Joint Press Statement: Medical and environmental organisations call for serious measures to improve local air quality: Air Pollution costing the life of more than one person a day in Malta

PRESS RELEASE

Air Pollution costing the life of more than 1 person a day in Malta

A coalition (listed) of organisations is calling for serious measures to improve local air quality.

The Centre of Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) this month issued a report showing that 11,000 deaths in Europe were avoided due to less consumption of fossil fuel during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Recent studies show that on average in Malta more than 500 people die prematurely every year due to air pollution alone.^2,3 Maltese citizens reported the worst exposure to pollution according to a 2017 Eurostat study.⁴ Air pollution fell by 70% during the first month of the COVID-19 outbreak and asthma attacks were proportionally reduced.^5,6

The coalition therefore recommends the following measures to be implemented or to persist even after the end of the pandemic:

• taking interlinked health hazards –  air and noise pollution, mental health and the obesity pandemic as seriously as COVID-19 illness
• better incentives for renewable energy sources and cleaner means of transport
• green areas accessible to all members of the public
• work and tutorship from home whenever possible to decrease commuting and emissions
• better and safer infrastructure for both pedestrians and users of bicycles and similar means of transport
• investment in improved public transportation with possible addition of other means of transport
• better measures and infrastructure for shared and public transportation
• larger permanent pedestrian zones in village cores and towns and long-term implementation of plans recently mentioned by Government
• full and timely implementation of the National Air Pollution Control Programme
• measures tackling IT illiteracy in all age groups since both public and private services are now more dependent on digitalisation

The general public is encouraged to approach their parliamentary and local council representatives so that all stakeholders can come together and target one of the biggest avoidable health risk amongst us.

1. CREA Report: https://energyandcleanair.org/air-pollution-deaths-avoided-in-europe-as-coal-oil-plummet/
2. European Environment Agency Air Quality Report 2019: https://www.eea.europa.eu//publications/air-quality-in-europe-2019
3. European Heart Journal study: https://academic.oup.com/eurheartj/article/40/20/1590/5372326#135870521

• Eurostat statistics : https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/products-eurostat-news/-/DDN-20190905-1
• https://timesofmalta.com/articles/view/air-pollution-falls-by-up-to-70-per-cent-in-just-one-month.779603  

• Reports on less asthma attacks: https://timesofmalta.com/articles/view/drop-in-severe-asthma-attacks.783635 

STQARRIJA STAMPA

It-Tniġġis tal-Arja jiswa l-ħajja ta’ aktar minn persuna 1 kuljum f’Malta

Koalizzjoni ta’ Għaqdiet (lista) qed isejħu għal miżuri serji għat-titjib tal-kwalita’ tal-arja.

Iċ-Ċentru għar-Riċerka fuq l-Enerġija u Arja Nadifa (CREA) dax-xahar ħareġ rapport li juri li 11,000 mewt fl-Ewropa ġew evitati minħabba tnaqqis fil-konsum ta’ prodotti taż-żejt bħala sors ta’ enerġija waqt il-pandemija tal-COVID-19.¹

Studji riċenti juru li f’Malta jmutu medja ta’ 500 persuna fis-sena b’mod prematur minħabba l-kwalita’ tal-arja fil-pajjiż.^2,3 Il-Maltin huma wkoll l-aktar ċittadini Ewropej li rrapurtaw li huma esposti għal tniġġis tal-arja skont studju tal-Eurostat fl-2017.⁴ It-tniġġis tal-arja naqas b’70% fl-ewwel xahar tal-pandemija ġewwa pajjiżna u l-attakki tal-ażma naqsu wkoll proporzjonalment.^5,6

Il-koalizzjoni allura qed issejjaħ għal dawn il-miżuri biex jiġu implimentati jew biex jibqgħu preżenti wara t-tmiem tal-pandemija tal- COVID-19:

• li perikli għas-saħħa relatati – it-tniġġis tal-arja u storbju, saħħa mentali u l-pandemija tal-obeżita’ jiġu meħuda b’serjeta’ kif ittieħdet il-marda COVID-19
• inċentivi aħjar għal xiri u użu ta’ sorsi ta’ enerġija rinnovabbli u mezzi ta’ trasport li jniġġsu inqasd
• żoni ta’ kampanja u ħdura aċċessibbli għaċ-ċittadini kollha f’Malta
• xogħol u tagħlim mid-dar kull meta dan huwa possibbli sabiex ikun hemm inqas traffiku u tniġġis
• infrastruttura aktar sigura u avvanzata għall-użu pedonali, roti u mezzi ta’ trasport simili
• investiment ikbar fit-trasport pubbliku b’possibilita’ ta’ żieda ta’ mezzi oħra ta’ trasport
• żoni pedonali akbar u permanenti fiċ-ċentri ta’ bliet u rħula u implimentazzjoni fit-tul ta’ pjanijiet riċentament imħabbra mill-Gvern
• implimentazzjoni sħiħa u f’waqtha tal-Programm Nazzjonali għal-Kontroll tat-Tniġġis tal-Arja
• miżuri li jikkumbattu l-illitteriżżmu diġitali eżistenti f’kull eta’ minħabba żieda ta’ diġitalizzazzjoni ta’ servizzi pubbliċi u privati

Il-pubbliku huwa inkoraġġut li jitkellem mar-rappreżentanti parlamentari u lokali tiegħu sabiex l-imsieħba soċjali kollha jingħaqdu u jiġġieldu waħda mill-akbar kawżi ta’ mwiet li jistgħu jiġu evitati fostna.

1. Rapport tal-CREA: https://energyandcleanair.org/air-pollution-deaths-avoided-in-europe-as-coal-oil-plummet/
2. Rapport tal-Kwalita’ tal-Arja tal-Agenzija Ambjenatli Ewropea (EEA) hawn: https://academic.oup.com/eurheartj/article/40/20/1590/5372326#135870521
3. Studju mill-European Heart Journal jista’ jinstab hawn: https://timesofmalta.com/articles/view/drop-in-severe-asthma-attacks.783635 
4. Statistika tal-Eurostat hawn: https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/products-eurostat-news/-/DDN-20190905-1
5. Tniġġis tal-arja mnaqqas b’70%: https://timesofmalta.com/articles/view/air-pollution-falls-by-up-to-70-per-cent-in-just-one-month.779603  
6. Rapport fuq inqas każijiet ta’ ażma: https://timesofmalta.com/articles/view/drop-in-severe-asthma-attacks.783635