The climate risks we face

The first ever European climate risk assessment carried out by the European Environment Agency (EEA) has concluded that Europe is unprepared for what lies in store.

The year 2023 was the warmest year ever. The global average temperature during 2023 has surpassed the threshold of 1.5 degrees Celsius set in the Paris agreement at the 2015 Climate Summit.

Europe is the fastest warming continent. The situation in Southern Europe is even worse. It will face considerably reduced rainfall and more severe droughts.

At this point, none of this is however news. It is already the present. The future may, however, be even worse than that.

In a 425-page report we are told that climate change is a multiplier of risks: existing risks will be aggravated. Climate risks are growing much faster than our preparedness. We are being extremely slow in developing and implementing climate change adaptation strategies.

36 major climate risks for Europe have been identified. They are grouped in five clusters, namely, ecosystems, food, health, infrastructure, and the economy/finance.  

The key findings of this first European climate risk assessment, which I quote verbatim from the EEA report, are:

“Ecosystems: climate change is one of the main drivers of biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation in Europe. Among climate risks related to ecosystems, risks to coastal and marine ecosystems have the highest severity in the current period as well as the greatest urgency to act.

Food: Europe faces multiple challenges to food production and food security, including reducing its environmental impact. Crop production is already facing substantial climate risks in Europe as a whole, and critical risk levels in Southern Europe.

Health: climate change poses major risks to human health systems. Risks related to heat are already at critical levels in southern Europe.

Infrastructure: extreme weather events are posing increasing risks to the built environment and infrastructure in Europe, and the services they provide. Such events can disrupt essential services, including energy supply, water supply and transport networks.

Economy and finance: the European financial system faces critical risks from the impacts of climate change, both within Europe and abroad. Serious sector- and region-specific risks to Europe could catalyse a systemic financial shock.” (page 264: para 18.6 of the report)

This is a wakeup call of the highest order. The European continent is unprepared for the growing extremes of climate. Yet senior politicians at an EU level are more interested in sabotaging specific initiatives which seek to bridge the gap in climate change preparedness. The recent debate (and voting patterns) on the regulatory framework for the restoration of nature is a case in point.

The recent Dutch farmers’ revolt which has shaken the Netherlands’ body politic has its origin in the difficulties encountered in implementing the Nitrates Directive. It has however spread to other regions, motivated by the industrial agricultural lobby’s determination to sabotage the EU Green Deal.

In Germany the centre-right CDU-CSU have just launched their joint EU Parliament electoral manifesto with a pledge to reverse the controversial phase-out of the internal combustion engine. A definite commitment to water-down the EU Green Deal. The CDU-CSU leading candidate is the same person piloting the EU Green Deal, Ursula von der Leyen.

With these attitudes it is inevitable that our preparedness for the climate risks we face will get even worse. This is the future we face. It keeps getting worse until those that matter come to their senses.

published in The Malta Independent on Sunday : 17 March 2024

The EU Emissions Trading Scheme and the Malta Freeport

The EU Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS) has been in place for the past 20 years, since 2003. It deals with the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions through the use of market-based instruments. Initially maritime emissions were excluded from its operation.

The debate at an EU level as to when greenhouse gas emissions from the maritime industry would no longer be excluded from this regulatory process has been ongoing for quite some time. Extending the applicability of the EU ETS to maritime transport was a crucial next step, no longer avoidable after the 2015 Paris Climate Summit.

At Paris there was unanimous agreement between the participating states that urgent action needed to be taken in order to contain the increase in global temperature to possibly no more than 1.5 degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial global temperature. Achieving that aim would be of considerable help in reducing climate change impacts, including the potential rise in sea level, a serious threat to islands and coastal areas.

As an island state with a substantially developed coast, Malta has an interest in arresting the projected sea level rise, the soonest possible. At least an interest in reducing it to the minimum possible. Depending on its extent, a sea level rise will be extremely damaging to Malta’s infrastructure.

Everybody is aware that as of the 1 January 2024 cargo and passenger ships having a gross tonnage of 5000 tonnes or over will be subject to the EU ETS scheme as a result of which they will pay for their carbon emissions. Initially such payments will cover 40 per cent of their emissions. This will rise to 70 per cent in 2025 and then to 100 per cent from 2026 onwards. This is an application of the polluter pays principle. A basic principle in international environmental law enshrined in the EU treaties and incorporated as well in the Maltese statute book.

The scheme will be operating within the European Union and consequently there will be shipping lines which will try to better organise themselves in order to avoid payment for their carbon emissions. This fact was highlighted some weeks ago by Alex Montebello, the CEO of the Freeport Terminal, who argued, in an article published in the local press, that the North African ports, to which the EU ETS does not apply, as they are not part of an EU member state, will be placed at a competitive advantage. Consequently, most probably, the Malta Freeport Terminal will lose substantially its transhipment role. The Malta Freeport’s loss, he argued, will be the gain of other ports along the southern Mediterranean shores, such as Damietta, Tangier Med or East Port Said.

Now this is an interesting argument which most probably was considered by the negotiators on behalf of the Maltese Government when they handled the matter in Brussels.

