At COP26, nations – including the EU – committed to reduce carbon emissions. Where does Malta fit into this – and what actions are being taken?

SB: The COP in Glasgow is part of a process and is to be seen in the context of previous COPs. It certainly was the best COP since the one held in Paris in terms of achievements. Under the Paris Agreement, countries agreed to review their climate plans every five years, with a view to raising ambition. Glasgow was the first test of that ‘ratchet’ mechanism. Paris set the target for halting global warming by working towards carbon neutrality by mid-century. 

The details how to work this out were left to successive COPs to determine. What is certain is that the Glasgow Pact is more specific than previous UN climate agreements on how to achieve that, calling for a scaling up of clean energy and “efforts towards the phasedown of unabated coal power and phase-out of inefficient fossil fuel subsidies”. The Glasgow COP also managed to agree on a uniform metric to measure emissions which is crucial to track progress. 

The outcome of Glasgow is summarised in the Glasgow pact which states that “limiting global warming to 1.5ºC requires rapid, deep and sustained reductions in global greenhouse gas emissions”. 

Simone Borg, Ambassador for Climate Action Malta

In this sense, it builds on the Paris Agreement to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 45 per cent by 2030 to achieve net zero by 2050, compared to 2010 levels. Not all parties heeded this call for more ambition though. The EU, on the contrary, revised its -45 per cent target set in Paris, raising it to a collective -55 per cent to reach carbon neutrality by 2050. The Glasgow Pact, like the EU Green Deal, recognised that the phase out of fossil fuels must happen via a just transition to ensure the most vulnerable are supported.

Malta, as part of the EU bubble, is among the countries having committed to the heftiest reduction target for 2030. Each of the EU member states has a national target depending on their national circumstances. Being the smallest emitter in the EU, Malta has the highest disproportionate costs burden to reduce emissions. This was recognised by the EU and indeed Malta’s assigned national target within the collective effort is of -19 per cent. Malta has significantly reduced its emissions in power generation. This doesn’t mean that we are there and indeed we need to reduce emissions from the transport and buildings sectors by 2030. The Low Carbon Development Strategy was launched last year and establishes a road map to achieve this target, so that Malta can move towards carbon neutrality by 2050. 

How will the EU Green Deal transform Malta – and the other EU member states?

SB: The EU Green Deal is the plan which the EU agreed upon to address the green transition. The focus of this transition is decarbonisation, with the Von der Leyen Commission hailing the EU as the first carbon-neutral continent by 2050. But it is more than that – it also establishes targets for the circular economy, halting biodiversity loss and pollution. 

The Green Deal is very holistic in the sense that it calls for reforms in the EU agricultural policy and mobility and ensures financing protects environmental integrity in order to eliminate green washing. It also stipulates a just transition and establishes specific metrics on how to measure environmental and social governance in economic performance of public and private stakeholders. 

And how will this transformation also contribute towards a healthier, more sustainable economic model?

SB: The EU Green Deal should truly bring about a shift towards achieving sustainability in a cross- sectoral manner, in all the EU member states, including Malta. It ensures a holistic form of governance that measures development not only in economic but also in social and environmental terms. And this is not just fancy talk. The EU policies are all being revised to ensure compatibility with the Green Deal and EU funding will be bootstrapped to the green transition. This tight ship approach will result in clean energy, air, soil and seas, halting biodiversity loss, sustainable food production as well as sustainable mobility to mention a few examples. It will also mean a real transition in terms of skills and jobs and ensuring that commodities placed on the EU market are produced in line with the green deal. 

First the coronavirus pandemic, and now the Ukrainian crisis, may shift the focus away from climate action. How can the sense of urgency to decarbonise human activity, be maintained?

SB: One word on the Ukraine crisis: had Europe and the rest of the world for that matter, been more ambitious in switching to renewables earlier…

Climate action will always compete with other pressing emergency issues but I think we are well aware that climate change is an existential threat like the other crises which afflict us. Decarbonisation and the green transition are the only way forward to ensure sustainability, secure our well-being and even our true progress as a nation that values a better quality of life for its citizens. Decarbonisation and the green transition will not be a walk in the park and the transition is complex, requiring forward planning, significant investments and a change in our lifestyles. 

But we are not starting from scratch either, the foundations are laid, the road map is there. It will definitely not be easy, as we are actually talking about a shift in our economic model and many changes require a shift in our behaviour as citizens. 

“By promoting sustainable behaviour in our circles of family and friends, we can truly bring a widespread mindset change”

To maintain this sense of urgency, we need to ask ourselves this question: how far are we, in Malta and elsewhere, prepared to change our ways to enjoy a quality of life we claim we want? The EU Green Deal provides the legal and policy basis to do so and will have the EU financing process pegged to it to achieve this goal. 

As an EU member state, Malta is part of the largest market, as well as the most determined and best equipped bloc to achieve the green transition. We are equipped, therefore, as a nation to read the signs of the times and be on the forefront in this shift. If we mean to remain a competitive economy in the European bloc, Malta has no choice really but to engage proactively in the green transition.

Beyond the collective effort, how can individuals be empowered to act in favour of sustainability? 

SB: This sounds like a cliché but the best way is to take action. Although awareness building is never enough, environmental consciousness has never been as high as it is today. We are all aware to some extent about how we can protect the environment in our daily lives and to demand what is required to protect it. By promoting sustainable behaviour in our circles of family and friends, we can truly bring a widespread mindset change and hence influence decision makers.

At the macro level, the implementation of the low carbon strategy requires structural changes in decision-making within the public and the private sector. We also need to prepare for the just transition by identifying skills gaps, for example, and by carrying out a SWOT exercise to ensure our resilience as a nation. The smoothest way to achieve this is by networking through a genuine and sustained stakeholder dialogue. 

This was particularly evident at the National Climate Conference. The government has the responsibility to establish the legal and policy parameters and ensure a level playing field to ensure a just transition but it cannot do this alone. So networking with the key sectors, the academia and civil society is vital to implement the low carbon development strategy. This is already happening and the will to drive the change by some stakeholders is very promising.

Our small size gives us the advantage to get key people in a room very easily – this is how we can play to our strengths.

You will be delivering a keynote speech at the forthcoming Malta Sustainability Forum. What will be the take-home elements from this speech?

SB: It is time that Malta as a nation comes of age. Malta has the opportunity to lead by example, to drive the green transition and decarbonisation. Just as our nation had to diversify in the past to survive, this time we have the necessary tools to stand out as a nation that gives priority to the green transition that will improve our economic performance because it also values the social and environmental well-being of our people, humanity and the entire planet we call home.

However, to translate words into action, we must regularly measure our performance towards reaching this goal because only what is measured can be managed. 

Simone Borg, Ambassador for Climate Action Malta, will deliver a keynote speech at the Malta Sustainability Forum 2022. ‘Sustain Tomorrow Today’ is the 2022 theme for the MSF, organised by APS Bank. The MSF was launched in 2019, with the objective of raising awareness on the topic of sustainability, with the aim of empowering citizens to make conscious decisions towards a more sustainable life. This year, the MSF will be delivered as a series of afternoon events, online or hybrid, with the first to be held on April 7.

For more information about the Malta Sustainability Forum and to register, visit maltasustainabilityforum.com.