Assessing the life programme for climate change adaptation in the three island states of the EU

Abstract

Whilst the Earth has been accustomed to adapting to climatic changes over the course of its estimated 4.54-billion-year existence, these changes have taken thousands of years to manifest and have been largely driven by natural fluctuations. The warming trend over the past half-century is of particular significance for two reasons; it is unequivocally the result of human influence, and it is occurring at a critically unprecedented rate, resulting in dramatic changes in Earth’s climate to which humanity has to adapt to. The impacts of such climatic changes are touching every corner of the planet posing risks for human and natural systems, which are expected to affect both present and future generations. In this regard, climate change adaptation is an opportunity to reshape the future and to respond to the risks and potential opportunities associated with changing climates. Whilst adaptation measures noted in the literature are diverse, nature-based solutions emerge as cost-efficient and effective adaptation actions within this study. Adaptation and nature-based innovations to cope with the forthcoming risks are especially critical in the context of island states due to their inherent vulnerabilities. Efforts to understand the nature and scope of climate change impacts and adaptation have so far been mainly focused on small island developing states outside the European Union. When focused within the Union, the research has been limited to general conclusions at national and European level, and does not acknowledge the significance of adaptation for island states. Even less progress is made on the role of EU support instruments, such as the LIFE programme in question, towards achieving adaptation for a climate-resilient world. There is therefore a need for an enrichment of the knowledge base in these two main areas and this present dissertation aims to address such research gaps. To pursue this agenda, a mixed-method approach proves the most beneficial for the nature of this study by combining quantitative data with qualitative insight. The research framework focuses on three case studies – Malta, Cyprus, and Ireland – which will illustrate the diversity of contexts in which climate change impacts are unfolding and the urgent need to identify successful approaches to adaptation. This addresses the first research question of the dissertation. Through a qualitative content analysis, LIFE projects in Malta, Cyprus, and Ireland that span the period from 2014 to 2020 are analysed to assess how the funding stream promotes climate change adaptation, in the form of nature-based solutions, in the three island states of the EU, thereby answering the central research question of the dissertation. The findings indicate that whilst LIFE projects tackle a broad thematic spectrum related to the field of climate change adaptation, there is still a limited amount of successful nature-based projects funded by LIFE in Malta, Cyprus, and Ireland. Although there is a strong commitment to promoting nature-based solutions in Europe and beyond, this is still an ongoing process which lags behind mitigation efforts. Nevertheless, this research could inform future directions of LIFE projects to achieve socially inclusive, economically vibrant, and climate-resilient European societies.