Sustainable development - have we gone too far already?

Harnessing power from wind as a means of providing electricity has become cost effective. A study carried out by a group of American students has shown how presently around 80 per cent of the money spent on combustion plant electricity generation leaves the Maltese economy in exchange for heavy fuel oil from Italy or Libya. Making use of renewable energy sources such as wind would offer a high rate of jobs per kilowatt hour and pay for the skilled labour required.

Students from the College of Integrated Science and Technology at James Madison University looked at the feasibility of locating an offshore wind farm at Sikka il-Bajda to the North East of Marfa Ridge. Much consideration was given to the choice of foundation, probably a tripod form, which makes up forty per cent of the cost of installing each turbine.

There are five offshore wind farms around the world. Less turbulence on the open sea means longer blades can be used on the turbines. While the initial cost is greater there is higher output and less maintenance than for land-based wind farms.

Concerns surrounding any possible effects on local bird and marine life were also addressed in the study. The impact on Posidonia meadows could be lessened if foundation piles were sited on existing bare rock. It was confirmed with BirdLife that migrating birds from Europe and Africa have generally been observed approaching the Ghadira bird sanctuary from a southerly direction which would not involve crossing the line of turbines.

The important shearwater colony of seabirds in Gozo and the nesting pairs at L-Ahrax tal-Mellieha, generally fly low enough over the water to avoid any danger from the rotor blades. Other types of resident birds are likely to become familiar with the turbines and divert their flight paths accordingly.

As the Sikka l-Bajda reef becomes attractive as a location for potential investors in offshore wind farming the Malta Maritime Authority may need to look at whether it is prepared to shift current bunkering activity to an alternative position. The Institute for Energy Technology (IET) sponsored the project.

Gozo footpath

Other projects presented by the university students included a pilot outline to help meet the demand for scenic coastal footpaths using the a north Gozo coastal trail as an example. While safety issues, signposting and litter management needed to be addressed, the main hurdle to implementation was found to be establishing a right of way. Land ownership conflicts must be resolved. This may be prompted by a look at the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 enacted recently in the UK.

The students said that future initiatives based on the project could promote sustainable tourism. One student added "The responsibility now lies in the hands of the Maltese authorities to continue this project." The Euro-Mediterranean Centre on Insular Coastal Dynamics sponsored the project and will be seeing to following it through.

The Gaia Foundation collaborated on two projects. One was aimed at promoting culturally relevant environmental information to be made available through brochures and signboards on the topics of water, waste, soil, afforestation and renewable energy.

Another project for the development of a management plan for ecological restoration in the Ghajn Tuffieha area included the planting of tamarisks and pine trees in the area. Currently Gaia sustains about 11,500 trees although the study identified a capacity for three times that amount. The students discovered an unused cistern left over from the days when it served the British base. They developed an irrigation scheme for the trees and shrubs that would be planted on the disturbed land.

An additional recommendation was to limit all-terrain vehicles and other activities with a negative impact. The possibility of restoring a farmhouse ruin was looked at in the hopes of turning the area into "a place where eco-tourists can come from around the world and learn and work with the environment."

Another group of students installed the first grid-linked solar photovoltaic electric system in the garden of a private home. The energy produced supplies the pool area with lighting, and refrigeration and runs the pool pump. An application for permission to install the system was made to the Malta Resources Authority and Enemalta on a single form listing objectives, technical design and safety features. Some time delay was experienced. Three months went by before the system was connected to the grid.

US Embassy information officer Michael Macy spoke on the importance of a response to the latest US government report on climate change and global warming which predicts "fairly radical climate changes" in the next few decades.

Helga Zahra, policy co-ordinator with the Ministry for Resources and Infrastructure, spoke of the National Commission on Sustainable Development's aim to incorporate sustainable development into government policy.

Commenting on Malta's role in the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change she added, "This is where we should put our money where our mouth is." The Maltese government is to ratify the Kyoto protocol on climate by the end of this year.

World Summit

A postcard view of Malta in the form of the National Report on Sustainable Development will be headed for Johannesburg this summer. Ten years after the UN Conference on Environment and Development was held in Rio, the World Summit will look at how far countries have progressed since then.

What has Malta been doing all this time to put sustainable practices in place? A decade ago world leaders at the Earth Summit agreed that a comprehensive plan of action called Agenda 21 be taken up globally, nationally and locally.

The immediate task of the National Commission for Sustainable Development set up within the past six months has been to submit a country report to WSSD 2002, the World Summit for Sustainable Development.

At a consultation meeting it was reported that not much progress had been made toward improving air quality apart from some monitoring. The fresh water resource suffers from the uncontrolled use of ground water. Eighty per cent of our fresh water supply ends up in the sewers and much of this is pumped out to sea. There is an absence of charges for solid waste since the costs are presently being absorbed by government. (We still have to consider what we are willing to pay for better waste management.)

