The issue of the effects of climate change became a subject of concern in the United Nations as a result of the initiative taken by Malta in 1988, and one result was the setting up of the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), whose regular reports form the basis of international negotiations on this subject.
As I had foreseen, Malta could not keep up with the pace which its initiative has generated, but this does not justify the lack of serious local efforts in the production of alternative sources of energy. I put this down mainly to our State monopoly in the production of energy.
I am not technically competent to comment on the conflicting opinions on this issue which appeared in MaltaToday on 26 October, but I would like to draw attention to two expert opinions which may be of relevance.
Alasdair Fairbair writing in ‘The Sunday Telegraph’ (12 October) criticised the IPCC for failing to use Stefan’s Law to determine Earth’s equilibrium global temperature, when this law is used extensively for all the other heavenly bodies in the universe. According to him, applying this law would produce a potential increase in global temperatures which is one-tenth of the panel’s projected 3 degrees Centigrade.
An energy expert has claimed on the BBC that the figure of 19 or 20% for the wind-produced energy in Denmark is misleading. He pointed out that when this energy is produced as a result of strong winds this is usually above the level that Denmark needs or can handle, and the excess has to be sold to neighbouring countries. This excess cannot make good for the shortfall on the more numerous occasions when the wind is calmer. This means that the domestic utilisation by Denmark of the energy its wind-farms produce is less than the quoted 19 or 20%.

Evarist Saliba
Ta’ l-Ibrag

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