Climate crisis: Malta’s 19% carbon reduction target ambitious enough – minister

Malta obtained a 19% reduction target in carbon emissions for 2030, down from a higher 36% request after talks with the European Commission over original assessment

From left to right: Commissioner vice-president Frans Timmermans, and environment minister Aaron Farrugia
From left to right: Commissioner vice-president Frans Timmermans, and environment minister Aaron Farrugia

Environment minister Aaron Farrugia said Malta’s carbon reduction targets for 19% are already ambitious enough for the country to join the EU’s effort to reduce emissions by 55%.

Malta recently managed to retain a 19% reduction target in carbon emissions for 2030, down from a higher 36% request after talks with the European Commission.

Malta had argued it was already the bloc’s lowest emitter per capita and that it required carbon-reduction parameters that it could realistically achieve.

Malta also managed to acquire an increase in flexibility between its Effort Sharing Regulation target of 19% reductions, and the Emissions Trading System from 2% to 7%. This will give Malta a margin of manouvre to reach 2030 carbon reduction targets without the exorbitant costs that would be incurred had the Commission insisted on 36%.

“The work we’ll be doing now is not just for our future generations, because the repurcussions of climate change are with us today.

“Malta has an ambitious, and costed plan that was prepared over the last year and a half with local and international experts, to reach our 2030 target, and to have a zero-carbon economy by 2050 on transport, energy, water, waste management, construction and industry, so that we too can help the EU reach its 55% carbon reduction target.”

The Fit for 55 package adopted by the European Commission has increased its original -40% reduction target by 2030 to -55%.

The target-setting applied by the Commission is based on GDP per capita while applying a limited amount of targeted corrections to address cost-efficiency concerns. This formula originally set a target of -36% for Malta.

But Malta has a gap of around 69 percentage points between its GDP-based emission reduction target, and its cost-efficient emission reductions, because of variables in population development, housing stock, and F-gas emissions from air conditioning systems.

The Commission said that given the particular structure of Malta’s economy, its reduction target was significantly above its cost-effective reduction potential.

“Bluntly speaking, the journey will not be easy. Extra pressures from this transition will be felt in the short run. However we need to look at the bigger picture. In the long run the benefits of delivering on climate policy outweighs the cost which will be incurred by this transition,” Aaron Farrugia told MaltaToday.

“Government will step up as necessary in the fight on climate change. Last April, a campaign to raise awareness on climate change, ClimateOn, was launched. This is crucial for a successful delivery of the Low Carbon Development Strategy as most emissions reduction require effort from government, civil society, commercial operators as well as individuals. All this will culminate this year pre-COP26 through a national conference whereby the government will launch the adoption of the Low Carbon Development Strategy.”

Malta’s Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) includes a first 10-year plan with a list of measures to mitigate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, including a package of transport measures such as electrification of vehicles, extension of free public transport and incentives to walking, cycling and other active transport such as e-bikes and pedelecs; and energy-efficiency in buildings such as photovoltaic panel schemes, support for solar water heaters, heat pumps, insulation and double-glazing.

Besides sea level rise impacting the Maltese islands’ coastline and the tourism and maritime sectors that will be impacted by the climate crisis, Malta is exposed to droughts through longer extreme heats.

Droughts will impact the livelihood of Malta, including agriculture and fisheries, especially with Malta’s water scarcity problem.