In fact, a substantial number of islands within the EU territory are exempted from the provisions of ETS if they satisfy the applicable criteria. Having a population which is less than 200,000 and no road or rail links with the European mainland are the criteria to be met. As a result, the port of Imġarr in Gozo is the only exempted Maltese port which is included in the relative EU implementation decision published in the Official Journal of the EU on the 19 December 2023.

No explanation has been forthcoming from Government, and I would not dare speculate as to the reason why the Maltese negotiators failed to ensure that the transhipment role of the Freeport Terminal at Marsaxlokk Bay was defended appropriately.  The locality of Birżebbuġa, possibly, stands to gain, inadvertently, as a result of this failure.

Obviously, Malta cannot possibly be exempted as this would defeat the whole purpose of the EU ETS which is that of reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Possibly, for a change, as a country we have started taking our responsibilities seriously. Maybe we can now start the long process of aligning our economy with our environmental responsibilities.

Well, it is never too late.

published in The Malta Independent on Sunday: 7 January 2024

Vacant properties: an investment or a launderette?

The publication of the 2021 Census Report on the characteristics of existing residential property once, more focuses the spotlight on the urban sprawl and in particular on the substantial number of vacant or under-utilised dwellings available in these islands.

On the day of the Census, the existence of 297,304 dwellings was recorded. Of these 81,613 were grouped as either vacant or else as being dwellings having a seasonal or secondary use. It works out at 27.5 per cent of the housing stock which at a national level is under-utilised. This varies regionally from a 22.1 per cent low, in the Western region, to a 45 per cent high in Gozo! From a 15.5 per cent low at Santa Luċija Malta to a 66.8 per cent high at Iż-Zebbuġ Gozo, which locality includes the seaside resort of Marsalforn.

While the Marsalforn numbers are most probably, primarily, a reflection of the predominantly seasonal accommodation in the locality, the overall numbers are still a cause for concern. The situation gets progressively worse.

The total number of vacant or under-utilised dwellings, 81,613, is equivalent to 6 times the size of residential Sliema or 8 times the size of residential B’Kara or 9 times that of residential Mosta. Given the small size of the country these numbers are substantial. They indicate the strain on both the environment as well as the public purse which is resulting from over-development.  These under-utilised dwellings are served with the required infrastructural services:  roads, electricity, public sewers and water services at a substantial public expense, which could have been more beneficially used in other areas where existing dwellings are actually in use, continuously!

The reasons for existing residential property being vacant or only being used occasionally are various. One cannot generalise. The census itself, in fact, identifies around 6,000 residential units as being in a shell state on the date of the Census.

There are several issues which should be considered and acted upon. Hopefully they will not be once more ignored.

With over 80,000 vacant or under-utilised properties, what sense does it make to continue dishing out development permits for large scale developments which keep adding to the stock of vacant properties? One of the major contributors to the creation of this mess is undoubtedly the land use planning rationalisation exercise, which in 2006 added one million square metres to the development zone. These are currently being developed.

With over 80,000 vacant or partially used properties it makes no sense to have a waiting list at the Housing Authority for those seeking alternative accommodation. The Housing Authority should tap the existing housing stock, rather than add to it, in order to address its waiting list immediately. The current projects of the Housing Authority are a waste of resources when such a large number of properties are available. This is bad governance of the worst kind.

A third consideration is to tax long-term vacant properties. It does not make any environmental sense to develop land (including agricultural land) and subsequently to keep the developed property vacant. Nor does it make economic sense to invest so much without seeking to recover economic benefits in the form of rent. Those who persist in keeping their properties unused in the long term should pay a vacant property tax which would in part compensate the public exchequer for the expenditure incurred in creating the ghost towns made up of these 81,613 vacant or under-utilised properties.

Taxing long-term vacant properties could encourage their being placed on the market, to the benefit of all. As a result, they would possibly avoid the tax altogether! The tax would have achieved its purpose in encouraging the use of all existing properties. It would have achieved its purpose of causing a behavioural change. This is the objective of most environmental taxes.

There is another issue: that of money laundering through property investment. Since Malta made it to the grey list of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) a number of years ago, some attention is being paid to the property launderette, as both Estate Agents as well as Notaries are carrying out some form of due diligence on property which is being sold. It is not unheard of for a property sale not materialising if there is doubt on the source of funds invested or being invested.  Investigating properly unexplained sources of wealth would contribute substantially not only to cleaning up the country but also in addressing the stock of vacant properties.

The use of property to launder illicit gains is not a new phenomenon. Regulatory initiatives in this respect are however still in their infancy.

The primary conclusion from this Census is a clear message to the Planning Authority to get its house in order. Why build so much to keep the resulting residential units vacant? It is a question we have been asking for years. Unfortunately, they are not bothered to answer!

published on The Malta Independent on Sunday: 10 September 2023

Planning for climate change

The Joint Research Centre (JRC) of the European Commission has recently published a study entitled “Regional Impact of Climate Change on European tourism demand”. It aims to provide evidence-based scientific support to the EU policymaking process.

This JRC technical study examines the potential impact of climate change on tourism demand within the context of the debate shaping the 2030 EU Agenda for Tourism. The development of touristic destinations must essentially consider the impact of climate change.

