The Nationalist Party has quoted a report and said that Malta has the highest increase in emissions in the European Union, while the Labour Party has said that the PN has got its facts wrong again.
The PN said in a statement that it “is concerned but absolutely not surprised” by statistics published by the European Environment Agency which the party said reveal that Malta has the highest increase in emissions in the European Union.
“We are not surprised as over the past months, we have become accustomed to seeing a massive gap between Miriam Dalli’s greenwashing PR machine and the troubling, real facts regarding climate, energy, and emissions in our country,” the PN said in its statement, which was signed by PN MP Eve Borg Bonello.
The PN observed that the report comes just a few weeks after the European Commission reprimanded the Maltese Government through a Formal Notice for failing to fulfill its climate obligation to submit its updated National Energy and Climate Plans (NECPs).
“While Minister Dalli continues to spin a greenwashing campaign, the Maltese people continue to pay the high price of suffering, and choking on emissions that are steadily increasing. The same agency has also published a list of dire climate change consequences affecting Mediterranean countries,” the party said.
The PN noted how just yesterday it revealed how, due to the incompetence of the Labour Government, Malta saw €90 million of EU funding and private investment go down the drain, which funding was intended to replace over 100 diesel buses with electric buses.
“The Labour Government is failing spectacularly to meet its emission reduction targets for 2030. Other countries not only met their targets early but have even exceeded them. There is a massive gap between Malta’s 2023 targets and its actual position this year,” the PN said.
It said that the country needs immediate action and that if the government were truly serious then it would implement a full audit and verification of its climate policies to identify the root causes of this failure, allocate immediate resources to accelerate emissions reductions in transport, buildings, and waste management, and demonstrate a real commitment to transparency and accountability by ensuring regular updates on progress toward climate targets.
“The Partit Nazzjonalista is committed to continuing the fight for environmental policies that promote concrete action against Climate Change and encourage the use of renewable energy, based on transparency and accountability,” the PN said.
“In the interest of the Maltese people and future generations, the time has come to stand up and let the facts, not PR, lead the way.”
In a statement issued in response though, the Labour Party said that Borg Bonello – just like her leader Bernard Grech – had gotten her facts wrong again.
“She referred to a report regarding emissions, published in October, which excludes reduction in emissions, including reduction in emissions in the energy sector. A European Commission document confirms that Malta has the lowest total emissions per capita. Borg Bonello, conveniently, ignored that report,” the PL said.
“It’s rich for the PN to speak and point fingers about emissions. The PN’s legacy in this area is horrible: A heavy fuel oil power station which polluted heavily, the highest electricity rates ever and little to no investment in renewable energy,” it concluded.