Climate change or global warming is predominantly caused by carbon dioxide gas polluting the atmosphere as a result of burning organic compounds ranging from a simple candle to fossil fuels in combustion engines and power stations. This gas acts as a glass shield that traps the sun’s build-up of heat energy around our planet (greenhouse effect).

As a result of this warming, the Arctic ocean could be ice-free by 2050 meaning that global sea levels could rise by more than 6m. The contribution of Antarctica to global sea-level rise is uncertain but is estimated to be of similar magnitude to North Pole-Greenland ice melt, making it a total of around 11m. However, scientists from Tyndall Centre for Climate Change (UK) are saying that potential climate changes could be much greater than predicted. So humanity is literally sitting on a ticking time bomb!

Although Malta is not yet bound by the Kyoto Protocol, last April we got three warnings on climate change obligations from the EU Commission.

I will not say any more on the possible catastrophic effects that climate change may bring about but I strongly recommend everyone to log on to www

.climatecrisis.net

/downloads/ecards/ecard-

forest.html from where one can watch the trailer of the documentary film to be released soon. It is titled “An Inconvenient Truth”, which former Vice President of USA, Al Gore is begging politicians worldwide to start accepting. According to The New York Times, this is a necessary film to see if we really care for the environment.

On another paper we saw that the greatest environmental challenge facing the world today is climate change. However, a recent edition of Xarabank which was on village festas and managed to drive the attention of the audience towards noise pollution, did not unfortunately raise the much more environmental concern of global warming arising from ground and aerial fireworks that are contaminating our air.

The governments’ proposal of offshore wind farms is still a very long way from becoming a reality. Solar panelling is a very rare sight, even on government buildings including the new hospital. Public transport remains unattractive for most people, whereas pedestrians are becoming extinct.

So, what do I see instead?

Very heavy road traffic.

Houses and villas with front and rear gardens being demolished, and more building development further consuming our limited greenery (through photosynthesis, plants take in carbon dioxide from the atmosphere).

Tree branches being brutally chopped off and whole trees being up-rooted when they are actively photosynthesising, and possibly ending up as logs to be burnt.

Fireplace chimneys mushrooming on roof tops.

An additional Fireworks Festival every first of May.

And in a time when we are trying to educate the public to switch off the lights (see billboards), we are proud to have lit up a whole city!

I believe that smart people would go for survival in preference to culture and tradition because every molecule of carbon dioxide added to the atmosphere is critical.

So, let us put aside for a moment our personal emotions, political beliefs, and our strong desires to have fun, and take this issue seriously. I am not suggesting that we go back to the Dark Middle Ages. Moderation is the key term. The “inconvenient truth” is in our hands…

C. Micallef

Fgura