Report says climate change has been kind to Malta... so far

Malta weather is generally getting fairer, a little hotter but also slightly less cloudy, according to a climate report released by the National Statistics Office yesterday.

No other country has compiled such an extensive climate data set

But don’t put away your umbrellas just yet. The 60-year period covered by the report indicates that there have been no significant changes in precipitation levels since 1951.

The Climate Of Malta: Statistics, Trends And Analysis 1951-2010 shows that average air temperature rose by1.1°C over the past 60 years, when compared to a global average increase of 0.7°C between 1906-2005 and a worldwide rise of 1.4°C between 1956 and 2005.

According to report author and Malta Met Office manager Charles Galdies, this trend “points to the validity of findings by the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change”.

Speaking at the report’s launch, NSO director general Michael Pace Ross said the report was a first for Europe. “No other country has compiled such an extensive climate data set,” he noted.

The report would be submitted to Eurostat, the EU’s statistical division, he said. “There is no standardised pan-European model for collecting and analysing climatic data. With this report, we hope Malta will be the one setting standards,” he said.

The report, which analyses climate variables such as air temperature, atmospheric pressure, precipitation, relative humidity, wind and the duration of bright sunshine, also compares climate trends to a number of socio-economic indicators.

Findings reveal, for instance, that fruit productivity peaked in 2006, following extremely stable weather conditions in 2005. In contrast, the large fluctuations in temperature in 2007 could have had some bearing on the low volume of fruit produced in the latter half of that year, Dr Galdies said.

Similarly, the report suggests that if temperature rises continue unabated, the number of Salmonella cases may increase. The two most recent Salmonella outbreaks in Malta coincided with the warmer months in years with high variations in temperature.

Fairer weather conditions between 1995 and 2009 could also be a contributing factor in the increased volume of fish catches during that same period. However, Dr Galdies stressed that other factors unrelated to climate could also have contributed.

Other than the importance of having a statistical reference on which to base future climate analyses, the report also had economic policy uses, Mr Pace Ross and Dr Galdies said. Indications of rising temperatures suggested a need for more investment in green jobs, Mr Pace Ross said. Data concerning hours of sunshine, Dr Galdies argued, would be valuable to film studios, while less cloud cover would be beneficial to those investing in solar panels.

Those interested in further data can access the IPCC and World Meteorological Organisation’s websites. The report, published in collaboration with the Malta Airport Met Office, is available from the NSO.