Recent data showing an increase in harmful emissions by Malta was further confirmation that the government was clueless on climate change and had no plan to tackle it, the Nationalist Party said on Wednesday.

"Whilst practically all of Europe is in a race to reduce emissions, Malta has registered the highest increase in the EU, 9%," the shadow minister on climate change, Eve Borg Bonello, said in a statement.

"The government has no vision for a carbon-neutral economy, and with the National Energy and Climate Plan setting our 2030 goal to reduce emissions by an embarrassing 1.5%, it’s no surprise that we’re routinely put on blast by the European Commission for a lack of ambition."

She said it was immensely worrying that subsidies for electric vehicles were not being guaranteed for 2025, when only 3% of new vehicles were electric or hybrid.

"We need real, concrete policies to safeguard our future, health and environment, to future-proof our economy with real long-term investments such as a Metro system that has been pushed as a flagship proposal ad nauseam every election cycle only to be completely abandoned by the government, budget after budget," the MP said.

"Climate change requires bold action that places human wellbeing at the centre of policy, ensuring a just transition that does not become a new tax on the most vulnerable. The green economy is the future of economic growth. Real investment instead of flimsy statements would ensure high-paying jobs and opportunities with massive returns, which is why other countries are investing heavily in this sector whilst the Labour government insists on burying its head in the sand."

"Malta and the Maltese are left with vague buzzwords and polluted air with all its disastrous implications."