The introduction of the Emissions Trading Scheme was public knowledge and both PL and PN could have achieved a good level of preparedness for it. This scheme may also benefit the Birżebbuġa community due to decreased air pollution. This was stated by ADPD – The Green Party spokespersons when addressing a Press Conference in Birzebbuga this morning.
ADPD’s Chairperson, Sandra Gauci, said that notwithstanding knowledge of changes in maritime transport rates for over 20 years but leaving it to the last minute to implement changes, the ensuing panic is unavoidable. Just like a school pupil who only studies for exams the day before, the country has been taken by surprise by the introduction of this scheme – The Emissions Trading Scheme, which now includes ships with a gross tonnage of 5,000 tonnes or over, but which scheme has been in place since 2005. Whilst this scheme shall benefit the Birżebbuġa community in terms of air emissions, much scaremongering about the effects of this on price hikes is being spread: scaremongering rhetoric between the two parties with elected MEPs, when if fact, they have long known about the forthcoming introduction of the scheme, so much so, that the maltese MEPs voted in favour of it, except for Roberta Metsola, who since she’s EP President abstained.
Gauci asked: Why the scaremongering when they have known about the scheme since 2005, and over and above that, they have voted for it? What game are PL and PN playing? This kind of alienation is nothing more than an admission of guilt by each of them, both of whom were unable to promote a gradual twenty-year transition, all the more so as to avoid shocks to an economy like Malta’s which depends heavily on imported goods. Further concerns about who we are sending to represent Malta in the European Parliament. If we keep electing with a mindset of Us and Them, of Red and Blue, even in the European Parliament, when the game being played is that no one is responsible, these are the pathetic results: panic, deep concern by Malta’s workforce, which can be much better informed and protected, as well as lots of misinformation to score political points, when in fact, both parties keep postponing the changes which need implementation: changes to improve the climate and and the air quality in Birżebbuġa.
People should learn from this episode and start to vote for people who really care for the country, rather than conveniently try to use the European Parliament as a stage for village tiffs. Having a small village mindset to debate in the European Parliament and keeping Malta’s interests at the forefront are not compatible. We need to elect MEPs who are capable of making representations in favour of Malta with a modern European mentality, rather than with a provincial one. In the forthcoming European parliament elections, vote for our Green candidates, ended Gauci.
At the same press conference, ADPD’s local council candidate for Birżebbuġa, Dr Melissa Bagley said that if elected she will continue her work with eNGOs and local NGOs towards the preservation of the surrounding natural habitat that surrounds Birżebbuġa, especially ecologically sensitive areas to be found in the Natura 2000 zone, such as Wied Żnuber in Ħal Far and Wied ix-Xoqqa in Benghajsa, besides areas falling within the designated Outside Development Zones (ODZ).
She will also work towards protecting the locality from the impact of industrial activities and the pollution that such activities generate to the detriment of the residents and the environment, collaborating with the authorities to prevent and remediate the illegal transporting and disposal of waste around the locality, where necessary.
Bagley said that historical sites in and around Birzebbuga should be given prominence and will seek best practices to maintain, conserve and promote sites which contribute to the unique identity of the locality.
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Iż-żewġ partiti b’rapprezentazzjoni fil-PE misshom ippreperaw żmien ilu dwar l-Emissions Trading Scheme – fejn hi l-bidla gradwali?
L-iskema tal-Emissions Trading Scheme konna ilna nafu li ġejja u kemm il-PL u kemm il-PN setgħu jilqgħu għaliha. Din l-iskema tista’ tkun ta’ benefiċċju ukoll għan-nies ta’ Birżebbuġa billi twassal għal tnaqqis fit-tniġġis tal-arja. Dan qaluh kelliema tal-ADPD-The Green Party meta indirizzaw konferenza tal-aħbarijiet f’Birżebbuġa dalgħodu.