This is a debate which is unfortunately absent locally. In Malta, both the tourism industry as well as the Malta Tourism Authority (MTA) are only interested in numbers, more than anything else.  This is evidenced by the Deloitte report on the industry’s capacity, published some months ago. It is pertinent to remember that the Deloitte report points out that a projected supply of touristic accommodation, close to 5 million tourists annually would be required to ensure the sector’s long-term profitability (at an average 80 per cent occupancy throughout the year).  Tourism planning at its worst possible. Pure madness!

Land use planning concessions, left right and centre, have been dished out to attain this massive over-development. The tourism industry with government’s complicity has planned for this massive over-capacity, in the process ignoring the reality on the ground.

The JRC study emphasises that “the last three decades of research have failed to prepare the (tourism) sector for the net-zero transition and the climate disruption that will transform tourism in the 2050-time horizon.”

The study finds a clear north-south pattern in tourism demand changes: “northern regions benefitting from climate change and southern regions facing significant reductions in tourism demand.”

Southern coastal regions are projected to lose a significant amount of summer tourists, around 10 per cent, in the warmer climate scenarios considered by the study. This compares to a projected significant increase of approximately 5 per cent in the Northern European coastal regions.

The projected shift in tourism is not only regional: it would also be seasonal.

Such studies are indicative. However, they should be taken note of and have a bearing on the essential planning which is required if we are to be as prepared as can be for the climate changes which are on our doorstep. Matters may possibly even turn out to be far worse than what is being projected! Hence the need for more focused studies on what lies in store.

Both the industry and the Tourism Ministry are oblivious to all this. They are still euphoric on the “post-Covid record number of tourists”, ignoring the changes on the horizon.

Climate change is impacting everything, not just tourism. It is already impacting water resources, the infrastructure, coastal protection, energy, biodiversity, agriculture as well as health.

Only recently we read in the media that at a recent informal meeting of EU Health Ministers held at the Canary Islands, Health Minister Chris Fearne raised the impact of climate change on health. He was reported as having emphasised the need to consider, in depth, the impacts which climate change is having on our health systems. Fearne is obviously planning ahead, not just on the impacts of the climate on health planning. His radar is most obviously focused on the composition of the EU Commission which this time next year will be in the process of being screened by the EU Parliament and its various committees.

Whatever the motivation on the importance of climate change, it is imperative that we plan ahead, definitely beyond the immediate future.

Unfortunately, the Ministry responsible for climate change hasn’t got an inkling of all this. It should be leading the way in discussing and planning how best to adapt to climate change and to mitigate its impacts. Instead, it is focused on the unofficial electoral campaign for the EU Parliament.

Adapting to climate change will require substantial behavioural change which successive governments have been reluctant to encourage through adequate policy initiatives. Climate change will not go away. We can only adapt to the change and seek to implement the required mitigation measures. Without behavioural change we are doomed.

It is about time that we act, before it is too late.

published in The Malta Independent on Sunday: 3 September 2023

Tourism: the tough years ahead

Karl Lauterbach, the German Health Minister, in the past days chose to spend his summer holidays in Italy. Like all of us, he had to deal with the extraordinary temperatures of the past days. On the 13 July, while travelling from Bologna to Tuscany he commented on social media that “If things continue like this, these holiday destinations will have no long-term future. Climate change is destroying southern Europe. An era is drawing to a close”.

In the past months, in Malta, both government and the tourism industry have spoken in detail on the future of the industry. Both are looking ecstatically at the increase in tourism arrival numbers: definitely a case of misplaced enthusiasm. In reality they should be carefully examining the urgent need for a radical restructuring of the tourism industry, if it is to have any chance of survival at all.

It would be pertinent to look again at last year’s Deloitte report on the carrying capacity for tourism in the Maltese Islands, commissioned by the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association (MHRA), but financed primarily by EU funds.

The Deloitte report, entitled Carrying Capacity Study for Tourism in the Maltese Islands was mostly quoted in the national debate in relation to its quantification of the oversupply of tourist beds.  The report emphasises that over the next five years there is a significant risk of a substantial over-supply in the expected touristic accommodation growth. As a result of the projected supply of touristic accommodation, close to 5 million tourists per annum would be required (at an average 80 per cent occupancy throughout the year) in order to ensure the sector’s long-term profitability. Such an influx of tourists, definitely, cannot be handled by the country. It would definitely make the current infrastructural mess even worse than it currently is.

There is however another significant issue which the Deloitte report, and the industry, ignore completely. What is the impact of climate change on the tourism attracted to the Maltese islands? The current heat-wave is an indicator of what lies in wait for us in the near future.

The infrastructural mess in energy generation and its distribution, is not doing tourism any favours! This is not only evident in the Maltese islands. It is also clearly a common problem in a number of other competitor Mediterranean countries.

The tropicalization of the climate in the Mediterranean is a matter which undoubtedly should have a considerable bearing in any strategic debate on the future of tourism in the Maltese islands. This crucial point is however, regrettably, completely ignored not just by the industry and its advisors but also by myopic policy planners at the Malta Tourism Authority (MTA) and the supervising Ministry.

The industry continuously prefers to bury its head in the sand, ostrich-like. In this context the carrying-capacity of the tourism industry is completely irrelevant, even in the short term. It is completely overshadowed by climate change: that is the primary future driver of tourism. Changes are clearly in the air, yet both the industry and the policy makers, ostrich-like, are still focused on making tourism great again!

