Brakes on consumption – The Malta Independent
Thursday, 8 September 2022, 08:00
Last update: about 22 hours ago
They started slowly, but I won’t be surprised if they start to catch on quickly. Because it cannot be otherwise if Europe will cope with the reduction in gas supply that is being predicted. The brakes will have to be applied to the consumption of energy products used to heat homes and offices, and to keep transport running.
In Germany for example a range of measures have already been brought forward and they have not been welcomed with joy. Others who will surely follow will like it even less. Meanwhile the price of the raw materials needed for energy production will be increasing despite the range of subsidies being prepared by the governments. The crisis will affect all of Europe.
In the circumstances, political bumps will develop linked to European policies in response to Putin’s war. In countries such as the Czech Republic and Italy, the chances will increase that the policies of support for Ukraine and sanctions against Russia will be challenged. As of now, the probability is that the Europeans would prefer to apply (among other measures) brakes on consumption, rather than soften their position on the invasion of Ukraine.
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IN PAKISTAN
The flood disaster that hit practically half of Pakistan’s territory is enormous. Besides the many deaths (half of them children drowned), large tracts of agricultural land and millions of houses were destroyed. A country that was already financially on the ropes experienced such widespread destruction that its extent would have impoverished even if it was in good condition. Meanwhile, the threat of a sanitary catastrophe remained a very real one.
Worse than the floods and fires that have ravaged Europe and Australia, what happened in Pakistan provides another warning about how climate change has become a major defining feature of human life.
The urgency of a global and effective effort to reverse climate change, as, among others, UN Secretary General Guterres has been insisting, is totally justified.
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YESTERDAY’S WINNING
Each generation creates its own reality from which it then gives birth to the myths and customs suitable for it. However, as the generations change, they transmit stories about the past whose meaning changes a little, sometimes a lot, to reflect the values and prejudices of the times.
We were told that Victory Day has been celebrated in this country for centuries to commemorate the triumph of the Order of Jerusalem, Rhodes and Malta over an Ottoman army that invaded the islands. In the popular account of what happened, the Maltese together with the Knights won the victory.
But was this accent placed on the courage of the Maltese that kept the memory alive and relevant for such a long period? Or was the other emphasis on the “religious” aspect of the story, played out as a struggle between two rival faiths?
This may explain why today the commemoration has lost its spark. I doubt how much the “modern” Maltese consider themselves to be a brave people, prepared for martyrdom. And I doubt even more if they feel themselves affected by religious fervor.