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Advertisers MFSC - Malta Financial Services Centre Maltese-American Chamber of Commerce METCO - Malta External Trade Corporation Ltd.
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Conquering environmental challenges through education
Unfortunately, most Maltese prefer to be mobile and enjoy owning their own car. Natives will laugh when asked if they have ever taken a bus. Most will respond with a resounding, “No! Never.” Although unleaded gas is used, the island has had problems with air quality because of the sheer number of cars on the roads. The government has used European Union financing to institute air quality management programs. Recent tests show that pollution is within international limits. Unfortunately, these indicators only help to convince Maltese that it is OK to buy more cars.
To those who study the Maltese’s lack of concern over their environment, the lack of a culture to protect it is disturbing. To the casual observer, one reason for this lack of concern may be that since the island has been occupied for so many years the Maltese still have a problem realizing they own the island itself. The insides of Maltese homes are kept impeccably clean; however, from the door outwards trash can be everywhere. The Maltese manifest pride in their homes, but not in the land that surrounds them.
Now after 35 years of independence, a cultural change is, in fact, taking place. According to the Francis Zammit Dimech, minister of the environment, the Maltese are taking a more positive approach to the environment. The government supports a television program based on Xummiemu, a cartoon character. This hedgehog teaches kids about the environment at the same time lessons are reinforced through print advertising, school campaigns and ecological weeks, where tree plantings and other events are geared toward raising awareness about the environment and the effects of pollution.
Malta also has its share of problems with waste management. A recycling facility that was built in the 1990s is producing only compost. Zammit Dimech says the government plans to expand and privatize the plant and then to begin recycling glass, aluminum and paper.
Forcing people to care about the environment is difficult if you don’t give them the proper means of disposal, such as a recycling plant, and, at the same time, provide them with incentives to protect the environment. The government accepts the need to set up an infrastructure, to create stronger rules and regulations and then to enforce them.
If you ask any tourist what is Malta’s biggest problem, chances are he will say the environment. In an informal poll taken while visiting Malta, I found this to be true. But, this sentiment is often echoed among Maltese as well, especially among those who realize that the tourism industry is so dependent on having a clean Malta. Tourism makes up about 25 percent of gross domestic product, and although many people return time and time again to the island, still quite a few people who look at the messy streets of Paceville or the trash floating in the Grand Harbour question whether they want to return.
While most of Malta focuses on becoming a member of the European Union, attracting foreign investment and welcoming tourists, these same people must realize if they don’t take care of the environment all of their political, economic and social concerns will be magnified.
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Table of Contents Building bridges and embracing the future |
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I was standing just a few steps from my five-star hotel right outside the old city of Valletta. Buses sat in concentric circles and idled for hours while waiting for people to hop on and be brought to all parts of Malta. On an island where many families have at least two cars, the old British Leyland buses are actually one way to help the environment. They are cheap (45 cents a ride) and provide tourists and locals alike with their only option for mass transit.