Small islands are often disproportionately impacted by external shocks, and the manner in which they build resilience is increasingly important in the face of climate change and health crises, thus impacting the attainment of their Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This paper discusses the results of a systematic literature review (PRISMA protocol) that set out to examine which resilience-building measures are adopted by small islands to overcome the incidence of two shocks happening simultaneously: climate change and COVID-19. This is in line with the objectives set by SDG 13 (targets 13.1/13.3) and SDG 3 (targets 3.8/3.d). While 16,369 studies fulfilled the criterion of jointly assessing pandemic, health and climate, only 662 of these mentioned small islands. Moreover, 42 studies fulfilled additional screening criteria. Within these studies, we examined whether a planetary health approach, which recognises the links between environment and health systems, was adopted. The results show that in small islands, and for such shocks in tandem, a planetary health approach is scarcely considered. However, specific actions to strengthen resilience were documented to have been effective when facing climate and health crises, which we categorised as: (i) the management of short-term risks; (ii) community actions; (iii) local government support; and (iv) long-term strategic planning.

This paper explores the evolving relationship between energy consumption, economic activity, and carbon emissions in Southeast European countries over the period 2000–2024. Using a dynamic panel framework, the analysis focuses primarily on short-run interactions, given the lack of evidence for a stable long-term equilibrium. The findings reveal that changes in energy consumption remain the main driver of fluctuations in CO₂ emissions, confirming the carbon-intensive nature of energy use across the region. In contrast, economic growth and industrial production do not show a statistically significant direct effect on emissions in the short term. Renewable energy plays a mitigating role, although its impact becomes more visible only when cross-country interdependencies are taken into account. This suggests that regional factors, such as shared policies and energy market shocks, shape environmental outcomes. Overall, the results indicate that emissions are influenced more by immediate changes in energy use than by persistent dynamics, highlighting the ongoing challenge of reducing environmental pressure without fundamentally transforming the energy structure.