The summer months in the Maltese islands are becoming too hot for tourism. Does this mean that tourism has no future or does it signify that it will eventually be cut down to size and effectively shifted to the winter months?

With the summer months getting progressively hotter it is pretty obvious that the current heat wave is not an exception, it will shortly be the new normal!

There are already indications that the Mediterranean is possibly already facing a 10 percent drop in those planning to visit in the second half of 2023.

Unfortunately, government’s attitude towards tourism clearly indicates that it has no plans for the anticipated impacts on the tourism industry as a result of the tropicalization of the Mediterranean climate. This is the most obvious conclusion after “reading” what’s missing in the Deloitte report. The ostrich is apparently the new mascot of the Malta Tourism Authority.

published on The Malta Independent on Sunday: 30 July 2023

Summer blackouts: with Ira Losco, in open spaces

At the time of writing multiple localities are trying to cope with night-long power cuts. In some cases, Enemalta Corporation maintenance personnel have been successful in carrying out repairs immediately, in other cases repairs took much longer. It will only get worse with these faults which have been euphemistically described by the Enemalta Press office as “network difficulties” caused by high temperatures. It will get worse as temperatures will be much higher.

The power demand has been well below the generation capacity of 830MW. The outages, we were informed, were caused by damage to the cables forming part of the distribution network as a result of the high temperatures generated. Why wasn’t this anticipated and acted upon? It is not rocket science! The upgrading of the electricity distribution network should have been a priority. Unfortunately, it isn’t.

The impacts on our families and businesses of these power cuts is substantial. They have a considerable bearing on our quality of life as they render the anticipated extremes of climate change unbearable. Facing an ambient temperature hovering around 40 degrees Celsius and higher, without the possibility to mitigate its impacts raises the inevitable questions as to whether government has its priorities right. It will get worse.  Elsewhere in the Mediterranean, in Sardinia and Sicily, temperatures of 48 degrees Celsius and higher are already a reality. Inevitably it will soon be our turn to face the music and it is already clear that we are not in any way prepared for what lies in store.

All this has a direct impact on our pockets too as whenever the blackout lasts for long hours, the contents of our refrigerators and freezers are no longer edible. They are rendered unsuitable. This is not only applicable to domestic households. It also impacts considerably the catering industry which has yet to fully recover from the Covid19 debacle.

In addition, whenever the power cut takes place during daylight hours this has an impact on the quantity of solar energy fed into the electricity grid. During a power cut, for security purposes, no energy is fed into the grid from solar panels.

Is preventive maintenance being carried out on the electricity grid? Is the promised upgrading of the electricity distribution system being seen through?

The repeated power cuts indicate that preventive maintenance is not being carried out adequately, if at all. The ever-increasing ambient temperatures are no surprise and consequently its impact on the distribution network could have been easily anticipated and planned for.

There is an additional issue. The massive development of residential units under way during the past years has not been accompanied with the corresponding upgrade in the electrical power infrastructure. The resulting simultaneous multiple power failures of the electricity grid at various points is indicative of this failure across the board.

Whatever maintenance has been done has not been adequate for the distribution system to function adequately in high temperatures. Where are the planners?

In all this there is a political responsibility to be shouldered by Energy Minister Miriam Dalli. Unfortunately, her office has been more focused on buttressing the MEP Labour candidature of Steve Ellul through multiple media events paid out of public funds than in ensuring that the real problems we face are being addressed.

There is a possible silver lining in all this. Possibly Miriam Dalli’s Ministry would celebrate her foresight and sponsor an Ira Losco online promotional campaign on the use and enjoyment of open spaces during the power blackouts! The use of open spaces during these summer blackouts could possibly make our life slightly more bearable. This would be an additional practical use for open spaces during the hot summer nights when we cannot make use of air-conditioners. Another opportunity for Losco to tap more into Dalli’s promotional budget during the summer months.

published in The Malta Independent on Sunday: 23 July 2023

Il-kosta (u madwarha) tagħna lkoll

Il-pubblikazzjoni riċenti tar-rapport dwar l-impatti ambjentali (EIA)  tal-proġett ta’   Villa Roża fil-Bajja ta San Ġorġ San Ġiljan ser terġa’ tiftaħ beraħ id-dibattitu dwar il-proġett tal-grupp dB f’Pembroke kif ukoll dwar il-Masterplan ta’ Paceville li kien abbandunat madwar sitt snin ilu, riżultat ta’ dibattitu intensiv li fih kienet involuta attivament is-soċjetà ċivili.

Għal darb’oħra il-proposta ċentrali ta’ żvilupp hi l-kummerċjalizzazzjoni intensiva tal-kosta kif ukoll madwarha, u dan apparti l-impatti konsiderevoli fuq iz-zona kollha.

Il-proposta tikkonċerna medda kbira ta’ 47,572 metri kwadri bi żvilupp propost li jikkonċerna t-turiżmu, id-divertiment flimkien ma’ użu kummerċjali, primarjament  uffiċini. Dan hu propost li jsir f’żona li diġa hi iffullata, prattikament is-sena kollha.

