Domestic material consumption for Malta : results

Abstract

These results are the outcome of a review of a methodology and data sources used in the production for Malta of the sustainability indicator, Domestic Material Consumption (DMC). The original document was an attempt from the MEPA to calculate the DMC for Malta, following EUROSTAT methodology and adapting it to the Maltese context. The review of this approach and methodology was conducted in July 2008 by the Office for National Statistics, United Kingdom. Following this review, a time series for DMC and associated data from 2004 to 2006 was made available for Malta for the first time. Overall, the results show that DMC in Malta has fallen 4.8 per cent between 2004 and 2006. Over the same period, GDP at real prices rose 6.7 per cent suggesting that economic growth is becoming decoupled from material use. The following looks first at the components of the DMC indicator, Domestic Extraction (DE), imports and exports before, moving on to consider DMC and other material flow indicators. DE comprises the mass of material extraction associated with biomass, which includes such items as fish and crops, and the mass of material associated with mineral extraction. DE fell 10.6 per cent between 2004 and 2006 from 1,246,498 tonnes to 1,114,368 tonnes. This fall is driven by lower levels of mineral extraction activity, which forms the largest proportion of domestic extraction in Malta. Between 2004 and 2006, the percentage of total extraction associated with minerals has been approximately 90 per cent, with the remainder resulting from the extraction of biomass. Minerals extraction in Malta comprises of softstone, sand and gravel. These components have been separately identified within the accounts. Total mineral extraction fell 13.0 per cent between 2004 and 2006 largely driven by a 17.9 per cent fall in gravel extraction, although extraction of softstone and sand also fell over the same period, by 7.7 per cent and 17.9 per cent respectively.