Government is committed to transitioning to a low carbon economy in line with sustainable development principles. This means mitigating emissions whilst continuing to generate economic growth, as our country is doing. Such a green transition is considered vital if we want to avoid climate change and the effects that come with it, said Minister for the Environment, Climate Change and Planning Aaron Farrugia.
Speaking during the launch of a new environmentally friendly service by transport app company Bolt, the minister commended such initiatives from the private sector, describing it as an investment towards reducing the carbon footprint produced in our economic activity and in our consumption.
“The responsibility to tackle climate change lies upon each and every one of us, be it the government or the private sector. This new service to provide electric scooters is valuable as it is conscious of the social and environmental responsibility and that I am certain will prove to be a best practice example for other private investors to shift towards more sustainable production patterns, also due to the fact that transport is one of the biggest causes of emissions in our country”, said the Minister.
He explained that in this mindset, the ministry has been compiling a low carbon development strategy with a horizon of 2050, a strategy which will guide Malta towards the carbon neutrality objective as outlined in the economic vision the prime minister announced earlier this month.
“Being a service-based economy, transport emissions are the major source of emissions for Malta. Hence, the initiative to switch to cleaner modes of transportation in providing the service is considered a win-win. This is a best example of cost-effective measures to mitigate emissions that will certainly be considered within Malta’s low carbon development strategy. In this sense, Bolt is leading by example and this is certainly a commendable best practice and I encourage others from all different economic sectors to follow suit”, he concluded.