Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/706995
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 24 JULY 2016 38 This Week One of our precious few breeding birds is the spectacled warbler, a species that's even more precious because its population has been in decline several decades, with no sign of recovery. The spectacled warbler – so called because of the small ring of white around its eye – is a tiny shy thing with earthy colours, not the easiest bird to spot. But it often gives itself away with its call, a short dry trill. Nothing melodious, but music to a birdwatcher's ear because it means our little friend is still around. The spectacled warbler (M: bufula ħamra) is a scarce bird of open rocky countryside but it hasn't always been so: as late as the 1950s it was still common and widespread, nesting in places like Floriana and Valletta, even in gardens. So what happened? Well, the decline seems to coincide with the spread of mechanised agricultural equipment, the widespread use of pesticide on an industrial scale, and an explosion in building development that hasn't subsided. GREEN IDEA OF THE WEEK 419: TURN OFF LIGHTS: Always turn off incandescent bulbs when you leave a room. Fluorescent bulbs are more affected by the number of times it is switched on and off, so turn them off when you leave a room for 15 minutes or more. You'll save energy on the bulb itself, but also on cooling costs, as lights contribute heat to a room. 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 Nicholas Galea 516. SPECTACLED WARBLER Friends of the Earth groups around Europe are calling for an Energy Revolution and are bringing more and more people together to build the real changes needed to transform a corporate driven fossil fuel energy system into one that clean and renewable and owned and controlled by citizens. We want rich countries to cut their carbon emissions by at least 40 per cent by 2020. And they need to do this by making real changes at home, not by buying offsets from abroad. Rich countries should also find new money for developing countries to adapt to the effects of climate change, and develop their economies using clean technology. Real solutions to climate change are available. These include reducing consumption, improving energy efficiency, choosing sustainable locally- produced food, and switching to clean, green power. Things to know about Climate Change 10 – What we want Parked cars – a fairytale ONCE upon a time, there was an island in the heart of the Mediterranean Sea. Life was simple, the inhabitants lived on a small and happy scale. Settlements and vil- lages were set up and laid out to the needs of the day: little roads winding their way past side alleys to a central gathering point. The roads were not only a passage for transport and movement, but also a space for communica- tion, where residents sat out and chatted to neighbours. As everywhere else across the world, the inhabitants of the day found the need to move about with other means of transport, over and above their own two feet. They began to make use of horses, mules and carts. Their narrow streets reflected a quaint and charming character with the odd cart moving through their picturesque towns and cit- ies. The pace of life was slow and graceful, space to move was largely available to all travellers. The fairytale, as with every- thing on this little island, has of necessity changed over the centuries. The tempo of life has changed, equally the modes of transport have changed. As the financial possibilities of the in- habitants increased, their long- ing for a more com- fortable lifestyle has led them to rely on their vehicles for most of their move- ment. Where once they could walk to their nearest ven- dor to buy food and drink, they now need to drive to a distant supermarket for their needs. In today's fairytale, the common car is the preferred means of transport for virtually everything which Maltese inhab- itants need. The quaint picture has become somewhat skewed owing to the fact that the built reality has not changed with this increase in private car owner- ship. The little winding streets and alleys in every remote town and village remain quaint, small and narrow. Perhaps the big- ger, newer cities had the good fortune to widen their roads, to accomodate the increased traffic movements, but even these at- tempts fall short of what is need- ed, when every move is by car. Cars are not just parked: fact. Malta is faced with a surge of construction. Building foot- prints are developed outward and upward to maximum capac- ity, in order to stack as many of- fices and residences, to yield a maximum profit from the land. The number of people stacked onto a single piece of land in- creases as much as possible. A newer fairytale from developers suggests user numbers would be identical, whether development be outward or upward. The argu- ment is seriously flawed, consid- ering that upward development is strongly based on commercial use, which generates exponen- tially more traffic. The planning applications – the foundation for such develop- ments – attempt to show enough parking spaces. But even if every car on this island were to have a dedicated space to park – which is far from the case – consider that these cars all move. Even more so around sunrise and sun- set, as in the fairytale. The move- ment of all vehicles, and those additionally on our roads with the establishment of the high- rise buildings, becomes a major concern. Village cores, towns and cities on this island did not develop naturally to take these masses. As a clear testimony to the problem, the past weekend with its festa activities in Msida showed the extent of the dilem- ma. Just a few roads closed here and there, and the major part of the island stood in a gridlock for hours. During the festa weekend we turn a blind eye, we know the issue is short-term. But if we were to allow the high-rise mania to set its roots without a professional, impartial master- plan, which needs to establish solutions to mass movement and transport, the gridlock will become a permanent one. And that particular fairytale does not seem to end with the "happily ever after" bit. Jorg Sicot is a Committee Mem- ber of Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar Jorg Sicot If we were to allow the high- rise mania without a professional master plan gridlock will become permanent