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2 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 3 DECEMBER 2023 NEWS 'Impact of global warming CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 From 1 September until Fri- day, a total of 79mm of rainfall was recorded by the Met Office weather station at Malta Inter- national Airport. This is a far cry from the precipitation year average of 545.4mm. The pre- cipitation year runs from Sep- tember 1 to August 31 of each year. The lack of rain creates prob- lems on many fronts and while some seem obvious others are less so, according to Malcolm Borg from Għaqda Bdiewa At- tivi. One of the impacts is visual as Malta's countryside remained brown, he said. "By this time of the year, we are used to car- peted fields, but if you go to the Maltese countryside, all you see is bare fields, and it's because farmers are just now planting their wheat." He said around 60% of Mal- tese agriculture is wheat. "Wheat depends solely on rain- water, and farmers wait for rain to arrive before they plant, or else seeds are eaten by birds or carried away by ants." He also said cold, and rain serve as natural pest control- lers, with plant-eating species like White Flies, Red Spiders and Thrips, wiped out during autumn. But the biggest impact is felt in leafy green vegetables, which require volumes of water to grow, he added. His views were echoed by Jeanette Borg from Malta Youth in Agriculture (MaYA). "You can notice the difference in both size and tenderness as a result of the lack of water. People who cook using Maltese produce notice this difference," she said. "Cauliflower, cabbage, arti- chokes, broccoli – these are vegetables which are part of staple winter dishes, and so if consumers are driven away, it's a deathblow to the farming industry in Malta," she said, adding this situation further pushes consumers towards im- ported vegetables. Cold and rain are part and parcel of the winter season, Jeanette Borg said, noting that prolonged periods of heat trick trees into thinking they are still in summer. "Trees start shedding their leaves in autumn as they enter hibernation. During the hiber- nation period the tree sends most of its vital nutrients to the roots, where they are stored over the winter. If hibernation does not occur, when spring comes around, the fruit is less tasty, and is not as abundant," she said. But with the sun and heat contributing to the growth of plants and vegetables, farmers also have to contend with a different reality that hits their pockets. "Vegetables grow faster, and this is a disadvantage to farm- ers, who would prefer to dis- perse their produce through- out the season, rather than having the market flooded with the same product since this drops the price and profit mar- gins are much lower," Malcolm Borg said. Climate change the root to all problems Jeanette Borg said the situa- tion is a clear case of the im- pacts caused by global warm- ing. "I can't understand the cli- mate change sceptics honest- ly. Sunny days have increased drastically, we are witnessing extreme weather conditions. These are all facts," she said. Jeanette Borg said the impact of climate change is coupled with the take up of arable land for infrastructural projects. "What do we expect? With the high-temperatures tarmac emits and rain clouds which come over Malta are pushed away immediately," she said. The discussion on climate change comes against the back- drop of the UN COP28 summit in Dubai. Speaking on Friday, Prime Minister Robert Abela ac- knowledged a lack of tangible results in addressing global en- vironmental crises despite an- nual gatherings. "On a local level, we've done a lot. If you'd ask me if it's not enough, I would say there's still much to do," Abela said. Abela bluntly stated "doing nothing is not an option." He highlighted the potential consequences of inaction by pointing to recent catastroph- ic storms, such as the one nar- rowly avoided by Malta but devastatingly hitting Greece and subsequently moving to- wards Libya. Tariffs on ground water a good move? Despite constant warnings by hydrologists on the depletion of Malta's increasingly salin- ised groundwater resources, abstraction has been left un- regulated and unbilled for the CLAIRVOYANT Mr TOURE a Marabout clairvoyant medium healer and Exorcist with an exceptional gift. Specialising in disenchantment, voodoo protection against dangers, couple problems return of a loved one, impotence and sexual issues whatever the nature. Court cases. Tel: +35677484511 Above: Malcolm Borg from Ghaqda Bdiewa Attivi and Jeanette Borg from Malta Youth in Agriculture