Malta's Ambassador for Climate Action, Simone Borg, has told The Malta Independent on Sunday that emissions and fossil fuel reductions can be maximised if all citizens act energy conscious.
"While governments have the responsibility to drive and facilitate change, the uptake is in our hands as citizens," she said.
"Everything we use, everything we buy, generates energy, so reducing energy consumption from fossil fuels is also a behavioural choice," Borg said, stressing the need for all stakeholders - including us citizens - to look into the mirror and ask ourselves whether we are contributing to reducing fossil fuel emissions in the way we use energy and in our consumption habits.
"If we really are conscious of how we can really contribute to energy efficiency, how we can really support a society where emissions are reduced, it also starts from the citizen," she said.
Simone Borg is Malta's Ambassador for Climate Action and is currently chairperson of the National Climate Action Council. The Council is an advisory body made up of independent persons that advise government and the Climate Action Authority on climate action. She is a lawyer by profession, an academic, a diplomat, and a professor of international law. She has long been involved in representing Malta on climate issues and, given her background, typically analyses things from an international law perspective.
As climate ambassador, Borg has negotiated Malta's position on climate issues in international fora and at EU level.
Earlier this August, a Eurostat publication showed that Maltese households registered the largest increase in electricity consumption when compared to 2015 levels. Maltese households' electricity consumption, in gigawatt-hours, rose by 66% between 2015 and 2024; the next sharpest rises were observed in Estonian households (+36%) and Slovenian households (+33%), while eight of the EU-27 recorded drops in household electricity consumption. Part of this could be attributed to the government's energy subsidies, which were implemented in 2022 to keep energy prices down for consumers amid soaring energy prices worldwide by freezing energy rates. Malta's ever-increasing population and subsequent additional housing demand also factors in here.
She stated that, while this behavioural thinking can be applied to all people in the world, this citizen-first approach means more for land-restricted Malta. She added that Malta, unlike more industrialised states that produce their own technology, also has disproportionate financial challenges to invest in decarbonisation and meet reduction targets - "but the will and the commitment to get there is definitely there."
"The Maltese islands have unique geophysical challenges like other small island states. We do not have the same options that larger EU countries have to generate renewable energy because of our limited land area. We also have challenges in utilising marine areas, but we are still aiming at generation from offshore renewables," she said.
Borg observed that harnessing technology "can help, but complete reliance on technology will not solve the issue 100%."
As Malta's climate ambassador, Borg's remit lies in the multilateral/regional aspect of this subject.
Replying to questions, Borg said that "scientific reports make it clear: if countries do not phase out the current use and reliance of fossil fuels, the temperature of the planet's atmosphere and the ocean will continue to rise, and if the mean temperature of planet Earth increases by more than 1.5°C by the end of the century, humanity and life on our planet as we know it face an existential threat."
"We are seeing the effects of climate change already and the most vulnerable are the ones that suffer most. So each country must find out how it can be best prepared and resilient in dealing with climate change effects as much as possible. Reducing emissions from fossil fuels will address the cause of the damage but unfortunately damage has already been done and so we need to be prepared as much as possible for risks associated with climate change such as extreme weather events that have multiple repercussions," Borg said.
While Malta and other countries can always do more to reduce emissions from fossil fuels, Borg believes that "the major casualty is the adaptation side." She said that Malta has been trying to lead in adaptation to climate change, including within the EU. Apart from the EU wide adaptation strategy, Malta has its own national climate adaptation strategy and is about to formulate a national adaptation plan.
When asked if she is content with the rate of Malta's progress vis-à-vis climate action, Borg responded that "we have done a lot as a small island state with limited resources and geophysical constraints, but we can always do more. We are very impatient to see results" but, for better or worse, plans are first needed to address climate change and its effects on our people.
Earlier this July, this newsroom looked into the climate emergency declared by the Parliament of Malta in October 2019. This analysis found that only five out of 15 action points listed in this climate emergency have been accomplished so far.
Borg told this newsroom that while Malta "is doing a lot" in regard to climate preparedness, "even if we are negligible emitters because as an island state we are amongst the most vulnerable." Hence, she observed that no single state alone and "not even the EU-27 can [single-handedly] really save the day."
"Unless this is truly a global effort, the problem of climate change can never really be addressed well. No single state can make a change, but it's the collective," Borg said.
Fortunately, Borg noted that the USA's withdrawals from the Paris Agreement, under the Trump administrations, did not slow down global climate commitments. She attributed this to "a genuine will for parties to continue working" towards climate neutrality, even with significant political speed bumps along the way. "I don't think the fear that things would quiet down or slow down or grind to a halt has materialised," Borg said.
She said that Malta is influenced by climate discussions' externalities, including how developing countries continue to argue that they require funding assistance to be able to carry out the necessary changes for decarbonizing and adapting to climate change. She says that the process is painfully slow but together with the EU member States, Malta is working to ensure that "we're getting there."
"This last decade Malta has been financially supporting applicants from small island states and least developed states to pursue their studies on climate action in Malta, as we believe in empowering human resources, especially the younger generation, as an essential example of assistance to these countries," Borg said.
She shared that, despite Malta having a vision and its own commitments, the country still needs to entice some sectors, e.g., the transport and the buildings sectors and ensure that certain green incentives could truly make a difference.
Since Malta spearheaded the landmark UN initiative in 1988 that unanimously recognised climate change as a common concern for humankind and recognised that the climate must be safeguarded for present and future generations, Malta's climate commitments within international fora have grown stronger. At the time, Malta argued that smaller states - especially small island states - are going to be the most affected countries in climate crises, and that no single state would be left untouched by climate change and its ramifications. This rationale is today viewed as dogma within climate discussions.
