This truly does feel like the umpteenth editorial that we are writing about the government’s apparent spite against trees.

Yet once again, here we are, with yet another situation of mature trees suddenly getting the chop.  This time, it was the turn of two 70-something-year old trees in Attard to face the chainsaw – a situation leaving residents lamenting how Malta’s roads agency Infrastructure Malta had resorted to becoming something of a dictatorship.

The trees were removed on Thursday as part of the Central Link project.  Infrastructure Malta had assured residents that the trees wouldn’t be touched, but a road safety audit found that the trees were a potential danger to drivers and that there was no alternative other to them being chopped. This was in fact the justification used for a permit to get the trees removed.

There is some irony in that: the government had no second thoughts in subscribing to the conclusions of this audit; but when an audit finds that a Minister spent €7,000 of taxpayer’s money on personal political promotion, or when it finds that a €274 million catering deal broke the law, they are very quick to find ways to try to negate the conclusions of the said audit.

But we digress.

Make no mistake: Malta’s environment is being sacrificed on the altar of “progress”.

Countless trees have been sacrificed to make way for more and more roads – for widened lanes, and for cars. Some would call it unfortunate, others would call it something of a war against trees.

The government will argue – as it has done already – that the trees are being made up for with more new trees planted elsewhere.

A sapling, however, doesn’t make up for a mature tree. It has to remain alive in the first place – and we’ve seen that sometimes, contractors are less than intent on actually maintaining and watering them once they’re planted.

However, this all boils down to planning.  It is clear that the infrastructural plan for this country revolves around facilitating those who commute by car. With over 400,000 vehicles in this island, they need to be facilitated with more roads – and more roads means more space taken up, and more trees getting the chop.

It’s little wonder that nobody then uses alternative means of transport, as Transport Minister Ian Borg complained about the new Marsa Park and Ride this week. Why should they abandon their cars when the infrastructure is set out to favour them?

As we have said time and time again – this country’s infrastructural planning needs to change course to take a more sustainable, environment-friendly, and less car-reliant approach. But what do we know?