Ir-rapport dwar l-impatti ambjentali fih numru ta’ studji dwar diversi aspetti ta’ relevanza għall-proġett propost. Wieħed minn dawn hu analiżi ekonomika mħejji minn E-Cubed Consultants. Kif mistenni, dan l-istudju jitkellem f’termini pożittivi ħafna tal-proġett. Studji ta’ din ix-xorta li kapaċi jiġġustifikaw kollox, issa drajnihom!  Dan l-istudju jinjora kompletament  l-impatti li l-proġett ta’ Villa Roża ser ikollu fuq l-infrastruttura pubblika. Dawn l-impatti huma spiża li jridu jagħmlu tajjeb għalihom il-fondi pubbliċi. L-impatti tal-proġett innifsu huma sostanzjali. Imma meta tarahom b’mod kumulattiv ma’ dawk iġġenerati minn proġetti oħra kbar ippjanati għaż-żona huma enormi.

Dan hu kaz ieħor fejn il-profitti jmorru fil-but tas-settur privat imma hu mistenni li l-kaxxa ta’ Malta terfa’ l-ispejjes għall-iżvilupp meħtieġ tal-infrastruttura biex huma jkunu jistgħu jinqdew. Dwar dan, l-istudju ta’ E-Cubed hu sieket.

Dan x’mudell hu? Kif ġie indikat b’mod ċar minn studju ta’ Deloitte dwar it-turiżmu f’Malta, studju li kien ikkummissjonat mill-Assoċjazzjoni tal-Lukandi (MHRA), ser inkunu neħtieġu 4.7 miljun turist fis-sena biex jintużaw is-sodod li diġa hawn inkella li huma ippjanati! Dan ġenn, għax il-pajjiż ma jiflaħx għall-piż iġġenerat fuq l-infrastruttura kemm-il darba in-numru ta’ turisti li jżuruna jirdoppja.

Anke l-Gvern ħabbar mira ta’ tlett miljun turist, mira li hi għolja ħafna. Kieku l-Awtorità tat-Turiżmu għandha nitfa serjetà fit-tmexxija tagħha kienet tieħu passi biex trażżan l-iżvilupp sfrenat li għaddej fl-industrija u li fl-aħħar ħsara biss jagħmel. Ir-rebgħa imma m’għandiex limitu u qed twassal għal ħsara kbira għall-pajjiż.

Il-kummerċjalizzazzjoni tal-kosta u taz-zona madwarha teħtieġ li tieqaf qabel li din tibla l-ftit spazji miftuħa li għad baqa’ madwar l-istess kosta.

Permezz ta’ emendi li kienu saru għall-Kodiċi Ċivili f’dik li hi magħrufa bħala l-liġi tad-dimanju pubbliku l-Parlament kien approva leġislazzjoni biex jipproteġi l-kosta u bħala riżultat ta’ hekk iżid l-aċċess għall-pubbliku. Dan kien kollu daħq fil-wiċċ għax fil-prattika ma sar xejn. Kieku din il-leġislazzjoni qed taħdem, proġetti bħal dan ta’ Villa Roża ma jsirux għax dawn imorru kontra kemm il-kelma kif ukoll l-ispirtu tal-liġi.

Għaddej sforz kontinwu biex il-kosta tkun ikkumerċjalizzata.  Xi żmien ilu kellna l-proposta għall-marina ta’ Marsaskala. Kellna ukoll il-proposti dwar Manoel Island, dwar il-Bajja tal-Balluta, il-Waterfront tal-Birgu (inkluż il-marina) u l-marina għall-jottijiet fil-Kalkara u dan flimkien ukoll mal-Waterfront tal-Belt Valletta.

Ma dan wieħed irid iżid il-kummerċjalizzazzjoni sfrenata li għaddejja tal-ispazji pubbliċi mal-kosta, inkluż il-bankini.

L-art pubblika qed tkun kontinwament ittrasformata fi profitti għas-settur privat, ħafna drabi għal ftit magħżulin. Fi prattikament il-każi kollha, ħadd ma jagħti kaz tal-kwalità tal-ħajja tar-residenti. Dawn qed ikun kompletament injorati. Xi drabi r-residenti saħansitra jinbeżqu l-barra miz-zoni residenzjali.

Issa għaddew madwar erba’ snin minn meta l-Parlament approva l-leġislazzjioni biex iħares il-kosta. Biex din il-liġi tkun tista’ titwettaq  l-għaqdiet ambjentali ppreżentaw dokumentazzjoni dwar iktar minn għoxrin sit mal-kosta li jimmeritaw li jkunu mħarsa. Ninsab infurmat li dawn l-għaqdiet ambjentali ippreżentaw ukoll riċerka estensiva dwar min jippossjedi din l-art. Hi ta’ sfortuna li t-tkaxkir tas-saqajn tal-Awtorità tal-Artijiet u tal-Awtorità tal-Ippjanar qed iżżomm u tostakola l-ħidma meħtieġa biex din il-liġi li tipproteġi l-kosta titwettaq. Dan qed isir ukoll fejn ma hemm l-ebda dubju li l-art  hi propjetà pubblika.

Għalfejn isiru dawn il-liġijiet jekk ma hemm l-ebda intenzjoni biex dawn ikunu implimentati?

