Gozo climate plan: From parking charges to a €50m waste plant

The Gozo Climate Neutral Plan: A Strategic Reference Framework, published in September by the Gozo Regional Development Authority and KPMG, sets out a roadmap for taking Gozo towards net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2040.

The document is a discussion paper and non-binding strategic reference framework, rather than adopted Government policy. Its proposals remain subject to central Government approval, legislative processes and funding decisions.

The framework draws on an emissions inventory covering 2016 to 2023, six stakeholder workshops, an online survey involving 132 respondents and a public feedback process held in March and April 2026.

Private vehicle use emerged as the public's biggest climate concern, with 60% of survey respondents identifying it as Gozo's most carbon-intensive sector.

Here are the 12 main implementable measures identified by the plan:

1. Tourists could pay more to take their cars to Gozo

Timeline: Short term — 0–2 years

Cost: Low — €0.1 million–€5 million

The plan proposes dynamic pricing for vehicles carried on ferries through Mġarr Harbour, specifically targeting non-resident tourist cars during peak periods.

The aim is to make bringing a private car to Gozo less attractive and encourage visitors to use public transport and shared mobility instead.

The measure is one of those the plan considers implementable within the next two years.

2. Parking in congested areas could become a paid service

Timeline: Short term — 0–2 years

Cost: Low — €0.1 million–€5 million

Perhaps the most direct intervention in everyday mobility is a proposal for demand-based paid parking.

The plan envisages charges in congested urban centres and other high-traffic locations, with the intention of discouraging excessive private car use and encouraging public transport.

The proposal falls within the €0.1 million to €5 million low-cost category.

In other words, the climate strategy envisages using the price of parking as a tool to change behaviour.

3. Some parts of Gozo could become car-free

Timeline: Short term — 0–2 years

Cost: Low — €0.1 million–€5 million

The plan proposes temporary or permanent car-free and low-traffic zones in popular tourist locations, historic centres and village squares.

The measure would reduce vehicle access in selected areas while potentially creating more space for pedestrians.

It is another short-term measure, with an estimated cost of between €0.1 million and €5 million.

4. Gozo would get a redesigned bus network

Timeline: Short term — 0–2 years

Cost: Medium scale — €5 million–€50 million

The strategy does not simply propose making car use more expensive.

It also calls for a substantial rethink of public transport, including smaller buses better suited to Gozo's narrow streets and a dedicated Victoria Circular Route connecting administrative, commercial and service hubs.

This is classified as a short-term measure, but carries a higher estimated cost of €5 million to €50 million.

The proposal is effectively a combination of a carrot and stick: improve the alternative to the private car while making car use less attractive in certain circumstances.

5. Street lighting would go smart

Timeline: Short term — 0–2 years

Cost: Medium scale — €5 million–€50 million

Gozo's municipal street lighting could be replaced by high-efficiency LED systems equipped with automated monitoring, dimming and predictive diagnostics.

The intention is to reduce energy consumption while allowing lighting systems to respond more efficiently to actual demand and maintenance needs.

The plan puts this in the 0–2-year short-term category, with an estimated €5 million–€50 million cost.

6. Repair rather than throw away

Timeline: Short term — 0–2 years

Cost: Low — €0.1 million–€5 million

The strategy also ventures into the circular economy with proposals for community repair and reuse hubs.

These would focus particularly on electronics and furniture, extending the life of products and keeping usable materials out of the waste stream.

Unlike the larger infrastructure projects elsewhere in the strategy, this is classified as a low-cost measure, between €0.1 million and €5 million.

7. Single-use plastics would face tougher rules

Timeline: Short term — 0–2 years

Cost: Low — €0.1 million–€5 million

The plan proposes updated packaging regulations and stronger business compliance mechanisms aimed at phasing out single-use plastics across commercial and retail activities.

The proposal could include a move towards reusable container systems.

Again, implementation is envisaged within 0–2 years, with an estimated cost of €0.1 million to €5 million.

8. Solar panels could double as shade

Timeline: Medium term — 2–5 years

Cost: Medium scale — €5 million–€50 million

The strategy proposes installing solar photovoltaic canopies over walkways, outdoor spaces and car parks.

The idea combines renewable electricity generation with a second function: providing shade to pedestrians and users of public spaces.

Unlike the first seven measures, this falls into the medium-term 2–5-year timeframe.

The estimated cost is also higher, at €5 million–€50 million.

9. Apartment residents could share solar power

Timeline: Medium term — 2–5 years

Cost: Medium scale — €5 million–€50 million

The plan also seeks to overcome one of the practical limitations of rooftop solar: not everyone has access to a suitable roof.

It proposes accelerating rooftop PV deployment while introducing virtual net metering and community solar schemes, allowing apartment dwellers to participate in renewable energy generation.

The measure is scheduled for 2–5 years and falls into the €5 million–€50 million medium-scale investment category.

10. Three quarters of the fleet could eventually be electric

Timeline: Medium term measures — 2–5 years

Long-term target: 75% EV fleet share by 2040

Cost: Medium scale — €5 million–€50 million

Gozo's transport transition would not rely exclusively on fewer cars.

The plan also envisages a major shift from petrol and diesel towards electric vehicles, including financial grants, expanded charging infrastructure, micro-EV taxis and direct solar-to-EV charging systems.

The measures needed to begin this transition are classified as medium-term, with costs falling into the €5 million–€50 million medium-scale category.

The longer-term target is for 75% of the vehicle fleet to be electric by 2040.

The strategy therefore combines two approaches to transport emissions: reducing reliance on private vehicles in some locations while progressively replacing combustion engines with electric ones.

11. Farmers could use clay to save water

Timeline: Medium term — 2–5 years

Cost: Low — €0.1 million–€5 million

One of the more unusual proposals concerns agriculture.

The plan recommends Self-Regulating Low Energy Clay-based Irrigation (SLECI) systems, which use porous clay technology below the soil surface to release water according to soil moisture conditions.

The intended result is more efficient irrigation, reducing both water and energy consumption.

The measure is classified as medium-term, but falls into the lower €0.1 million–€5 million cost bracket.

12. Organic waste could become biogas

Timeline: Medium term — 2–5 years

Cost: Major investment — €50 million+

The most expensive of the 12 selected measures is the proposed development of anaerobic digestion facilities for municipal organic waste in Gozo.

The technology would divert organic material away from landfill while producing biogas and renewable electricity.

The measure is classified as a major investment of more than €50 million, while implementation is envisaged within 2–5 years.

What the public asked for — but did not make the list

The consultation process which included an on-line survey produced proposals that went considerably further than the 12 measures selected as implementable pathways.

Some respondents called for the complete removal of fossil-fuel subsidies, but such a measure falls under national fiscal policy rather than the authority of a Gozo regional strategy.

Others proposed a one-car-per-household limit, an outright ban on diesel vehicles, and restrictions on the number of tourists and vehicles allowed to cross to Gozo by ferry.

There were also calls for caps on new residential construction, penalties for energy-inefficient buildings and mandatory PV panels and cisterns on new buildings.

In the waste sector, stakeholders proposed Pay-As-You-Throw rules and mandatory waste separation specifically for hotels and short-term rentals.