Climate change adaptation in the EU : a policy analysis of public health measures in Malta

Abstract

Climate change is severely impacting all countries in the European Union, and it has been identified as a serious public health threat. This is especially true for present and future heatwaves in regions like the Mediterranean Basin, expected to experience increases in temperatures and extreme events, more prolonged and intense due to a changing climate. Promoting climate change adaptation measures is crucial to address the negative socio-economic impacts brought by heatwaves. Adequate preparedness for such events is considered crucial in order to prevent further health consequences, and potentially save lives. Poor air quality has been proven to worsen the health impacts during periods of extreme heat. This must also be taken into consideration when promoting the necessary adaptation policies. While the link between poor air quality and heat-waves has been safely proven, there is still a shortage of literature which addresses the policy response in this specific field. This study aims to discover what the European Union (EU) has done in terms of climate change adaptation to heat-waves since the deadly extreme European heat-wave of 2003. Furthermore, a case study on Malta aims to discover what measures the island has taken to this end, as well as its policy effectiveness in tackling heat-waves and air quality, both as separate issues, as well as their interplay with each other in terms of health impact. A number of key policy documents are analysed via content analysis in order to assess the preparedness of policy in this regard. The findings of this research reveal that the link between heat waves and poor air quality has not been sufficiently acknowledged by key Maltese policy documents, and that there is much scope to introduce policy and economic instruments to address this climate change impact in order not to compromise current and future social and economic wellbeing.