Natural resources and energy
Malta has no important natural resources such
as forests, minerals or hydropower. The limestone that
is being mined for use in house construction is running
out. Energy needs are covered by imported oil and coal.
There is a lack of water on the islands and the problem
has been exacerbated by the growing tourism.
There are ongoing attempts to find oil and natural
gas in the sea off Malta. In recent years, Malta has
begun to invest in producing renewable energy, primarily
wind power and solar energy.
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COUNTRYAAH:
Major exports by Malta with a full list of the top products exported by the country. Includes trade value in U.S. dollars and the percentage for each product category.
Under an EU agreement, the country will extract ten
percent of its total energy consumption from renewable
sources by 2020, and the Maltese authorities plan to
exceed that target. Malta was long dependent on two
domestic electric power stations, which led to overload
and repeated power outages. In the spring of 2015,
however, an underwater cable was opened which connects
Malta with the Italian electricity grid.
Tourism has caused severe damage to nature. Most of
the sand bays have been built and the original
vegetation has disappeared. As part of EU adaptation,
during the 1990s Malta placed great emphasis on
improving environmental legislation. Environmental
impacts are now taken into account in all major
projects. Today, the large quantities of waste that
previously posed a problem are handled in a more
environmentally friendly way. In order to deal with the
soil destruction, forests are replanted in the islands
of Malta and Gozo.
There is a lack of water in Malta, which lacks both
lakes and rivers. The problem has been exacerbated by
the fact that over a million tourists visit the country
every year, which is also very densely populated.
Seawater desalination plants ensure that all residents
receive drinking water.
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Abbreviationfinder: A popular acronym site in the world covering abbreviation for each country. For example, MT stands for Malta.
FACTS - ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT
Energy use per person
1 811 kilograms of oil equivalent (2014)
Electricity consumption per person
5007 kWh, kWh (2014)
Carbon dioxide emissions in total
2 347 thousand tonnes (2014)
Carbon dioxide emissions per inhabitant
5.5 tonnes (2014)
The share of energy from renewable sources
5.4 percent (2015)
2013
November
Passport sales are planned
Decides to give people outside the EU the opportunity to buy citizenship in
Malta for € 650,000 and thus get the right to live and work throughout the EU;
Citizenship for family members can be purchased for an additional €
25,000-50,000. The political opposition protests against the decision and wants
a referendum on the issue.
March
Government change after the election
The opposition wins through the Labor Party a clear victory in the
parliamentary elections. The Labor Party gains its own majority with 38 of the
67 seats in Parliament. The ruling Nationalist Party loses almost one-sixth of
its mandate and stays at 29. The turnout is high, just over 93 percent.
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