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MT 5 June 2016

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maltatoday, SUNDAY, 5 JUNE 2016 40 This Week Swifts are the undisputed masters of the air. Admittedly, they don't hold the world aerial speed record (the Peregrine Falcon has that) but swifts are so good at flying that they simply don't bother to land. Yup, they stay up there for years on end, eating, sleeping and even mating on the wing. In the past people widely believed that swifts don't have legs. Even the scientific name of these birds is Apus (which means without legs), a name that stuck even though scientists know better today. Of the three species of swift that regularly whizz over Malta every year, the alpine swift (M: rundun żaqqu bajda) is the biggest. It is also the easiest to identify, because of its very visible white underside, almost like the bird's wearing a clean white vest! Unlike the common swift and the pallid swift, which in recent years began nesting in Malta, alpines have so far never been recorded breeding here. So for now we must content ourselves with watching them sail overhead, often mixing with other swifts, as they set their sights on mainland Europe. GREEN IDEA OF THE WEEK 412: TELECOMMUTE: See if you can work out an arrangement with your employer that you work from home for some portion of the week. Not only will you save money, time and traffic, you also get to work in your pyjamas! Visit Friends of the Earth's website for more information about our work, as well as for information about how to join us. You can also support us by sending us a donation - www.foemalta.org/donate Text Victor Falzon Photo Ray Galea 509. ALPINE SWIFT A lot of people making simple lifestyle changes can make a difference. Heating and powering our homes, for example, makes up more than 30% of Malta's carbon emissions. We could reduce this by purchasing energy efficient equipment, install alternative energy systems and switching off lights when we don't need them. But beating climate change needs solutions in every area of life – from home and the office to shopping, education and travel. So whether you're a member of a sports club or residents' association, a school head or union steward, talk to your friends and work mates about how you can reduce your carbon footprint. Ultimately, though, it's the Government that has real muscle and can make a difference across the economy – from industry and the way our power is produced, to our transport and how our taxes are spent. And what will make the Government do this? Us. Things to know about Climate Change 5 – How can little old me make a difference? Traffic: learning from others GEORGE DEBONO ON 2002 World Health Day, the World Health Organisation (WHO) focused at- tention on the opportunity and feasibility of promoting walking and cycling as daily means of transport to achieve the neces- sary patterns of physical activity among the general population. In its 2002 report 'A physically active life through everyday transport', WHO drew attention to the continuing increase in the high burden of disease associated with physical inactiv- ity. WHO estimated that this has become the second most important risk factor for ill-health in industrialised countries, after tobacco smoking – and responsible for about 2 million deaths per year worldwide. This ill-health was expected to increase even more dramatically if trends were not reversed. About that time, cities and towns every- where had begun to experience the effects of excessive private car use with increas- ing urban congestion and pollution. All around the world, cities came to the same conclusion: they'd be better off with few- er cars. The automobile was outgrowing built-up areas and the vision emerged of cities in which residents no longer rely on their cars but on public transport, shared cars and bicycles. The aim is now to rebal- ance the public space and create a city for people with less pollution, less noise, less stress – more walkable cities. People who visit European cities and towns are starting to notice how vehicle traffic has decreased and been replaced by people on foot, on bicycles, trams or city buses. This adaptation to greener, healthi- er transport is now an ongoing worldwide movement with cities at different stages of adaptation towards what is hailed as the "new mobility". Two examples of recent 'conversion' to healthy mobility are Ham- burg and London. Under its urban development scheme, 'Green Network', Hamburg now plans to drastically reduce the number of cars in 40% of the city area over the next 20 years by banning motor vehicles and encourag- ing commuters to use public transport, walk or use bicycles. This Green Network will connect parks, recreational areas, playgrounds and gardens with a compre- hensive network of green paths. Until recently London was arguably the most bicycle unfriendly city on the planet – nearly as bicycle unfriendly as Malta. As a result of the pioneering efforts of its previous mayor, London now boasts more than half a million bike trips a day and businesses increasingly see the benefit of helping cities compete on liveability. This was done through the creation of bicycle superhighways and brand-new, billiard ta- ble-smooth bike lanes, separated from the traffic by a raised kerb with their own mini traffic lights. The new mayor Sadiq Khan has pledged to continue the good work. Awareness of the "remarkable manner in which new roads create new traffic" al- ready existed in 1937. It took decades for politicians to realise this. Some cities, like Copenhagen, took action soon after in the 1960s, while others like London saw the light much later. In the meantime Malta continues to struggle with insane 1950s solutions which only encourage traf- fic. We are still building multi-story car parks, flyovers, making pavements nar- rower to accommodate more cars. And the result? More people will turn to their car for transport. Maybe this is what Govern- ments want – car license and registration fees and proceeds from fuel tax is a pro- lific source of government income… never mind our health. George Debono is a committee member ot the Today Public Policy Institute (TPPI) which has recently published the health report 'The Environmental Dimension of Malta's ill-Health and action to prevent Obesity, Diabetes, Cardiovascular Disease and Dementia'

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