Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1542822
17 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 25 JANUARY 2026 NEWS nine places in climate change progress remains slow Energy policy has drawn mixed reviews. Malta's 2025 budget ex- tended subsidies to help citizens with energy costs, a measure ex- pected to continue in 2026. Ex- perts recognise the importance of protecting households from fuel poverty but warn that subsi- dies can encourage high energy consumption and waste. Some progress has been made in solar energy, yet offshore wind projects have stalled despite decades of planning. Last year, Energy Minister Mir- iam Dalli announced that Malta is expected to select a contractor for its first offshore floating wind farm by the start of 2028. In October 2024, the Nation- al Policy for the Deployment of Offshore Renewable Energy was launched, and a tender for Malta's first floating offshore wind farm began in December 2024. Howev- er, the commissioning date for the project remains uncertain. Malta remains heavily depend- ent on fossil fuels and private ve- hicles. Although public transport has been free for Tallinja card holders since October 2022, and subsidies for electric vehicles have increased uptake, car use has not decreased. Bicycle infrastructure is limited, and alternative trans- port options are insufficient to drive a significant shift. Experts call for more ambitious climate action. Fossil fuels should be phased out, with public funds invested in renewable energy, en- ergy efficiency, and community energy projects. Reducing reliance on private cars and improving sus- tainable transport are also crucial. Malta has made some progress through legislation and early re- newable initiatives, but CCPI experts stress that more decisive action is needed to achieve mean- ingful climate results and transi- tion to cleaner energy and trans- port systems. Malta ranked lowest in renew- able energy (41st place) but per- formed better in climate policy (20th place) and greenhouse gas emissions (22nd place). No coun- try was considered strong enough across all categories to achieve an overall very high rating, so the top three ranks remain vacant. Den- mark, followed by Luxembourg, remains the top-ranked country. Eight EU nations are listed among the high performers, while Russia (64th), the United States (65th), and Saudi Arabia (66th) are still the G20's worst-performing coun- tries, receiving an overall very low rating. The CCPI evaluates and com- pares the climate protection per- formance of 63 countries and the European Union, which togeth- er account for more than 90% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Around 80% of the assessment is based on quantitative data from the International Energy Agency, PRIMAP, the Food and Agricul- ture Organization, and national GHG inventories submitted to the UNFCCC.