Malta Sustainability Forum tackles transition to a carbon neutral economy
The 2021 edition of the Malta Sustainability Forum organised by APS Bank presented another series of informative and dynamic modules touching on myriad facets of sustainability.
The first module on the agenda of the of the sessions was titled Leading with Purpose. Nowadays, businesses no longer exist for the sole purpose of making money but also play a role in making the world a better place. Discussing this and sharing their companies’ experience in tackling these challenges, were leading players in Malta’s business and NGO spheres. The panel was moderated by Wim Vermeulen, Director of Strategy and Sustainability at Belgian multimedia advertising company Bubka. Vermeulen also co-produced The Decade of Action, a documentary highlighting the importance of sustainable actions taken by businesses.
Scenes from The Decade of Action were shown in the next module on the agenda.
Looking ahead at Europe’s target to become carbon-neutral by 2050, the panel of local and international experts discussed the transition to a carbon neutral economy, and the urgent challenges this target poses to help build a better future for all.
Moderator Sam Baker, Strategy Consultant at Deloitte, kicked off proceedings by declaring that “climate change is the most important sustainability issue of all.” This was reiterated by Michael Zammit Cutajar, who has been active in UN climate change negotiations since 1991. “Research shows that global warming is unequivocal and is influenced by human activity – creating the challenge of endurance for humankind through much harsher climatic conditions in the future,” said Mr Zammit Cutajar. This point was further emphasised by a
clip from the documentary that starkly made it clear that a 3°C increase in global temperatures by 2050 would represent a point of non-return from catastrophe, as the planet could not sustain human life any longer.
The panel discussion that followed focused on what is driving organisations to change in order to tackle climate risk. A poll showed that 79 per cent of organisations responded that it is customers and consumers that are driving that change, proving that there is a strong case for businesses to be sustainable. Olaf Zahra, Chief Officer Technology and Sustainability at
Toly Products, suggested there are many ways to adopt sustainability practices in business, for example via technology shifts that can reduce CO2 emissions in manufacturing processes.
A positive element that stemmed from the discussion was information showing that consumers can and are leading the change, with Geoffrey Debono, CEO of Debono Group, describing the increased interest from customers towards sustainable mobility solutions, including hybrid cars and car sharing.
However, Basima Abdulrahman, CEO of KESK, a green building consulting company based in Iraq and focused on postconflict reconstruction, highlighted the challenges of putting climate change high on the political agenda in a country recovering from war. “As cities consume 80 per cent of global energy, green building is the key strategy to achieve the most meaningful reduction in carbon emissions world-wide,” she explained.
The discussion unsurprisingly then turned to COVID-19 – and its effects on climate change. The consensus was that, paradoxically, it was positive, as pollution decreased and the use of buildings became more efficient as people across the globe found themselves living, working and studying from home, thus reducing greenhouse gas emissions and paving the way for future decisions in the post-COVID reality.
As the discussion ended, David Xuereb, President of the Malta Chamber of Commerce, remarked that key to dealing with the barriers to effective climate risk mitigation is securing political willingness to act, and promoting education around the issue. Mauro Cozzi, CEO of Emitwise, agreed, stating that awareness programmes, like the ones developed by the UN, are critical to push carbon-reduction initiatives forward.
Simply titled Women, the final module of Day Three of MSF 2021 boasted an impressive line-up of women leaders in various fields, with a keynote by H.E. Dr Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca, President Emeritus of Malta. The panel debated the merits of having a balanced representation of women in decision-making situations, which was followed by a discussion about domestic violence.