Malta recently joined 16 other EU member states backing calls to put the European Green Deal at the heart of a collaborative COVID-19 recovery strategy. Environment Minister Aaron Farrugia said as much in a message that cautioned citizens to be mindful of the challenges of climate change when designing long-term solutions for a resilient recovery from the virus.
The European Green Deal represents a road map for a more sustainable economy, positing a series of benchmarks that would cut net emissions of greenhouse gasses by 2050. Early in April, 10 European climate change and environment ministers declared that “we cannot afford setbacks that can have detrimental effects on our climate, biodiversity and environment as well as on human health and our economies”.
However, the current crisis has revealed a sobering truth. The effect of the global response to COVID-19 carbon emissions, including the dramatic shutdowns, has not been as far reaching as previously hoped. The latest analysis from the International Renewable Energy Agency projects annual emissions for 2020 to only drop between six and eight per cent. With summer set to potentially become the hottest on record, it seems unlikely that the fluctuation in emissions, caused by the coronavirus, will have a sustained effect on the world’s carbon concentration.
While not a solution to the climate crisis, COVID-19 has created an unprecedented opportunity for communities all over the world to experience cleaner air, returning wildlife and a lifestyle that is less carbon-intensive. Over the past weeks there have been reports about a recorded improvement in Maltese air quality, the return of dolphins to the Malta channel, and expressions of relief as towns and cities across the islands enjoyed reduced traffic.
These are inspiring reminders of the kind of transformation that can be created, by limiting the nation’s over-dependence on fossil fuels. While climate change is edging us closer to momentous shifts in the way humans live on this planet, it was COVID-19 that finally forced some governments to take action in ways that were, a few months ago, unimaginable.
For example, leaders of vision are reimagining the way cities are built and organised, by prioritising provisions for walking, cycling and public transport, and promoting car-free options and pedestrian access.
Some cities that have been leading the transition are now focusing on innovative building and infrastructural projects, with others are already banning vehicles as a temporary measure.
In fact, Milan plans to reallocate 35km of street space to cyclists and pedestrians, the government in France has promised subsidies for cyclists, and Brussels is creating 40km of new cycle paths. The mayor of London has similarly promised measures that will create car-free streets and bridge paths. Other societies in Europe are exploring the benefits of a circular economy, minimising the exploitation of resources by extending opportunities for recycling and reuse.
A nascent initiative in Malta will seek to create open spaces in multiple towns and villages, to be reserved for pedestrians on certain days. It’s a start, although not quite on the level of the visionary and far-reaching measures being seen in some other countries. Truly transforming our localities into greener, safer and healthier places cannot be pushed to the back burner any longer.
When we remember that Malta is essentially one sprawling urban zone, then investing in greener uses for precious and limited space must be top of the national agenda.
More ways must be explored of balancing climate and health with jobs and financial stability.