The Opposition spokesperson on Environment and Climate Change Leo Brincat inquired whether the Malta Environment and Planning Authority or the Malta Resources Authority were responsible in any way for putting into action Legal Notice 238 of 2006, which lays down the basic requirements on maximising building energy performance.
In response, the government said that the Energy Performance of Buildings Regulations were in the process of being amended and, as from early 2009, all newly constructed buildings would require an Energy Performance Certificate.
As the saying goes, between the wish and the reality lies the waiting. We definitely can’t keep the problem of Climate Change and the solution of renewable energy on hold for too long. The government’s reply to Mr Brincat’s statements is symptomatic of our mentality as a nation. It is not merely about what the government failed to do, or what more it could have done. It’s about our failure as a nation.
We should be ashamed, if not embarrassed to have spent too much time thinking about such processes. The Climate Change crisis did not happen last year or the year before; it did not happen overnight; it is a gradual process for which we are to blame.
It is about time we pulled our socks up and got to work – the government, the Opposition and the whole of society. I believe it is useless waiting for the government to take action. We, as individuals, can already make a great difference to the world we live in.
To be honest, I too was not well informed on this subject, until I happened to watch the brilliant documentary film An Inconvenient Truth by Al Gore. “Humanity,” he said, “is sitting on a ticking time bomb. If the vast majority of the world’s scientists are right, we have just 10 years to avert a major catastrophe that could send our entire planet into a tail-spin of epic destruction involving extreme weather, floods, droughts, epidemics and killer heat waves beyond anything we have ever experienced.”
Anyone who has a conscience and has followed Gore’s work should be aware of the danger to the environment. I do not want to sound like an extreme environmentalist, but little things can be done in our homes to reduce global warming extending beyond how we personally reduce our own emissions. We all have influence on our schools, workplaces, businesses, and society on how we make purchases, invest, take action, and vote. We can also have a positive effect on global warming.
Most emissions emanating from homes are from the fossil fuels burnt to generate electricity. By using energy more efficiently in the home, you can reduce your emissions and lower your energy bills by more than 30 per cent. In addition, since agriculture is responsible for about a fifth of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions, you can decrease emissions simply by watching what you eat.
Initially, one can replace a regular light bulb with a compact fluorescent light (CPL) bulb that uses 60 per cent less energy than a regular bulb. This simple switch will save about 300 pounds of carbon dioxide a year. You can even move your thermostat down two degrees in winter and up two degrees in summer. Almost half the power we use in our homes goes on heating and cooling. You could save about 2,000 pounds of carbon dioxide a year with such a simple adjustment. Cleaning and/or replacing filters on heaters and air-conditioners can save up to 350 pounds of carbon dioxide.
The list just keeps going on. Everyday things that we do automatically affect our environment. By merely wrapping your water heater in an insulation blanket you can save 1,000 pounds of CO² a year. Hanging clothes out to dry instead of using a tumble dryer saves you 700 pounds of CO² in six months. A habit that is widespread in various workplaces and homes is leaving electronic devices on standby when not in use. When turned off, things like hairdryers, cell phone chargers and televisions use energy, so by basically unplugging electronics from the wall would save millions of tons of CO² entering the atmosphere every year.
Recycling plastic bags for wastepaper baskets at home or using recycled paper products, or even just planting a tree, can help improve our environment. As does buying fresh foods instead of frozen and consuming organic foods as much as possible, or buying a hybrid car. You might say that you would not make a difference, but together we would all make a difference.
We must change our mentality locally, nationally, and internationally if we truly want to save our environment before it is too late. The environment that our children and our children’s children will have to live in.
Let us try and save what’s left, together as a nation.
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Ms Zammit Alamango is a member of the Labour Party National Executive Committee.