POINTS FROM A SPEECH DELIVERED BY THE HON. FRANCIS ZAMMIT DIMECH, MINISTER FOR THE ENVIRONMENT, TO STUDENTS OF THE JAMES MADISON UNIVERSITY

Towards environmental sustainability

The Minister for the Environment, Dr Francis Zammit Dimech, said that it was a pleasure to welcome the students of the James Madison University to Malta where they are following their annual Integrated Science and Technology Programme. He said the Projects they are working on are all of local interest.

The Minister for the Environment said that energy production has been blamed as being one of the major polluters of our environment. Power generation is on the increase as is the use of cars. Both are major polluters. Figures published this week show that last year 36 per cent of the world demand for electricity came from North and South America, 30 per cent from Western and Eastern Europe, 28 per cent from the Asian-Pacific region and 6 per cent from Africa and the Middle East. Estimates show that by the year 2020 the Asian-Pacific region will be the prime consumer of electricity with 35 per cent of production, followed by North and South America with 32 per cent, Europe with 26 per cent and Africa and the Middle East with 7 per cent. He added that impressive are the energy sources. Last year 16 per cent of all energy was produced through nuclear plants, 20 per cent from gas, 9 per cent from oil, 36 per cent from coal and 19 per cent from hydro and other renewable sources of energy. It is estimated that by the year 2020 12 per cent of the world's energy requirements will be produced from nuclear sources, 32 per cent from gas, 6 per cent from oil, 29 per cent from coal and the remaining 21 per cent from hydro and other renewable sources of energy. These estimates show that the world is moving towards sources of energy which are more environmentally friendly.

Dr Francis Zammit Dimech said that energy generated in Malta rose from 1,440 million kWh in 1992 to 1,840 million kWh in 1999. He said that the installation of air conditioners is claiming its demand for more energy production which peaks in the middle of summer due to cooling requirements and the middle of winter due to heating requirements.

The Minister for the Environment said that energy audits may show where energy is being wasted. It may indicate where, with some modifications in existing structures, one may achieve substantial reductions in energy wastage. However the maximum benefits may be achieved only if buildings are designed with energy consumption in mind.

Dr Francis Zammit Dimech said that in this year's budget Government lowered the tax on solar heaters. He added that although solar heaters are becoming more popular, still there are not many in Malta who use solar heaters for their hot water requirements. He opined that if we can convince the households that installing a solar heater is a win-win solution because these produce heated water at a lower price and are more environmentally friendly, more will opt for this type of energy.

The Minister for the Environment said that excessive lighting also contributed to an increase in the demand for energy production. He said that the public should be educated in using energy saving devices such as solar energy lights.

Dr Francis Zammit Dimech said that Malta is endowed with a windy climate. and that this could be used to reduce our fuel imports and emissions from power stations. He said that harnessing wind energy didn't develop locally probably as it requires a great deal of space and because of difficulties with the siting of the wind turbines.

Referring to photovoltaics the Minister for the Environment said that Malta depends on the burning of imported fossil fuels for most of its energy demands. He said that our country can tap abundant solar radiation. Such renewable energy in the form of solar radiation is undoubtedly of interest since it could enable us to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels. This will also be in line with obligations under the Kyoto Protocol which Malta intends to ratify in the near future.

Dr Francis Zammit Dimech also referred to the GAIA Foundation project, the Beach Management Plan and the Micropropagation project.

He said that GAIA have been given a contract to manage Ghajn Tuffieha and Ramla Bay in Gozo. This project gives us further insight of the activities of this NGO with respect to biodiversity conservation, waste management and public awareness in these areas.

Of the Beach Management Plan the Minister for the Environment said that the fact that Malta is surrounded by the sea, its marine resources are important to its people for ecological and touristic reasons. He said that Ramla Bay in Gozo is unique in the Maltese Islands because of its ecological resources, including sand dunes and their unique vegetation. He said that the coastline is under pressure from development. For this reason a number of beach replenishment projects are under consideration. Dr Francis Zammit Dimech said that the marine environment is a fragile environment as its upkeep does not depend totally on what we do, or on what we do not do. Being an island with countries to the north and south of its coast, with tankers sailing very near to our country, Malta must enter into bilateral agreements with its neighbours to manage the Mediterranean Sea. The Minister for the Environment said that it was important to strike a sustainable balance between the recreational use of beaches and the conservation of their ecology.

The Minister for the Environment also touched upon the Micropropagation project. He said that micropropagation has already been used with success to propagate a number of plant species, including some endemic trees that were previously threatened with extinction. He said it will be interesting to learn how the technique can be used for medicinal purposes.

Dr Francis Zammit Dimech augured that the students' stay in Malta will be a fruitful one and that their projects will contribute towards environmental sustainability.