Jeħtieġ li niċċaqalqu jekk irridu nkunu f’posizzjoni li nħarsu dak li fadal mill-kosta u z-zoni ta’ madwarha, u dan qabel ma jkun tard wisq. Sfortunatament ma hemmx rieda politika dwar dan. Il-Gvern u l-awtoritajiet tiegħu iqiesu l-kosta u z-zona kostali bħala magna biex tagħmel il-flus. Din hi l-viżjoni li qed isegwu fi sħubija kontinwa mal-forzi spekulattivi.

ippubblikat fuq Illum: 26 ta’Marzu 2023

The coast and coastal areas belong to all of us

The recent publication of the EIA for what is commonly referred to as the Villa Rosa project at St George’s Bay St Julians brings us back to the dB Pembroke project debate as well as the Paceville Masterplan aborted some six years ago as a result of an intensive debate which involved heavily civil society.

Once more the issue is a development proposal which seeks further intensive commercialisation of the coast and the coastal area. In addition, the impacts on the surroundings are substantial,

The proposal involves a massive 47,572 square metres footprint with a proposed development mix of tourism, leisure and business uses in an area which is already saturated and as a result overcrowded at practically all times of the year.

The EIA contains a number of studies relative to a multitude of aspects. One of these studies is an economic analysis by E-Cubed Consultants. As expected, this study gives a glowing economic endorsement of the project. We have become used to such studies which seem to be able to justify anything. In arriving at its conclusions this study, completely ignores the impacts which the Villa Rosa project will have on the public infrastructure and on the fact that this will have to be made good for by the public coffers. The impacts are substantial when the project is viewed on its own but they assume enormous proportions when viewed cumulatively with the impacts generated by other major projects already in hand or in the pipeline for the area.

This is another case of profits being channelled to the private sector with the public purse being expected to foot the bill for the infrastructural development required. E-Cubed are completely silent on the matter.

Is this the tourism model for the future? As clearly indicated by the Deloitte study on the tourism carrying capacity in the Maltese islands, commissioned by MHRA, at the end of the day we would require 4.7 million tourists per annum if existing and projected tourism projects are to have around an 80 per cent occupancy. This is pure madness: it would signify a more than doubling of the current number of  tourist arrivals.

Even the government stated target of 3 million tourists per annum is too high. If the Malta Tourism Authority (MTA) was anything close to serious it would have by now have taken urgent action to curtail the unrestrained development spree of these speculative developers. Their greed has no limits. It is driving this country towards a complete ruin.

The commercialisation of the coast and coastal areas has to stop before it engulfs the few open spaces left undeveloped in the vicinity of the coast.

Through amendments to the Civil Code in what is known as the Public Domain Act Parliament has approved legislation to protect the coast and to increase access to the public as a result. This legislative action unfortunately has so far proven to be another gimmick. If it were to be in any way effective this legislation would have nipped in the bud the proposed Villa Rosa development as it goes against both the letter and the spirit of this legislation.

A continuous effort to commercialise the coast is under way. It has been going on for quite some time. Some time back we had the proposal for a Marsaskala yacht marina. Some other glaring examples which come to mind are the case of  Manoel Island, Balluta Bay, the Birgu Waterfront and yacht marina, the Kalkara yacht marina, Valletta Waterfront.

There is also the ongoing commercialisation of the public spaces adjacent to the coast, including pavements and open spaces.

Public land is continuously being transformed into private profits, many times for the chosen few. In practically all cases, the quality of life of residents is not factored in, until the eleventh hour. Whenever possible, it is either avoided completely or else the residents are slowly squeezed out of residential areas.

It has been around four years since parliament approved legislation in order to reinforce the protection of the coastline through the public domain legislation. Environmental NGOs have submitted a list of over twenty sites along the coast which qualify for protection. I am informed that eNGOs have even carried out extensive research on ownership issues related to these sites. It is indeed unfortunate that the Lands Authority and the Planning Authority have ground the whole process to an unacceptable halt as a result rendering legislation ineffective. This applies even in those instances where it is proven beyond any doubt whatsoever that the land in question is public property.

Why approve such laws when there is no intention to implement them?

We need to act to protect what is left of the coast and the coastal areas, before it is too late. Unfortunately, there is no political will to act. Government and its authorities consider the coast and the coastal areas as money spinners. A vision which they pursue relentlessly in bed with the speculators.

published in The Malta Independent on Sunday: 26 March 2023

Spażji miftuħa : 15-il minuta l-bogħod

Li jkollna żieda konsiderevoli ta’ spazji miftuħa, kif ukoll li nassiguraw li dawn l-ispazji miftuħa jkunu aċċessibli għal kulħadd hi politika tajba. Il-fatt li bħalissa għandna nuqqas ta’ spazji miftuħa u aċċessibli huwa riżultat tal-falliment tal-ippjanar tal-użu tal-art kif ipprattikat f’Malta. Sfortunatament dan hu orientat lejn l-ispekulazzjoni flok ma hu ffukat lejn użu aħjar tal-art bħala kontributur għal titjib fil-kwalità tal-ħajja.

Il-Gvern nieda proġett biex jinvesti €700 miljun ħalli jtejjeb l-ispazji miftuħa eżistenti kif ukoll biex joħloq oħrajn inkella biex iħajjar lil min jieħu inizjattivi f’dan is-sens. Ħadd mhu ser joġġezzjona għal proġetta ta’ din ix-xorta sakemm dan ma jkunx skuża li warajha tkun ser tinħeba xi ħaġa oħra li illum mhux dikjarata.

