5 comments so far.Air Quality – The Gozo side perspective: Who will provide the input?
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The Gozo NGOs Association has highlighted the recent announcement by the Environment and Resources Authority (ERA), as the competent authority in terms of the Ambient Air Quality Regulations 2010 (S.L.549.59), that it is setting up an ‘Air Quality Plan Sub-Committee’ to “coordinate an effective and efficient integrated approach towards the formulation of an air quality plan, by all relevant stakeholder authorities.”
The ERA had explained that the sub-committee, which will be discussing relevant matters in connection with the compliance of air quality standards in line with the National and EU obligations will be composed of nine members: coming from different sectors, including a representatives: of the Local Councils Association; a number of environmentally related Government Directorates; the Transport Authority; the Planning Authority; the Malta Tourism Authority as well as representatives of civil society such as the Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry; the Malta Chamber of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs).
The Gozo NGOs Association said that, “the initiative of setting up this structure comes at a very opportune time and not a minute to late. And including it a number of voices coming from the civil society sector adds value and really puts social dialogue at the heart of such an important ever worsening environmental issue – Air Quality.”
However it stressed that, “being a structure of social dialogue it lacks a very important component – a representative of the Gozitan voice. As Government structures and – more so – social structure go, a Gozo voice is always included.”
The Association pointed out that, “for these last years (decades), the Gozitan perspective has been considered to be very essential in order to compose a more holistic picture of the Maltese archipelago. And being an island region physically cut off from a more industrialised mainland and with a number of challenges and possibilities at complete variance from the mainland, the Gozo voice is this time round conspicuous by its absence.”
“Perhaps measures can be taken to correct the picture.”
I agree !!!
Only Malta – Malta – Malta .
We can speak for ourselves – or ?
An ‘Air Quality Plan Sub-Committee’ to “coordinate an effective and efficient integrated approach towards the formulation of an air quality plan, by all relevant stakeholder authorities.”
Oh, what joy!
Maybe it will be like the Report Motorists’ Black Exhaust scheme which came to nought.
If you want to check the air quality, do it in the queues of cars at Mgarr or Cirkewwa.
Oh… no, you can’t do that, because Maltese motorists will believe that they are being picked on.
Okay, then, check emissions from the developers’ vehicles – the cranes, trucks and concrete mixers.
Oh… no, you can’t do that, because they are developers, so are immune from prosecution of any kind.
So, instead, don’t bother, Because you will get precisely nowhere.
Our lungs are already full of air we can see as we inhale it.
At the end of the day any death from lung disease will be classed as “tobacco-related”, so no problem with air quality, then.
But at least another sub-committee will make people look busy and feel important.
A while ago a very effect scheme was introduced in New York. Residents were asked to report drivers leaving their engines running and when the drivers were fined the person reporting them received a cut of the fine. This was the missing element in the Report Motorists’ Black Exhaust scheme.
I would be happy to report black smoke all day. But is action actually being taken based on the input?
Revel,
I am wiling to bet that Malta’s pollution problem isn’t traffic volume itself, but particle emissions from unmaintained combustion engines, which pollute 10-100 times of a normal vehicle. And unless they are willing to do something about that very simple problem (actually demand proper VRT checks) then nothing is going to help. Definitely need more committees… as we all know that is how problems get solved…