Malta should plant more trees and replace concrete with soil to help cool down the country, according to a senior lecturer at the University of Malta. 

UoM Islands and Small States Institute director Stefano Moncada thinks that rather than immediately turning to “expensive engineering solutions,” Malta should first consider nature-based alternatives.

“We can take solutions from nature: adding more trees can bring down the temperature... even one or two degrees [Celsius] can make a difference. This is often underestimated,” he said. 

Moncada was speaking to Times of Malta alongside other experts just days after a landmark study suggested rising temperatures would have deadlier consequences in Malta than in any other European country.

The study found that with temperature rises of 3˚C – in line with current climate predictions – Malta would suffer 95 more yearly heat-related deaths per 100,000 people than at present, the highest in the EU.

Stressing the importance of “nature-based solutions,” Moncada said that for now, such answers appeared to be largely ignored however.

“Excessive pruning of the country’s trees shows there is no awareness of green solutions to bring down temperatures... in urban areas we underestimate the importance of such measures.” 

He said swapping concrete for soil could also prove effective, noting the “thermal exchange” – the absorption of heat into the soil – would help to cool the air temperature. “It’s a win-win; it’s cost-effective, and effective,” he said. 

Calling small islands such as Malta “more vulnerable” to climate change, highlighting their heightened exposure to changing environmental conditions but with less economic clout to tackle them, Moncada stressed the urgency of tackling the issue head-on. 

Pointing to improving building standards to better deal with sun exposure, for example, he said the country had studied but not implemented such changes: “We need to do this immediately.”

Environmental changes were occurring already “and will only get more severe,” he warned.

Moncada also thinks the country should consider “behavioural changes”, something climate change expert Simone Borg agrees with. 

Both think the country should restrict outdoor work in higher temperatures, with Borg noting that Australia, for example, had already banned outdoor work in temperatures exceeding 28˚C.

Calling workers operating in high temperatures “concerning”, she said there will “probably need to be a change in working hours outside” in Malta, too – a move Moncada stressed would need “the private and public sectors and social partners to be onboard” to achieve.

Higher temperatures coupled with medication use also present challenges

On greenifying Malta’s urban spaces, Borg – a law expert on natural resources, climate change and ocean governance – agreed, describing it as becoming “more and more crucial... every tree is precious.”

Asked if current measures were sufficient to tackle climate change, she said: “enough is never enough.”

Elderly more at risk

While rising temperatures pose a risk across the board, elderly residents face additional challenges and extra steps should be taken to help them, according to consultant geriatrician Peter Ferry. 

“Ageing reduces the capacity of our body to adjust,” he said, likening ageing to reduced battery life over time. 

And higher temperatures coupled with medication use also present challenges. 

“Antidepressants can cause excessive sweating, leading to more fluid loss. And we know that older adults drink less water anyway because, as we age, we have less of a thirst mechanism,” said Ferry.

Meanwhile, vasodilators – used to treat high blood pressure – could lower blood pressure more than intended, which coupled with low blood pressure due to higher temperatures, could cause patients to lose consciousness, he said. 

“Many older people go to A&E with heat-related falls and often with more serious consequences... We need to prepare for the hot season and be aware that some drugs should be reduced during the summer.”

And Ferry also believes we should “rethink our attitude to cooling.” 

Stressing that many elderly people continue to see air conditioning as “a luxury”, choosing instead to rely on fans and open windows instead, he said elderly patients should not be averse to the technology. 

“I had a patient recently doing very well in hospital but collapsed at home as he didn’t have air conditioning. That changed, and he’s been doing well since; often we overlook the environment that old people are in.”

‘Knowledge is an important thing’

Meanwhile, museum consultant Sandro Debono thinks institutions have a role to play in educating the public on climate change. 

“Knowledge is an important thing... it’s important to promote a culture of climate change awareness,” he said. 

He said other institutions could learn from steps taken by museums, including charging visitors to offset carbon emissions from carbon-intensive activities such as, in the case of museums, moving exhibitions around the world.

And he thinks that, because of the variety of buildings inhabited by museums, they have something to teach about energy efficiency and novel ways of cooling – including some from the past.

“Some buildings in Valletta have passive control systems, such as chimneys built inside the walls to extract heat... we’ve become so reliant on modern technology, we forget there were other solutions in the past,” he said.

“Otherwise, we rely on air conditioning, which further places strains on the grid – which is collapsing at the moment.”

But Debono is optimistic: “There’s a sense of hope, that there is something we can do about it; it’s not all doom and gloom.”