Year in, year out Malta has always been among those countries where air pollution levels exceed the limits recommended by World Health Organization, Partit Demokratiku said in a statement.

The main contributors to this serious health risk are ground ozone and nitrogen dioxide which are associated with transportation, and particulate matter (PM) pollution. These increase the risk of cardiovascular and respiratory disease and can cause premature death.

Neither Transport Malta, nor the Planning Authorities have put sustainable development compatible with good health as their main objective, PD said. Public transport and smart driving can do a lot to mitigate these measures. The recent increase in road lanes round traffic islands will assist in reducing traffic congestion but this is only a short term solution.

It is also high time that government decides on the cut-off dates for the importation of petrol and diesel run cars and to offer better incentives in the next budget to encourage the use of environmentally friendly transportation so as to decrease urban and pedestrian pollution.

PD said that the closure of the Marsa power station and conversion of the Delimara power station from heavy fuel to gas have indeed helped to decrease certain air pollutants, but PD is of the opinion that the government needs to invest even more in alternative energy to get our air quality indices within respectable benchmarks.

Another subject which needs addressing is emissions from shipping. By 2020, emissions from shipping will be further reduced in the Mediterranean Sea with the implementation of the 0.5% regional limit. PD asks the government whether strategies to address this issue which becomes enforceable in the Mediterranean Sea in just seventeen months have been planned.

PD called on the Deputy Prime Minister to take the necessary action through an all-in government approach as children, pregnant women, the elderly and the sick are more likely to be affected by polluted air than any other cohort.