As a nation, we have a history of putting the big problems facing us on the shelf in the hope they will either solve themselves, or be tackled by the future generations. This is even more the case with environmental problems, where the little issues of today will become the tragedies of tomorrow, at much greater expense and, at worst, with irrevocable consequences and unquantifiable health costs.
Our short-sightedness has already turned a rubbish dump into a mountain of toxic waste, polluting the surrounding seas in the process. Elsewhere, overdevelopment is killing green areas and open spaces to the point that we’re living in a human zoo. Fish-farming has spelt disaster in the beaches wherever cages have been concentrated. Carbon emissions are literally killing us: asthma levels in the most polluted areas have gone up and a generation of frail children is growing up totally alien to the “luxury” of fresh, clean air. Not to mention the vehicle traffic on our roads that is driving us all insane.
We are all aware of these problems, and yet the occasional reports that emerge to confirm our fears only end up on the same, growing pile of ignored warnings. Now another report has come out, detailing the possible fate of our tourism destination in the coming 20 years, when global warming sets in.
The fact that the report came from the research arm of the influential investment bank, Deutsche Bank, should send shockwaves. Not just because of the actual conclusions reached by its authors; but also because, right or wrong, its conclusions will surely leave an impact on foreign investment in our tourism sector.
But beyond the international market’s response to this particular report and to the wider changing landscape of global warming, we are hereby faced with a veritable threat to our livelihood, and judging by our track record we will most likely sit on this until it is very, very late in the day.
Paradoxically, there is little we can do to fix this global problem, but the fact that this is going to be the number one issue affecting our livelihood should make us much more vociferous, put us on the alert, and look ahead with a vision for change.
In a nutshell, the report’s most shocking conclusion is that Malta will be the worst off of all the European countries, when by 2030 tourists will find our long, hot summers unbearable. What has traditionally been our selling point is bound to become our liability, as tourists will no longer find it attractive to come here for sunstroke when they could enjoy the beaches in the Baltic States, the Benelux and Germany in temperate weather. Malta will be the net loser because not only will temperatures reaching 40ºC become the norm, together with the ensuing water shortages, but other countries up north will become more attractive thanks to milder weather there.
Bearing in mind the essential role tourism has to our economy – contributing to 35 per cent of our GDP – it should be amply clear we’re in for a disaster that will affect us all. Not only are we bound to lose our staple source of income that has kept us going since Independence, but all the shooting from the hip about the need for golf courses suddenly appears downright idiotic, when it turns out these will just compound our problems of water shortages within two decades.
Now 20 years might sound a long time for the people in power, for those who are getting paid to govern and to come out with vision, for the Malta Tourism Authority, and maybe even for the public in general. But 20 years is also how long the PN has been in power, during which it declared it was governing “for us, for the country and for our children”.
We might not have much of a say on global warming, but our future beckons us to stand up and lead by example. What we have instead is building regulations intended to conserve energy that are not even being enforced. Beyond that, we have to seriously revise the strategy of our main industry, to look into alternatives, and to come up with creative and sensible plans beyond all that is comfortable for the immediate future. Now is the perfect opportunity, just after the general election, to embark on such a project of thinking out of the box, and to come up with daring but rational policies that keep the future in mind. Government owes it to our country and to our children.