Today, Malta will join the rest of the member states of the European Union, in a climate change awareness campaign.

The launch of the campaign, which will take place at the Valletta Waterfront, will include an event organised by the European Commission’s Representation in Malta in collaboration with the Ministry for Rural Affairs and the Environment and the participation of a number of primary school children.

Titled “You Control Climate Change”, the campaign aims to give people a sense of personal responsibility and empowerment and help them to contribute to the fight against climate change. In countries across the EU, large banners will be unfolded with the message “Turn down. Switch off. Recycle. Walk.”

In Malta, a banner measuring 40 feet by 18 feet has already been produced, and is currently being mounted to be used as a backdrop for today’s event, mounted on a barge which will be moored in Grand Harbour with the magnificent bastions as a background.

Currently, some 25 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) are being emitted into the atmosphere each year with concentrations of the gas in the earth’s atmosphere, now standing at 30 per cent above levels in 1800.

This increase, which is having a noticeable effect on the world’s climate through the phenomenon of global warming, has been caused mainly by the burning of fossil fuels to produce energy. The campaign will provide the public with information on practical steps they can take to reduce emissions.