‘Disquieting’ figures on the environment – MLP

Eurostat figures about the environment in Malta are highly disquieting, Leo Brincat, MLP spokesman for the environment, said. A Eurostat report concludes that after Cyprus Malta has the highest level of greenhouse gas emissions among EU states, Malta did not send its figures about the number of people in urban areas who are exposed to dust, nor were there figures about people exposed to ozone pollution or on freshwater resources per capita. Malta also has a high figure of waste generation, the second highest figure for landfilled waste and no figures for incinerated waste.

Mr Brincat said the European Commission last year proposed various aims to be achieved by 2020, including reducing greenhouse gases by 20 per cent by 2020 against 1990 levels, alternative sources of energy have to provide 20 per cent of energy use, biofuels should represent 10 per cent of transport fuels and energy consumption should fall by 20 per cent through improved efficiency in use.

Malta was among the 10 EU states which had not only not reduced the 1990 levels but instead had higher levels of greenhouse gases. These figures, he added, were of concern and called for concrete action.