Borg stated that Malta's exposure as a small island state will likely render it to be more of a victim than a contributor to the problem of climate change, especially with Malta being a negligible emitter in the grand scheme of things, "but this does not exonerate us from our responsibilities to commit to reducing emissions."
"Malta both within the EU and with small island states has always strived to be on the forefront in the driving ambition at climate negotiations," she said.
She stressed that the ramifications of climate change can hit at any time, which is why it is so important for countries to prepare themselves for any eventuality.
Earlier this week, the United Nations Environment Programme observed that, "in the next few years," the Earth is trending to exceed the safe temperature threshold discussed during the 2015 Paris Climate Accords, as a result of the sustained burning of fossil fuels. Scientists estimate that the world now rests at 1.4°C (2.5°F) above pre-industrial levels, according to calculated 20-year averages. The agreed upon temperature threshold was of +1.5°C.
Resultantly, the UN is now recommending policymakers to "prepare for and navigate a future" where the Earth crosses this temperature threshold, expects climate-related disasters like extreme weather events, extinctions, rising seas, and melting ice and glaciers, before hopefully correcting course and cooling down temperatures below the danger zone.
Whilst the onus was previously to prevent global temperatures from exceeding this threshold, this is being updated to limit global peak temperatures through climate action and reduce the amount of time above the +1.5°C temperature threshold. It is now feared that the world will remain in this overshoot period for "many, many decades."
The UNEP's Executive Director, Inger Andersen, said on Wednesday that governments around the world must increase their efforts to adapt to worsening global warming.
Borg told The Malta Independent on Sunday that "the effects of climate change will not go away if Malta becomes climate neutral tomorrow, or if the EU becomes climate neutral tomorrow." This means, that becoming climate neutral will not suddenly stop heatwaves or other extreme weather events, like medicanes, from hitting us. The European Union aims to become the Earth's first climate neutral continent by 2050, with major GHG reduction targets set for 2035 - something she said Malta is very proud to support.
"Damage has already been done and the earlier we phase out fossil fuels, the less severe the damages would be until the planet neutralises the harm," she said.
Borg said that Malta's EU membership in 2004 acted as a trigger for it to gear up on climate action, calling it "an immediate change for us." She noted that prior to EU membership, Malta was a developing country that had no obligation to reduce its emissions. She said that once Malta joined the EU, it joined the group of states with "the most complex and the most demanding emission reductions"; this led Malta to involve itself, for the first time, in emissions trading under the EU's emissions trading system (ETS) - Europe's carbon market. The ETS requires polluters to pay for their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions while financing the green transition through this revenue.
She said that emissions trading nudged Malta's power operator to switch from oil to gas, which is a cleaner fossil fuel, and invest in energy efficiency - despite gas being more difficult to store. The latter prompted more investment in renewable energy as under the ETS, "the less fossil fuels you burn, the more allowances you have left in your quota to trade and sell it."
Borg shared that the ETS system brought about a significant push forward to invest in gas and in renewable energy. "You cannot rely on oil if you want to maximise your quota potential, to trade," Borg said on the EU's legal framework to reduce emissions, the ETS.
Speaking about Malta vis-à-vis climate change, Borg said that we are "lucky" in the sense that "we have no political party in Malta which is against or thinks climate change is a hoax."
In a message to climate sceptics, she challenged that if climate change had to actually be an elaborate hoax, in spite of scientific evidence, "what's wrong about having renewable energy in the energy mix? What's wrong about having sustainable cities? What's wrong about having sustainable transport?"
"I think it's a win-win, really. What's the gain on the planet to remain reliant on fossil fuels?" Borg said on climate action.
She observed that Malta's "lack of options, such as space," have and will continue to impact Malta's capabilities in this green vision.
She stated that energy security, as a "fundamental survival issue," is the number one priority whenever cleaner energy is discussed, and that greener improvements must factor in this reality. Whilst looking to guarantee energy security, Malta is working on improving its energy efficiency with respect to electricity generation, distribution, and other aspects like water desalination and production.
Borg believes that Malta has greatly improved these last few years in increasing its share of renewable energy, even if "we can do more, definitely." She added that, given Parliament's unanimous declaration of a climate emergency a few years ago, more time dedicated by Parliament towards climate issues would, "undoubtedly," be helpful for Malta to reach these goals.
Malta lags well behind other EU countries in generating renewable energy. According to Eurostat, in 2025, Malta recorded the lowest share of energy from renewable sources in its gross electricity consumption (11.2%) out of all EU countries. In contrast, renewable energy sources accounted for half (49.9%) of the EU's gross electricity consumption last year.
On this, Borg said that when discussing this subject, one must keep in mind how Malta's lack of space constrains its potential to harness solar and wind energy, as generating more solar energy requires spaces for solar panels and wind energy is generated through turbines, hence the efforts for offshore solutions - despite their own challenges, such as reaching Malta's relatively deep continental shelf for the planned offshore renewables.
Another challenge in adding renewables to Malta's energy mix is adapting distribution infrastructure towards them.
Borg was also asked about Malta's afforestation efforts amid controversies relating to other tree cutting/uprooting, e.g., ERA greenlighting the uprooting of 800 trees in Comino. Without commenting on that case, as a matter beyond her remit, she said that afforestation is a component of Malta's plans to offset emissions. She argued that Malta must also pursue its potential to sequester carbon from the sea
Borg also expressed a lot of faith in the younger generation for pushing climate issues on government agendas. For instance, she commended the National Youth Council (KNŻ) and other organisations for pushing for Parliament to declare its 2019 climate emergency.
In conclusion, she stated that "we cannot rest on our laurels" and appealed for all stakeholders to be ambitious and collaborate towards climate commitments.