Biex proġett ta’ din ix-xorta jirnexxi jeħtieġ li jkun parti minn viżjoni fit-tul, viżjoni li mhux biss tħares lejn titjib madwarna imma fuq kollox tkun immirata biex in-natura terġa’ tkun integrata mill-ġdid f’ħajjitna u madwarna. Iktar minn investiment finanzjarju neħtieġu bidla fl-attitudni li twassal biex nibdew inqiesu l-ispazji pubbliċi bħala parti essenzjali mill-infrastruttura meħtieġa għal titjib fil-kwalità tal-ħajja tagħna.

Filwaqt li hu oġġettiv tajjeb li noħolqu spazji pubbliċi ġodda, u li ntejbu dawk li għandna, ikun ferm aħjar kieku bħala l-ewwel pass nagħmlu ħilitna biex inħarsu l-ispazji miftuħa li diġa għandna,  nħarsuhom u ma nħalluhomx jinqerdu.  Il-ġonna privati, uħud minnhom kbar, li jiffurmaw parti integrali miż-żoni urbani u mill-qalba tal-irħula tagħna ilhom żmien jinqerdu biex flokhom jinbnew blokki ta’ flattijiet.  Dawn għandhom ikunu minn tal-ewwel  spazji muftuħa li nħarsu jekk verament nemmnu fuq l-importanza tagħhom. Dawn il-ġonna servew bħala l-pulmun tal-komunitajiet lokali tagħna għal ħafna snin. Għalkemm huma propjetà privata dawn taw kontribut kbir għall-ħarsien tal-komunitajiet tagħna. Dan kollu ma jiswiex flus. Jeħtieġ biss ftit konsistenza u rieda tajba.

Imbagħad ikun imiss l-art agrikola li qed tintilef b’rata mgħaġġla. L-art agrikola ukoll hi taħt assedju:  qed tinbela fi kwantitajiet mhux żgħar mill-bini tat-toroq, proġetti ta’ żvilupp inkella minn min irid jirriżervha għalih għad-divertiment għall-BBQ jew picnic fejn jistrieħu ftit il-bogħod minn għajn in-nies.  Dan kollu qed jeqred l-għixien tal-bdiewa u tal-familji tagħhom li għal snin kbar ħadu ħsieb ir-raba’ b’tant dedikazzjoni u ipprovdew l-ikel għall-pajjiż.  Dan ukoll ma jiswiex flus. Jeħtieġ awtoritajiet li jaħdmu sewwa, li m’għandniex!

Ix-xewqa li lkoll għandna għal iktar spazji miftuħa hi rifless tal-ħsieb iberren f’moħħna li nerġgħu nistabilixxu kuntatt sod mal-egħruq tagħna, man-natura. In-natura hi ċentrali f’ħajjitna, u iktar nies, dan qed jirrealizzawħ u japrezzawħ. Dan ifisser li permezz tal-ispazji miftuħa irridu nintroduċu n-natura mill-ġdid fil-lokalitajiet tagħna bis-serjetà, u mhux li jitqegħdu xi erbat iqsari tal-konkos, taparsi sar xi ħaġa! L-ispazji miftuħa huma għan-natura u mhux biex tiżdied id-dominazzjoni tal-konkos fil-forom differenti tiegħu fil-lokalitajiet tagħna! L-anqas m’ghandhom jintużaw għall-parking tal-karozzi!

Ġie emfasizzat li dan il-proġett ta’ investiment fl-ispazji miftuħa għandu l-iskop li jassigura li kull wieħed u waħda minna jkollu aċċess għal spazju pubbliku miftuħ li jkun mhux iktar il-bogħod minn għaxar minuti minn fejn toqgħod. Dan l-oġġettiv jorbot mal-inizjattiva li ttieħdet f’diversi bliet Ewropej imsejħa l-belt ta’ 15-il minuta (15-minute city). Belt ta’ din ix-xorta għandha jkollha dak kollu li teħtieġ, fil-parti l-kbira mhux iktar minn kwarta l-bogħod mid-dar. Għax mhux l-ispazju pubbliku miftuħ biss għandu jkun fil-viċin: imma dak kollu li neħtieġu.

Dan iwassalna biex neżaminaw it-tifsila urbanistika tagħna, meta nirrealizzaw li l-ħwienet iż-żgħar tagħna li servew lill-komunitajiet lokali għal bosta snin, qed jonqsu sewwa. Qed jispiċċaw jinbeżqu mis-suq bħala riżultat tal-bosta supermarkets u stabilimenti kummerċjali kbar li qed jinfetħu.

Din l-idea tal-belt ta’ 15-il minuta (the 15-minute city) bdiet b’inizjattiva ta’ Carlos Moreno, arkitett konsulent tas-sindku ta’ Pariġi imma issa qed tinfirex ma numru ta’ bliet Ewropej. Tfisser tibdil sostanzjali fl-ippjanar għall-użu tal-art biex ikun assigurat li f’kull Belt jew raħal dak li normalment neħtieġu nistgħu nsibuh mhux iktar minn kwarta ‘l bogħodminn fejn noqgħodu.

