Malta saw the highest increase in greenhouse gas emissions among all European Union member states in 2023, with levels surging by 31% since 2005.

This sharp rise dwarfs increases reported by Cyprus and Bulgaria, both at just 5%, and underscores Malta's tough challenge in meeting its reduction targets under the EU’s Effort Sharing Regulation (ESR).

National progress towards greenhouse gas emission targets under the Effort Sharing Regulation (ESR)Photo: EEA

The ESR, which imposes annual emission limits across sectors such as transport ( not including aviation), buildings, agriculture, and waste management, requires Malta to achieve a 22% reduction in emissions by 2030 based on 2005 levels.

That equates to halving current emissions within the next decade. Despite this, Malta exceeded its annual emission limit by 15 percentage points in 2023, marking another year of non-compliance.

In 2022, Malta was among eight EU member states that were unable to stay within their annual emission allocations. According to the European Environment Agency, Malta’s position underscores the critical need to adopt flexible mechanisms under the ESR framework or implement stronger national policies to curtail emissions.