The Chamber notes with satisfaction the statements being made from certain Government quarters on making Gozo a zero carbon economy prior to 2050 i.e prior to the target being set for the Maltese islands as a whole. The Chamber believes in this vision where Gozo could be a pioneer in Malta’s sustainability efforts.
As an island which is dependent on another main island, Gozo’s economy faces added disadvantages, and is over exposed to certain sectors such as tourism, construction and real estate.
The Covid-19 pandemic has shown the importance of diversifying the Gozitan economy, and the strategic importance of having a long-term vision. Sustainability should be the platform on which this vision should be formulated.
Gozo represents the ideal test bed for developing and deploying sustainable solutions, prior to these measures being meted out on a national level. This could moreover be an important economic niche for Gozo. Measures targeted towards increasing the adoption of electric vehicles in Gozo, and the production of renewable energies, should be supported and incentivized further. These are only some of the measures which could be explored.
The Chamber looks forward for Gozo implementing concrete measures towards the achievement of sustainability, and to it reaching carbon neutrality prior to 2050.