Malta has missed the deadline for submitting its plan to Brussels of how it intends to limit its annual air pollution emissions by a margin of 12 months. If the government fails to comply with the European Commission’s request for a proper air pollution control programme, it will lead to legal proceedings against it.

But the issue is not simply about Malta’s overdue report. The situation is far more dire. Imagine what would happen if tap water killed almost 600 Maltese citizens each year. Tourists would stay away, foreign businesses would relocate and Malta’s quality of life reputation would be ruined. Yet this is the number of deaths associated with Malta’s polluted air according to an EU report last year. The air we breathe in Malta keeps killing several hundred people each year.

The scourge of air pollution is a silent killer. The noxious gases and sooty particles emitted by car, truck and motorcycle exhausts have been linked to cancers, heart and respiratory diseases. In Malta these pollutants are estimated to cut short the lives of 576 people each year.

Evidence of the harm to health of pollution, such as particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide, is mounting. Pollution threatens Maltese health from the start of life to the end. It reaches the lungs of unborn babies and stunts children’s lungs. It provokes health crises for those in vulnerable health and hastens the death of frail elderly. The path to asthma, heart disease, strokes, breathing problems and lung cancer is well established.

Seven years ago, the government’s manifesto promised that improvement to Malta’s air quality would be a top priority. It committed itself to regular monitoring of air quality and the introduction of a transport strategy which would encourage the use of more electric cars.

But except for one encouraging project – the Grand Harbour Clean Air Project which will curb over 90 per cent of air pollution caused by cruise liners and ro-ro ships – action has failed to get off the ground. Indeed, matters have become worse. The draft air pollution control plan circulated for consultation a year ago proposed cutting air emissions to a level of 4.5 kilotonnes (from the current 4.9kt) which is more than double the 2kt-limit set by the EU.

The crux of the problem lies with public commercial and private transport. Maltese citizens are subjected daily to fumes and emissions which spew pollution into the air affecting pedestrians and motorists alike.

The government must summon the political will to tackle the killer in our midst by taking drastic steps to achieve a steep reduction in vehicle dependency. This requires both tight regulatory enforcement and huge public investment. There must be steeper vehicle excise duties on older trucks and vans and the importation of high-emission second-hand cars. There should be more pedestrian areas, more “bicycle super-highways,” higher congestion charges for entering Valletta and more no-car zones everywhere.

In parallel, the Gozo tunnel project should be abandoned and replaced by greater investment in a rapid mass public transport system. Higher subsidies for fuel-efficient public and private transport and investment in expanding waterborne transport links should be the priorities.

The government’s submission to the European Commission must contain a credible long-term plan for overcoming Malta’s endemic, killer air pollution. Only a determined effort to reduce Malta’s dependence on vehicles will suffice.