Malta's newly elected government is emphasising human rights as a key policy dimension. In this article I would like to emphasise that this should factor in the social dimension of climate change.
Climate change is no longer a future scenario; it is a lived social reality. Malta is a clear case in point. As a densely populated island state situated in the Mediterranean, a recognised climate-change hotspot, Malta is already experiencing hotter summers, more frequent heatwaves, pressure on water resources, biodiversity loss, and increasing coastal vulnerabilities.
Various impacts of climate change are experienced unevenly, and the risks it creates are socially distributed. For example, older persons, people with chronic health conditions, outdoor workers, and residents of densely built urban areas are often more vulnerable than others.
Heatwaves place increasing pressure on public health, while highly urbanised localities with limited tree cover experience particularly uncomfortable summer temperatures. Water scarcity remains a long-term concern, and continued urbanisation and the reduction of open and green spaces can make adaptation more difficult.
The urgency of climate action is reflected in recent reports from the World Meteorological Organization, the Copernicus Climate Change Service, the European Environment Agency (EEA), and the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, all of which point to the same conclusion: climate-related risks are becoming more frequent and more intense.
For Malta, the challenge is particularly acute. A report by Fabian Borg (2024) for the Research Innovation Unit projects that under a 4°C warming scenario Malta could experience 204 heat-related deaths per 100,000 people, compared to an EU average of 42.82 per 100,000 - around 376% higher.
According to Hans Kluge, the World Health Organisation's Regional Director for Europe, heat has caused more than 200,000 deaths across Europe over the past four years, with nearly all considered preventable. Heatwaves, he warns, are no longer exceptional events but a recurring crisis affecting lives, health systems, and infrastructure.
The European Environment Agency's recently published report, Climate Resilience in Europe 2025: Progress and Challenges, notes that Europe is warming twice as fast as the global average. While all EEA member states now have adaptation policies in place, progress remains uneven due to gaps in risk assessment, implementation, financing, monitoring, and coordination. Malta is identified as having a national climate law, a national adaptation strategy, and a national adaptation plan. The Climate Action Authority is mentioned a key player in this regard.
Significantly, the report highlights the importance of distributional justice - ensuring that adaptation policies do not worsen existing inequalities. Malta is cited among the countries that explicitly consider differences in vulnerability and cost impacts when implementing adaptation measures. The report also notes Malta's use of fiscal incentives to encourage green roofs, rooftop gardens, and rainwater harvesting, as well as its green bond programme supporting environmental investments through the Water Services Corporation.
From a sociological perspective, climate policy can be given a stronger social and human rights dimension if it incorporates tools such as social impact assessment. This involves examining how different groups are affected by environmental change, how resources are allocated, and whose voices are heard in decision-making processes.
This includes not only stakeholders with direct institutional and political access, but also less visible groups whose experiences and concerns require dedicated forms of research and consultation. The key questions are therefore not only how policies are designed, but also who benefits, who bears the costs, and whose interests are prevailing.
This process also includes different levels of policy-making: For example, Malta's reality as a small-island state may require certain policies which are different from those of larger societies in mainland Europe.
Climate policy is not simply a technical response to environmental change. It is a sociological process involving governance, justice, resilience, participation, and collective action. Understanding this broader dimension is essential if adaptation strategies are to be both effective and socially sustainable.
Let us therefore ensure that social climate considerations are mainstreamed across the various levels of policymaking: After all, human rights are key building blocks of sustainable development.
Michael Briguglio is Associate Professor at the Department of Sociology, Faculty of Arts, University of Malta
www.michaelbriguglio.com