‘Legislation should not be the driving force for a carbon neutral economy’ – Miriam Dalli
Achieving the 2050 carbon neutrality targets requires more than just legislative changes but rather a holistic approach from businesses and enterprises, Minister for Energy, Enterprises and Sustainable Development Miriam Dalli said.
Addressing the European Commission discussion on enterprises for a sustainable Maltese economy, Dalli said that although the 2050 carbon neutrality target may seem a long way ahead “we have to start investing now at the early stages of this journey in order to build a solid foundation for the long road ahead of us.”
Dalli said that the journey of decarbonising businesses and enterprises is not only a commitment to future generations but rather a pledge for a better quality of life for the present day.
“Our vision for Malta and Gozo is ambitious but needed. We want to make sure that as the government we are in partnership with all businesses in order to properly invest towards a carbon neutral economy.”
Dalli believes that promoting tangible and effective solutions is what she entered her ministry for. “It is an extremely positive environment where stakeholders give their input towards more effective measures aimed at achieving a common goal.”
Recently, both the European Union and Malta Enterprise have been rolling out incentives for businesses to push for a holistic economic change. “The introduction of green loans provided by Maltese banks will definitely help in this regard.”
Dalli said that a change in mentality of businesses and enterprises would assure a better commitment to the decarbonisation of our economy.
Talking about sustainable Maltese enterprises, Malta Enterprise CEO Kurt Farrugia said that the measures being implemented are not just for show.
“One must ask what businesses can do in order to achieve this goal and, in my experience, businesses have always been successful in turning challenging situations into business opportunities,” Farrugia said.
Farrugia pledged on behalf of Malta Enterprise to improve the quality of work offered from businesses operating from Malta and stated that “all the schemes Malta Enterprise offers to businesses give better support to those who come forward with better environmental impact while creating quality jobs.”
Malta Chamber of SME’s CEO Abigail Mamo and Malta Chamber CEO Marthese Portelli stood by the claims of the positive impact that investing in sustainable measures has on businesses.
Mamo stated that, since most businesses in Malta are SME’s, the success stories of other small businesses in sustainability would greatly impact the way forward of these businesses.
“Although sometimes businesses are run with the mentality that if it isn’t broken, don’t change it, hearing other companies’ success stories would definitely push these small businesses towards a direction of change,” Mamo said.
Portelli emphasised on the importance sustainability would have on our future. “Sustainability is about doing something today to improve our prospects tomorrow,” she said.
Ensuring a smooth transition into the future of businesses is key for the future of economic and environmental sustainability, Portelli said.