A legal analysis exploring environmental rights and criminal
accountability will be published in id-Dritt (GħSL), Edition
XXXVI (2026). This article presents selected highlights and
complementary themes.
Environmental degradation is no longer hypothetical. It is a
measurable and escalating crisis reshaping legal systems. In July
2025, sea surface temperatures in the western Mediterranean soared
to 31°C, up to 8°C above normal, marking the region's
most extreme marine heatwave on record. Climatologists called it a
"once-in-a-billion" event, attributed to
anthropogenic climate change.
This was not an anomaly, but part of a broader trend. As
ecological destabilisation accelerates, legal systems are being
pushed toward transformation. Environmental harm is increasingly
framed not merely as a policy issue, but as a matter of enforceable
legal responsibility.
