Speech delivered by Minister for Sustainable Development, the Environment and Climate Change Leo Brincat during the opening of The Air We Share – 2 nd MNEP National Conference, held on Wednesday 28 October 2015
This conference could not have come at a more timely manner.
At a time when the international media have been long showing concern about the way air pollution has been impacting directly on environmental health particularly in urban areas Europe wide. Mainly but not exclusively as a result of traffic congestion and other related problems.
As well as in the wake of never ending revelations about how certain cars were programmed to disable their pollution controls in such a manner that software manipulation allegedly led to better acceleration and fuel economy while emitting far higher levels of nitrogen oxide, a pollutant linked to lung ailments.
It also comes at a time when Malta is updating its AIR QUALITY PLAN 2010 and which will include measures towards ensuring lower PM10 and NO2 emissions in order to improve our air quality.
This plan for 2015 is currently undergoing inter-ministerial consultation. Through our input as a ministry we are committed to ensure that this MEPA-TRANSPORT MALTA promoted initiative and conjoint ongoing work will result in a robust plan well geared to meet the challenges of present day realities.
Following the efforts made already and which are ongoing in the power generation sector, the AIR QUALITY PLAN focuses on future measures related to traffic measures and is reflective of the work that has already been incorporated in Malta’s National ElectroMobility Action Plan adopted two years ago as well as in our National Environment Policy that had won bi partisan support when adopted in 2012.
There could not have been a more topical and critical issue that calls for effective mainstreaming given its direct impact on our environmental health as well as the priority attention given to it in Government’s electoral programme.
A holistic, comprehensive approach is of the essence.
Malta has always recognised the unequivocal importance of air quality for all and the fundamental value of access to clean air.
Air quality is a key aspect for the environmental status of our islands and needs to be monitored rigorously and constantly in order to assess the air status and evaluate effective responses.
The EU legislative tools to address air quality are in turn key for Malta’s efforts in this domain together with efforts which are also being done by Malta on climate policy overall and specifically on air pollutants.
Currently the EU is in the process of reviewing the EU plans with regards to Air Quality.
Indeed, these are currently being negotiated in order to elaborate criteria and visible targets to be reached by 2020.
Malta considers that strategic approaches shall be elaborated in order to envisage long term impacts and tackle the challenges along with it.
We believe that from an environmental and health perspective, the NATIONAL EMISSIONS CEILING NEC PROPOSAL being currently discussed at the European Level is positive as it would lead to improvements in Malta’s air quality.
From a public health perspective, the Proposal is fully supported since air pollution remains the principal environmental factor linked to preventable illness and premature mortality in the EU.
Government is committed to fully forefront the interests of Malta at an EU level and propose realistic targets which can be effectively implemented and which would in turn positively impact on the health of our people.
Malta will continue to assess, monitor and respond through effective measures to the problematic issues related to air quality, enhancing and strengthening cooperation with all the direct stakeholders in order to identify and implement holistic measures which can enforce synergy and continuity.
I chose to start off this speech by focusing on the fall out of the car emissions tests discrepancies elsewhere for the sole purpose of emphasising the fact that when problems are flagged up, at whatever level, swift action needs to be taken to crack down on any bad practices rather than choosing to allow emissions loopholes to prevail for the simple reason of safeguarding competitiveness at the expense of environmental health
This is why we showed concern during Monday’s EU Environment Council in Luxembourg together with some twenty one other member states.
And this is why there can be no compromises with anything that can affect our own well being.
2015 by Ministry for Transport & Infrastructure