Iċ-Chairperson tal-ADPD Sandra Gauci qalet li meta tkun ilek taf iktar minn 20 sena li se jkun hemm tibdil dwar dak li għandu x’jaqsam mar-rati tat-trasport marittimu u tħalli għall-aħħar biex timplimenta dawn il-bidliet, bilfors iqum paniku sħiħ. Bħal dawk it-tfal li jistudjaw ġurnata qabel l-eżami, Malta bħal donnu nħasdet mill-iskema li daħlet fis-seħħ fl-1 ta’Jannar 2024 – l-Emissions Trading Scheme – li bdiet tinkludi l-vapuri b’tunellaġġ li jaqbeż il-5000 Tunnellaġġ Gross iżda li ilha fis-seħħ mill-2005. Filwaqt li din hija skema li se tgħin in-nies ta’ Birżebbuġa dwar dak li għandu x’jaqsam tniġġis qed jinxtered ħafna biża’ dwar l-effetti fuq prezzijiet ta’ merkanzija: biża’ biex tkompli r-retorika bejn iż-żewġ partiti eletti fil-Parlament Ewropew meta filfatt dawn mhux talli ilhom jafu biha iżda saħansitra l-Membri Parlamentari Ewropej li jirrappreżentawna ivvuttaw favuriha għajr Roberta Metsola li astjeniet, għax President tal-PE.
Gauci staqsiet: Mela allura għalfejn dan il-paniku meta xi ħaġa ilek taf biha mill-2005 u mhux talli hekk talli vvutajt għaliha wkoll? X’logħba qed jilgħabu l-PL u l-PN? Din il-forma ta’ aljenazzjoni mhi xejn ħlief ammissjoni ta’ ħtija min-naħa tat-tnejn li huma, li ma kienux kapaċi jaġħmlu bidla gradwali f’20 sena ħalli pajjiż bħal Malta li jiddependi mill-importazzjoni ma jieħux xokk. Ħaġa oħra hija: min qed nibgħatu jirrappreżentana fl-EU? Jekk nibqgħu nibġħatu nies li jġorru l-mentalita ta’ aħna u huma, ta’ aħmar u blu anke fil-Parlament Ewropew fejn il-logħba ta’ ħadd mhu responsabbli nilgħabuha b’mod patetiku, dawn huma r-riżultati: paniku, inkwiet għall-ħaddiem li setgħa jiġi infurmat u protett ħafna aħjar kif ukoll xebgħa miżinformazzjoni biex jintrebħu punti politiċi meta filfatt it-tnejn li huma qagħdu jippostponu l-bidliet li kien hemm bżonn isiru: bidliet ta’ ġid għall-klima in ġenerali u għall-kwalita tal-arja għan-nies ta Birżebbuġa.
Bħala poplu għandu jitgħallem minn din l-istorja u jivvota għal nies li verament għandhom għal qalbhom pajjizhom u mhux jużaw il-Parlament Ewropew bħala vetrina lussuża għal battibekki provinċjali. Ma tistax b’mentalita tal-każin tmur tiddibatti fil- Parlament Ewropew u jkollok l-interessi ta’ Malta f’ moħħok. Hemm bżonn li fil-Parlament Ewropew jittellgħu nies li kapaċi jitkellmu għall-ġid tal-pajjiż b’mentalita Ewropea moderna u mhux provinċjali li tagħha issa se nbatu l-konsegwenzi. Fl-elezzjoni li ġejja tal-Parlament Ewropew ivvutaw għall-kandidati tal-ADPD, temmet tgħid Gauci.
Fl-istess konferenza stampa, il-kandidata għall-kunsill lokali tal-ADPD għal Birżebbuġa, Dr Melissa Bagley qalet li jekk tiġi eletta se tkompli bil-ħidma tagħha mal-eNGOs u NGOs lokali favur il-preservazzjoni tal-ħabitat naturali tal-madwar li jdawwar Birżebbuġa, speċjalment żoni ekoloġikament sensittivi li jinsabu fiż-żona Natura 2000, bħal Wied Żnuber f’Ħal Far u Wied ix-Xoqqa f’Bengħajsa, minbarra żoni barra mill-iżvilupp (ODZ).
Hija se taħdem ukoll biex tipproteġi l-lokalità mill-impatt ta’ attivitajiet industrijali u t-tniġġis li attivitajiet bħal dawn jiġġeneraw għad-detriment tar-residenti u l-ambjent, billi tikkollabora mal-awtoritajiet biex jipprevjenu u jirrimedjaw it-trasport illegali u r-rimi ta’ skart madwar il-lokalità, fejn meħtieġ.
Bagley qalet li s-siti storiċi ġewwa u madwar Birżebbuġa għandhom jingħataw prominenza u għandom jiġu adottati l-aħjar prattiċi biex dawn is-siti li jikkontribwixxu għall-identità unika tal-lokalità jiġu miżmuma fi stat tajjeb.