Malta’s rapidly increasing vehicle population will soon catch up to their human counterparts, with the total figure close to breaking the 400,000 ceiling.

Standing at 394,955, as evidenced by newly published statistics, the growth shows no signs of slowing down, with 73 newly licensed vehicles added to Malta’s roads every single day.

The unstoppable increase is creating an insurmountable task for the government plans to achieve carbon-neutrality by 2050, with the overwhelming majority of vehicles being either petrol or diesel-powered.

Just 0.9% of all vehicles are either electric or hybrid. The number is increasing significantly, but its total fleet of 3,708 is dwarfed by the diesel and petrol posse.

A recent EU report identified transportation as the main source of greenhouse gas emissions in Malta, with the country currently housing 621 cars for every 1000 people.

Meanwhile, the toxic fumes are also having an effect on our health, with roughly five people dying every week due to Malta’s poor air quality.

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