Malta’s strategy for carbon neutrality to be finalised in coming weeks, Environment Minister says

Malta’s strategy for carbon neutrality – which the country wants to reach by 2050 – will be finalised in the coming weeks, Environment Minister Aaron Farrugia told ministers in Luxembourg on Friday.

During the Environment Council of Ministers in Luxembourg, the Minister said that the government’s efforts to ensure that Malta’s power generation is LNG-based means that today, Malta is already low-carbon: a leap that other member states have not yet made.

“In fact, Malta is the lowest emitter per capita in the European Union,” the minister said.

The Minister explained that Malta’s potential to reduce further is comparatively more difficult than in other member states due to the specificities of being an island member state.

“Being blessed with sunshine and pristine seas, Malta has no chance of hydro-electric power and further opportunities for renewable energy, whether solar or wind, are also limited by the country’s small size, extensive protected land and marine areas and deep surrounding sea,” Farrugia said.

He stressed that it is essential for Malta to reach neutrality in a just way, while taking into consideration all socio-economic repercussions, as competitiveness for an island member state in the Mediterranean is key to safeguarding jobs and growth.

“Our calculations show that it will be challenging but we will stay the course. We are committed to climate action, and recognise the need for the EU to show drive towards climate mitigation where our combined collective efforts must set the pace for the rest. It is precisely in this conviction that, despite its unique circumstances and disproportionate marginal mitigation costs, Malta has embraced carbon neutrality,” he said.