Carlos Moreno jitkellem dwar il-ħtiġijiet marbuta mal-għixien fi spazju urban imfassla fuq sitt punti essenzjali: żona residenzjali adegwata, xogħol fil-viċin, possibiltà ta’ xiri ta’ oġġetti jew servizzi bla diffikultà, kif ukoll aċċess għall-edukazzjoni, servizz għas-saħħa u esperjenzi kulturali fil-qrib, ilkoll aċċessibli b’mezzi sostenibbli.

Nistgħu neżaminaw u nfasslu l-istil ta’ ħajjitna fl-ibliet u l-irħula tagħna f’dawn il-parametri?

Il-ħwienet żgħar fl-ibliet u l-irħula tagħna jeħtieġu l-għajnuna għax qed jagħtu servizz essenzjali li jagħti l-ħajja lill-komunitajiet tagħna: jagħtu servizz u fl-istess ħin joħolqu x-xogħol fil-lokalità. Meta wieħed jinkoraġixxi l-ħidma tal-ħwienet iż-żgħar fil-ħidma tagħhom ikun qed jagħti kontribut għat-tnaqqis tat-traffiku fil-lokalità f’kull ħin tal-ġurnata għax ikun hemm inqas ħtieġa li wieħed jivvjaġġa. B’hekk jintlaħaq oġgettiv ieħor fil-pjanijiet tal-Gven, jiġifieri t-tnaqqis tal-karozzi mit-toroq tagħna.

L-ippjanar għall-użu tal-art għandu jiffoka fuq in-nies u l-ħtiġijiet tagħhom. Hu biss f’dan il-kuntest li l-iffinanzjar ta’ proġetti ta’ tħaddir fil-komunità jagħmel sens.

ippubblikat fuq Illum: 29 ta’ Jannar 2023

Open spaces and the 15-minute city

Having a substantially increased area of open spaces and ensuring that these spaces are accessible for all is good policy. The fact that currently we lack accessible open spaces is a failure of land use planning as practised in Malta, which is unfortunately speculation oriented instead of being focused on optimisation of land use as a contribution towards an improvement in the quality of life for all.

Government is embarking on a €700 million project in order to enhance existing open spaces as well as to create or to encourage the creation of new ones. No one would object to that provided that it is not an excuse for a different and undeclared objective.

In order for such a project to be successful it must be part of a long-term view of enhancing our surroundings such that we bridge the substantial and ever-widening gap which separates us from nature. However, what is really needed is a change in attitude towards the availability of public space as an essential element in the basic infrastructure required for an enhanced healthy quality of life.

While it is definitely an acceptable objective to create new open spaces, we could do much better if, as an essential first step we strive to retain existent open spaces and save them from destruction. Private gardens, some of them of a substantial size, forming an integral part of our urban areas and village cores have for quite some time been making way for the development of blocks of flats. These should be the first obvious open spaces which we should seek to protect if we are serious about the importance of open spaces. Such gardens have served as the lungs of our local communities for ages. They are in private ownership but they still contribute substantially to the wellbeing of our communities. This does not entail any expense. All it requires is a dose of consistency and plenty of goodwill.

Next on the protection list would be agricultural land which is being lost at an ever-accelerating rate. When agricultural land is not being engulfed by road-building or building development it is being taken up by those who want to transform it into BBQ or picnic land, as their private recreational hideout.  In the process they squeeze out farmers who have tilled the land for ages and contributed continuously to the national food production effort. Even this does not entail any expense. All it requires is properly functioning authorities, which we lack!

The urge for more open spaces is a longing to re-establish contacts with our roots, that is with nature. Nature has a role in every aspect of our life. We can only keep ignoring it at our peril. This would primarily signify that open spaces need to reintroduce nature into our localities and not introduce a number of token planters in concrete pots. Open spaces are about nature and not about the increased domination of our localities by concrete in whatever shape or form! Nor should they be used as parking spaces.

It has been emphasised that the current project of investing in open spaces aims to ensure that each and every one of us will have access to a public open space not more than ten minutes away from where he or she resides. This objective ties in with a current initiative in various European towns of developing a 15-minute city: that is a local community which is almost self-sufficient, all needs, or most of them being available not more than 15 minutes away. It is not just public open spaces which ought to be close by: all our basic needs should be within easy reach.

This would necessitate that we examine closely our urban fabric to realise that the small commercial outlets which have served our local communities for ages are heading towards extinction. They are being squeezed out of the market through the ever-increasing number of supermarkets and large commercial establishments.

The idea of ‘the 15-minute city’ initially put forward by Carlos Moreno, an architect advising the Paris mayor, but adopted by an ever-increasing number of cities entails turning current urban planning on its head to ensure that all our needs are available not more than 15 minutes away.

Carlos Moreno speaks of a social circularity for living in our urban spaces based on six essential functions: to live in good housing, to work close by, to reach supplies and services easily, to access education, healthcare and cultural entitlement locally by low-carbon means.

Can we reassess the nature and quality of our urban lifestyles within these parameters?

Small commercial outlets in our towns and villages require support as they are an essential help to make our communities vibrant: being of service and creating local employment in the process. Encouraging the local commercial outlets also reduces traffic at all times of the day as there will be less need to travel. It would also directly help in achieving that other objective of reducing cars from our roads.

Land use planning is for people. It is about time that this is put into practice. It is only within this context that the funding of community greening projects makes any sense.

published in The Independent on Sunday 29 January 2023