While some areas on land have been given protected status the marine areas identified as deserving protection have been in the pipeline for years. There is an evident need for more coastal planning and the questionable practice of dumping at sea despite Barcelona Convention obligations needs to be looked at. Malta still has no legal protection for footpaths.

A look at biodiversity and the protection of Maltese flora and fauna reveals the need for more protection, more habitat management, more data, more policies and more educational advice to the public. The National Biodiversity Strategy is in the process of being drafted.

The national report on sustainable development mentions oil exploration without touching on the potential environmental impacts. Our abundant resources of sun and wind are not being sufficiently exploited. Fiscal polices would be effective in promoting this resource.

Tourism is identified as the least sustainable of current economic activities in Malta. There is some idea of carrying capacity as applied to tourism but little from a local population perspective. Ours is a stop-go economy with periods of slack followed by spurts of excessive congestion. The population is not educated well enough on a number of important issues and led on by the polarised political system. There is no proper long term direction for development.

While clinical treatment is good and infectious diseases are under control our health system tends to ignore the holistic approach which would encourage prevention by looking at the environmental causes of diseases.

The report was criticised by some NGOs (non-governmental organisations) for not laying out a clear strategy for change. Din l-Art Helwa president Martin Scicluna said that while the report was an excellent analysis of where Malta stands today it did not set targets and gave only a very general indication of good intent. In fact the report is more of a stock-taking exercise.

Considering the low literacy rate on the island the development of attitudes and values is necessary for more citizens to become a population which is responsible. Dr Paul Pace commented that previously the emphasis was on policy makers to set up structures and dictate. Research shows that this approach is not effective. There has also been a problem with territoriality and hoarding of information. Fragmentation has led to conflicts over who is dealing with what. Environmental information is now becoming more accessible.

Indicators

Dr Simone Borg explained that while Agenda 21 is not legally binding it is an action plan to establish the balance between the use of a resource and its protection. Indicators can be used to technically define whether we are living sustainably or not. Then it is up to the technical people to formulate measures to arrive at a sustainable threshold.

Sustainability indicators have no value unless they find their way into policy, Dr Borg said. The Malta Observatory for Sustainable Indicators (SIMO) last week held a conference on UNEP/MAP Blue Plan sustainability indicators for Malta.

Appropriate policy measures should lead to achievable sustainability thresholds. Political parties blame each other and criticise any measure which is taken by the opposing side. Dr Borg noted that it would be a good idea to have a national consensus on environmental policy. "We cannot afford something subject to political interpretation. Sustainability indicators enable us to perceive the extent of the problem but they must be acted on. The legislation is there and will increase but the administrative set up is lacking".

The European Commission has recently cautioned candidate countries telling them to strengthen their administrative capacity as a basic criterion for membership. Malta is missing out on the bulk of a financial assistance package for this due to Labour's frosting over of the country's EU application in 1996.

During the two years out in the cold Malta missed the window for PHARE funds which would have otherwise been available to ease the country's passage toward accession. All the same Malta will be making use of a fair amount of euros this year contributed by the European Commission to help with capacity building of administrative structures.

While congratulating the authors Professor Victor Axiak noted that there were many areas where the report failed to base its findings on hard facts. The State of the Environment Report due out this month contains more substantive evidence within its five hundred pages. Four whole pages are dedicated to recommendations for safeguarding the nation's biodiversity. Professor Ray Ellul voiced concern over "the cheapest and worst kind of fuels used by ships in the Mediterranean".

An inter-departmental planning committee is trying to co-ordinate various government departments and agencies to move together on sustainable development. Parliamentary Secretary for Home Affairs and Environment George Pullicino said that not many people were aware that a reduction in registration tax introduced in the last budget has brought the cost of an electric car more within most people's range. From Lm7,000 these now retail in the range of Lm4,500. This is a concrete measure where both citizens and government departments can show a sign of goodwill by choosing an electric vehicle.

Mr Pullicino said the National Commission for Sustainable Development (made up of representatives of NGOs and other sectors of relevance to the environment) would be formulating a strategy separate from the report. He also observed that there was no mention in the report of the input of NGOS on nature reserves and their role should be more appreciated. He added: "I think the three parties agree on an environmental vision. The question is where is the money coming from and what's the timetable."

Professor Lino Briguglio, chief author of the report and director of SIMO noted the need for more economic instruments rather than a command and control approach.

Rethinking everything

What does it mean to live in a "throwaway culture"? It is a culture where we throw things away as soon as they cease to be useful to us. Inizjamed and Progett Skart came together at a Bay Street forum last week to discuss how culture and environment cross paths.

With support from the EU's Youth programme, a project called Re-Creation has encouraged the recycling of discarded materials to make traditional play objects. Empowering young Maltese people to channel their energy and creativity into more sustainable practices will help spread the word around. Through something as joyful as play a message of environmental awareness will be passed on to the public.

Criticism from environment groups is being voiced over the slow progress and lack of political will by world leaders to activate lifestyles that won't cost the earth. Grassroots initiatives of the type put forward by Inizjamed are exactly what is needed. This is where we can and must invest in the future.