Climate change in small island developing states and Malta's Presidency of the Council of the EU

Abstract

This thesis focuses on the 2017 Maltese Presidency of the Council of the European Union, assessing its impacts on the theme of climate change adaptation in Small Island Developing States (SIDS). The key question being investigated is whether, and to what extent, the Maltese Presidency considered climate change adaptation in SIDS a priority, and what degree of importance these themes were given during the six months period. The research adopts a mixed methodology, with qualitative content analysis and descriptive statistics. The data was collected from relevant Council conclusions, and specific ad-hoc meetings, documents and agreements approved during the Maltese Presidency. Informed by relevant scholarly literature and key EU and UN documents two coding frames were devised, measuring the level of attention that was given to climate change adaptation in SIDS. The main research findings show that during the Maltese Presidency these two themes were not given a high level of priority, however with some Councils performing better than others. Further findings also reveal problems with access to data, and availability of key discussions within the Councils, which could be central to expand research in these areas.