WasteServ Malta organised a public consultation meeting, during which officials explained the implementation of a Clean Development Mechanism project in Malta.

CDM is one of three “flexible mechanisms” established under the Kyoto Protocol and intended to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. The other two are Joint Implementation and Emissions Trading.

Under the convention, the so-called Annex 1 countries – most of the European countries – have agreed to reduce carbon dioxide emissions to an overall five per cent below 1990 levels between 2008 and 2012.

Although Malta is not an Annex 1 country and its emissions may appear to be insignificant globally, it is still obliged to reduce carbon gas emissions.

Through this project, it would be actively participating in reducing greenhouse gas emissions as CDM allows for carbon credits to be issued.

Governments and companies may then trade off these emission reduction targets by placing them on the carbon futures market.

Carbon credits are a means of trying to reduce emissions in the most cost-effective way possible.

WasteServ Malta will be submitting its application for participating in CDM, with waste management having a top priority in this regard, since landfill waste emissions possibly have the biggest say in carbon emissions locally.