Gozo Business Chamber welcomes plans to fast-track the island’s path to carbon neutrality

Government plans for an earlier target date for Gozo’s transition to a zero carbon economy have been welcomed by the Gozo Business Chamber (GBC), which said it believes Gozo could be a pioneer in Malta’s sustainability efforts.

In a statement released on Thursday, the Gozitan business lobby said it notes with satisfaction the statements being made from certain Government quarters on making Gozo a zero carbon economy prior to 2050, the target being set for the Maltese islands as a whole.

The GBC said that 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.”

It said that Gozo represents the ideal test bed for developing and deploying sustainable solutions, prior to these measures being meted out on a national level, adding that this could 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 incentivised further,” the GBC said, stressing that these are only some of the measures which could be explored.

The statement concluded with the GBC saying it looks forward for Gozo implementing concrete measures towards the achievement of sustainability, and to it reaching carbon neutrality prior to 2050.