Project overview

CLIMWELB – Climate Shocks and Subjective Well-being in Small Island Developing States (SIDS): Implications for Subnational Foreign Aid – is a research project hosted by the Department of Economics at the University of Malta and funded through the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Postdoctoral Fellowships under Horizon Europe.

The project is led by Dr. Musharavati Ephraim Munyanyi under the mentorship of Prof. Marie Briguglio. It runs for 2.5 years and includes a three-month secondment at the Malta Foundation for the Wellbeing of Society (MFWS) and a six-month non-academic placement at the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), a United Nations specialized agency.

Drawing on multiple climate, household, and geospatial data, CLIMWELB asks three main questions:

1. What are the impacts of climate shocks (e.g., dry spells, drought, heatwaves, floods) on subjective well-being (e.g., life satisfaction, happiness)?
2. What are the channels through which climate shocks transmit to subjective well-being?
3. Can subnational foreign aid mitigate the adverse effects of climate shocks on subjective well-being?

By identifying the impacts of climate shocks, the transmission mechanisms, and the potential protective role of foreign aid, CLIMWELB aims to support more effective targeting of climate adaptation and development resources.

The project contributes particularly to SDG 3 – Good Health and Well-being and SDG 13 – Climate Action and supports broader European and international objectives on climate resilience and sustainable development.

Context

SIDS are particularly vulnerable to climate change because of their geographic isolation, limited resources, small economies, and dependence on climate-sensitive sectors.

Despite contributing less than 1% of global greenhouse gas emissions, SIDS face disproportionately high human and economic losses from climate shocks.

While considerable research has examined the economic and physical consequences of climate shocks, much less is known about how these shocks affect people’s happiness and life satisfaction, particularly in SIDS.

Evidence is also limited on the pathways through which climate shocks influence well-being and whether development assistance can help protect vulnerable populations from these effects.

Publications and Knowledge

• Climate Shocks, Subjective Well-Being, and the Moderating Role of Expectations: Evidence from African Small Island Developing States — Revise and Resubmit (R&R), Journal of African Economies.
• Hotter Days, Harder Lives: Heatwaves and Subjective Well-being in Caribbean Small Island Developing States — Under Review, Environment and Development Economics.

Outreach and Media

• UM Department of Economics Seminar – 5 June 2026

Presentation of the paper: Hotter Days, Harder Lives: Heatwaves and Subjective Wellbeing in Caribbean Small Island Developing States.