https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/55465 Wed, 15 Apr 2026 17:48:16 GMT 2026-04-15T17:48:16Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/55704 Title: Climate change vulnerability ranking of coastal roads in Malta using multi-criteria methods Abstract: The ranking of coastal roads according to their vulnerability to climate change is a complex issue. In order to increase the quality of life and community sustainability, the environmental and social sustainability of coastal roads must also be considered. Indicators of vulnerability are profiled, on the IPCC-based vulnerability concept and defined as a function of Climate Exposure, Sensitivity and Adaptive Capacity. These dimensions need to be considered during the ranking process and can be modelled as a Multiple Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) problem. This study proposes an approach which integrates the results of different MCDM methods to provide a ranking model for climate change vulnerability of coastal roads in Malta. This approach combines six objective weighting methods made up of eleven climate change vulnerability indicators and applies them to rank the climate change vulnerability of six coastal roads using five MCDM methods. The results indicate different rankings. Following this initial phase two other MCDM methods were used to provide a definitive ranking. The results indicate that the proposed approach can integrate the inconsistent evaluation results of different MCDM methods and produce a coherent ranking of climate change vulnerability of coastal roads. The study provides policy and decision makers with a definition of a coastal road, an inventory of such roads, a list of climate change impacts and a mathematical model that incorporates climate change vulnerability indicators. The model can be used to prioritise investment and plan climate change adaptation strategies for infrastructural works on coastal roads. Description: M.SC.SUS.DEVELOPMENT Tue, 01 Jan 2019 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/55704 2019-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/55697 Title: Food, gender and climate change Abstract: The choices we make about the food we eat have major ramifications on personal human health and global ecological health. Food production occupies more than one third of global land areas and accounting for ~30% of total greenhouse gas emissions (GHGE) of which 80% is livestock, collectively intensify climate change. Simultaneously, food ecosystems shape an oxymoron of overconsumption with diet-related noncommunicable diseases being the number one health burden, alongside underconsumption of one billion hungry people, all compounded by food losses and waste. Thereby, floating the question of the sustainability of diets. For the study, representative national nutrition datasets on food production and consumption in the Malta, Brazil, Australia, India and Zambia were used with metanalysis food emission estimates. Four variant diets of vegan, vegetarian, World Health Organisation (WHO) recommended diet and Food and Agriculture (FAO) reference diet scenarios modelled for 2050 projections with the reference year 2005/7. Life cycle assessment (LCA) quantified diet-related emissions of animal and plant- based foods and global warming potential (GWP) assessed emissions from land use along three inventory indicators of ammonia emissions, land use and blue water within cradle-tostore system boundaries with a special focus on gender. The study found that none of the case studies can meet the FAO projections by 2050 showing a dire need for current diet transition. WHO diets would cut GHGE by 31.2%, vegetarian (66%); vegan (74%). The GWP is higher in men all countries due to a higher share of red meat. The largest absolute environmental benefits result from diet shifts in Zambia and India whereas Australia, Malta and Brazil gain most in per capita terms In conclusion, red meat GHGE is nearly twice those of vegans, therefore reduced red meat consumption substantially reduces dietary GHGE. The study also shows that within one society two distinct diets with differential environmental impacts exist. Taking the interplay of culture and physiology among the genders can develop Climate Change adaptation and mitigation policies for operative interventions allowing sustainable diets with reduced GHGE. Limitations in the study were the system boundaries that restricted to set of environmental indicators and only English literature reviewed. Future work should delve into the epidemic of counterfeit foods fuelled by demand for processed foods with implications on the environment, health and economies. Description: M.SC.SUS.DEVELOPMENT Tue, 01 Jan 2019 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/55697 2019-01-01T00:00:00Z