Malta’s Homes Struggle with Soaring Summer Nights

Sleepless in Summer: Malta’s Homes Sweat Through Soaring Temperatures

It’s 2 AM, and the usually bustling Strait Street in Valletta is eerily quiet. Yet, inside the historic buildings lining the street, residents are wide awake, tossing and turning in the stifling heat. Welcome to Malta’s new summer reality: homes struggling to cope with hotter nights.

Malta’s Heat Island Effect

Malta’s urban areas are feeling the heat more than ever. The ‘heat island effect’ – where cities experience higher temperatures than their rural surroundings due to human activities and infrastructure – is exacerbating the impact of climate change. Concrete and asphalt absorb and re-emit the sun’s heat, while cars and buildings contribute to the urban heat trap.

Take the Three Cities, for instance. These densely populated, historic towns are particularly vulnerable. “In summer, it’s like living in an oven,” says Joe, a long-time resident of Bormla. “The old stone houses trap the heat, and there’s no breeze to cool things down.”

Homes Unprepared for Rising Temperatures

Many Maltese homes were built for cooler climates. Traditional Maltese architecture, with its thick walls and small windows, was designed to keep out the cold, not the heat. Now, as summers grow hotter, these homes are struggling to cope.

Air conditioning is not a universal solution. Only about 10% of Maltese households have air conditioning, according to Eurostat. For many, it’s too expensive to install and run. increased use of air conditioning could lead to a rise in energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, exacerbating the very problem it seeks to solve.

Malta’s unique housing stock also poses challenges. Many homes are rented, making it difficult for tenants to make energy-efficient improvements. Additionally, the high cost of property means that many families live in homes that are not well-suited to their needs.

Adapting to a Warming World

So, what can be done? Urban greening is one solution. Trees and green spaces can help cool cities by providing shade and releasing water vapor into the air. The government’s ‘Greening Malta’ initiative aims to increase the country’s tree cover, but more needs to be done, especially in urban areas.

Architectural adaptations can also help. Whitewashing roofs, using reflective materials, and installing energy-efficient windows can all help to keep homes cooler. However, these changes require investment and planning.

“We need to start thinking about how we can adapt our built environment to cope with a warming world,” says Dr. Alexandra Borg, an environmental scientist at the University of Malta. “That means everything from how we design new buildings to how we retrofit old ones.”