclear how this measure will be implemented in view of planning rules which have fa- cilitated the approval of pent- houses on most new apartment blocks. 6. Planting compensatory saplings to be least preferred option In a clear reversal of present practice of compensating the loss of mature trees with sap- lings grown in green patches far away from local communities, the document clearly states that "planting saplings as compensa- tion in other areas where they would not provide any benefits to the community affected by the project will be considered the least preferred option". Instead, priority will be given to increasing the tree canopy ar- ea in public open spaces where they would provide the most benefits to local communities. Moreover, existing policies will be revised, and new ones devel- oped as necessary, to valorise existing mature trees, through their integration within all in- frastructural and major projects affecting public open spaces. Efforts will also be made to de- fine a percentage allocation of such projects' footprint to tree planting. Should existing ma- ture trees be present on the site of a project, tree policies will favour their retention, followed by their transplanting to a suit- able nearby site when possible. 7. Resurrecting extinct species With regards to protecting bio diversity the document makes a brief and curious reference to the "re-introduction of extinct species and reinforcement of populations of endangered spe- cies" but is short on detail on this aspect. More concretely it foresees the creation of a biobanking facili- ty for plant species established with a view to counteract biodi- versity loss. A national plan for the conservation of wild food plants is also envisaged with the aim of reducing the loss of biodiversity important for food production, agriculture, and the development of production sys- tems resilient to climate change. 8. Fish farms can be good for conservation The document suggests that "some of the pressure on wild seafood stocks can also be re- lieved by diverting the exist- ing demand to farmed fish and other seafood" but makes no reference to tuna penning which involves the fattening of captured wildlife. Yet it reaffirms the commit- ment to ensure that aquacul- ture facilities operate in an environmentally sustainable manner. The strategy also reit- erates the commitment to limit fishing in Marine Protection Areas to create reservoirs of bi- odiversity. 9. Land reclamation still lurks in the background. The strategy states that "ma- jor projects of national interest that generate a large amount of construction and demoli- tion waste will be assessed in terms of recovery and recycling targets" but at the same time leaves a window open for a quick fix solution, namely land reclamation by adding that these should also be assessed in terms of a still to be published "land reclamation" policy. 10. Recognising Comino's limitations The document hints at "a spe- cific focus on the coastal and marine areas around Comino" which gives priority to the "is- let's opportunities and limi- tations" and "its landscapes, seascapes and nature" will be taken into consideration to en- able growth in "a resource-effi- cient and environmentally sus- tainable manner." But once again it falls short of any commitment to establish a carrying capacity for visitors to the ecologically sensitive islet. 11. Malta has not given up on finding oil or gas Despite the looming climate crisis triggered by the burning of fossil fuels, the document refers to "potential growth" in "hydrocarbon exploration" in Maltese waters. Vaguely the document says that it should be "ensured that these activities respect envi- ronmental considerations and long-term sustainability." Awkwardly oil and gas explo- ration are mentioned along the growth potential of offshore floating wind turbines and so- lar PVs in maximizing the po- tential of Malta's blue econo- my.