Malta’s greenhouse gas emissions have risen by 54.8 per cent between 1990 and 2005, an exhaustive report published by the European Environment Agency found yesterday.

While the dramatic spike results in an average 3.6 per cent rise per year, Malta’s greenhouse gas emissions appear to be on a sharp increase – having grown 6.1 per cent between 2004 and 2005 alone.

Malta’s rise in greenhouse gas emissions is second only to Cyprus at 63.7 per cent and just above Spain at 53.3 per cent. The EU27, meanwhile, averaged a reduction of 7.9 per cent, while the EU15 saw a combined drop of 1.5 per cent.

At the other end of the scale with large reductions over the 15-year period were Latvia (-58.9 per cent), Lithuania (-53 per cent), Estonia (-52.6 per cent) and Bulgaria (-39.9 per cent).

Malta’s 6.1 per cent leap in greenhouse gas emissions between 2004 and 2005 is based on ‘gap filling’ by European Environment Agency, since Malta has not filed its National GHG Inventory Reports for 2005 or 2006 as required on 15 January 2006 and 2007 respectively.

Malta is the only member state to have not supplied its 2005 report and the European Commission has opened infringement proceedings against Malta on the issue.

Since the gap filling method was used, Malta will be able to provide feedback on the agency’s estimations and incorporate its own estimates in its national submissions once provided.

Gap analysis incorporates a number of statistical methods and those used for Malta include percentage change extrapolations from CO2 emissions data, linear trends, per capita emissions and electricity consumption to estimate emissions of different pollutants.

The Commission had said in late March it would be sending Malta a final written warning for its failure to provide complete annual reports for two years running.

At the time the government had said it was registering progress in compiling national data, work that has included the setting up of a National Inventory System to estimate emissions.

The government has commissioned a project on establishing national methodology for such a system, which includes the selection of the appropriate software and expertise.

Malta is expected to submit its data in the “next reporting period”, which would be January 2008, in which it will address the outstanding years of 2005 and 2006, as well as 2007.

“It is very encouraging that we are cutting emissions while the European economy grows strongly,” commented EU environment commissioner Stavros Dimas yesterday. “But it is clear that many member states need to accelerate their efforts to limit emissions significantly if the EU is to meet its Kyoto target.

“With the adoption of long-term emission reduction targets by EU leaders in March, there is no reason to wait to take bold steps to achieve the necessary structural changes in how we produce and use energy. Doing so will ensure that emission cuts become progressively deeper and remain permanent.”

Although Malta, along with Cyprus, is exempted from the Kyoto Protocol targets, the national reports are required under a 2004 EU decision on monitoring EU-wide emission levels as part of the EU’s Kyoto obligations. They are also fundamental to the EC’s preparations of annual reports on Community emissions, as required by the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Kyoto Protocol.

Under both the UN Convention and the Kyoto Protocol, the EU and all member states must regularly report their greenhouse gas emissions, as well as policies and measures taken to reduce the emissions, the impact of such measures and assessments of future greenhouse gas emissions so that progress toward climate control goals can be properly monitored.