Writing this article on Republic Day, having weighed what others – from the President to Moviment Graffiti had to say – I wondered what speech it would be my own duty to make. Certainly, I could preach against corruption and its evident consequences, or talk about a second republic, as I did in my opinion column two weeks ago. I could speak of reconciliation – once truth and justice have been carried out.

It would be noble to add my voice to theirs on these crucial matters. Yet, if I am really to focus on the public good, and the future of our children, then it is my duty to dispense some brutal truths and quit any notion of playing at politics on the occasion of Republic Day. The matters facing us are far too important to play with words. People need facts, so that they can act in their best interests –   immediately and now. Malta needs to restore its reputation to defend its continued existence and the survival of its people, and I will explain why. I will preface this with a topical quote by the late Daphne Caruana Galizia: “Where environmental damage is greatest, so is corruption.”

The latest series of scientific reports on the state of the global climate paint a grim picture for Malta and Gozo – and for the rest of the world. It seems to be the case that we have already passed certain tipping points. The Arctic is now emitting between 1.1 billion and 2.2 billion tons of carbon dioxide a year into the atmosphere as a result of global warming. As the world warms more, it will lead to the melting of permafrost in the Arctic, which stores methane, a greenhouse gas which is much more powerful than carbon dioxide. All of these greenhouse gases released as a result of global warming will cause more warming to take place, leading to yet more greenhouse gases being released. This apocalyptic cycle is already underway. Scientists are concerned about the 1,460 billion to 1,600 billion metric tons of organic carbon stored in frozen Arctic soil, which is almost twice the amount of greenhouse gases that are contained in the atmosphere. Climate change – which we once considered as an inconvenience – is now threatening to cause the end of most life on the planet, including human life. It sounds incredible to even think about, and that is because it is as serious as it sounds. 

We are living in Eden, with the tremendous privilege of experiencing humanity’s Golden Age. We are enjoying and benefiting from technology which many people today could not even have dreamed of in their childhood. A century ago, we were witnessing the birth of man’s ability to fly in the sky. Within a couple of generations, we had put people on the moon. Then came the modern computer and, even more incredibly, the Internet.

The wealth of human knowledge is in our pocket, and at our fingertips, as well as the ability to communicate with anyone, anywhere, at any time. Medicine has made our lives, on average, long and bountiful, and has helped us fight illnesses which were once impossible mountains to climb. The field of health continues to advance, promising innovations which might save more of our loved ones in the future. We build towering monuments, skyscrapers which reach ever higher and higher and unravel the mysteries of the universe down to its smallest components, probing the very laws of physics as we go.

It is indeed a privilege to be alive today, particularly in a developed country where we can make full use of this wonder. Nevertheless, such rapid progress has come with its own problems, for which we are not adapted. There are mental illnesses arising now out of the new environments we have created for ourselves: we are not yet fully adapted to the world we have made.

And this, of course, brings me back to the scientific studies I mentioned earlier in this article. Mankind’s greatest ability is being able to adapt and learn. Our problem now is that the world has changed so much in just a century that we can no longer keep up with the changes that we have made. The world is experiencing unintended consequences to which we have responded too slowly. Our own genius, therefore, seems likely to have become our undoing. It is therefore the responsibility of every citizen of our country to petition their political representatives, particularly the Prime Minister and our MEPs, to take action in pressuring the European Union and United Nations to do more.

Part of the tragedy of the corruption in our country is how it has utterly destroyed our credibility abroad. At the beginning of this year I wrote extensively about how I think Malta should be tackling climate change: by using our diplomatic and political ability abroad, since we have historically punched above our weight. I used the example of Arvid Pardo, known as the ‘Father of the Law of the Sea Conference’, for putting Malta in the spotlight on an international issue where a great impact was made.

Now, however, Malta’s ability to fight climate change and defend the continued existence of the Republic has been compromised. It is too early to tell if there is any way of bringing the world back from the brink of ecological disaster. It may already be too late, even without the fact that we are doing nothing much to prevent it. However, we have to try. Our country needs to see the big picture – we cannot afford not to. Otherwise anything and everything that we have ever done, and hope to do, will have been in vain, including the suffering and sacrifices of our ancestors and the plans of our children and those we leave behind us. Let us come together on this issue in the hope that it is not yet too late.