Gozo could serve as the ideal testing ground of decarbonising technologies and the island could potentially be carbon-neutral before a 2050 target date, MEP Miriam Dalli believes.

Dalli said that achieving that would require “clear willingness and direction by all” but noted that Gozo’s small size gave it an inherent advantange when it came to mass adoption of clean technologies.

The MEP was speaking during a discussion with the Gozo Business Chamber about attracting specific economic niches to the island while allowing it to retain its unique features. 

Gozo could cut its carbon footprint through widespread adoption of electric vehicles, promoting remote working and incentivising clean industries to relocate there, Dalli and the Gozo Business Chamber agreed. 

Malta remains well behind on its targets and is among the EU’s laggards when it comes to carbon emission reductions. The EU has set a 2050 target for member states to be climate-neutral and placed decabornisation strategies at the heart of its green deal. 

It is not the first time that Gozo has been touted as the ideal spot for environmental initiatives. Back in 2008, the government of the day had announced its 'Eco Gozo' plan, saying it planned on turning Gozo into an ecological island by 2020. 

Dalli led European Parliament negotiations on CO2 vehicle emissions and serves as the Social and Democrats’ grouping vice president for the European green deal. She has also been tasked by Prime Minister Robert Abela with mapping out Malta’s transition away from combustion engine vehicles to lower-emission alternatives. 

Gozo has been negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, with the number of passengers travelling there from Malta down 63 per cent in the second quarter of 2020 when compared to the same period last year. However, numbers picked up somewhat during the summerm months.