Page 502 - Environment: The Science Behind the Stories

CenTRal CASE STUDY

Rising Seas May Flood the Maldives

ASIA
EUROPE

“Climate change threatens the very existence of our
country.”
—Mohamed Waheed, president, Maldives

INDIA
AFRICA “If we can’t save the Maldives today, we can’t save
London, New York, or Hong Kong tomorrow.”

—Mohamed Nasheed, former president, Maldives
Maldives

Indian
Ocean

With sun-drenched beaches, colorful coral reefs, and a spec- SOS from the front line: Climate change is happening and it
tacular tropical setting, the Maldives seems a paradise to the threatens the rights and security of everyone on Earth. With less
many tourists who visit. For its 370,000 residents, this island than one degree of global warming, the glaciers are melting,
the ice sheets collapsing, and low-lying areas are in danger of
nation in the Indian Ocean is home. But residents and tourists being swamped. We must unite in a global effort to halt further
alike now fear that the Maldives could soon be submerged by temperature rises, by slashing carbon dioxide emissions to a
the rising seas brought by global climate change. safe level of 350 parts per million.
For a nation of 1200 islands whose highest point is just 2.4 m
(8 ft) above sea level, rising seas are a matter of life or death. The underwater cabinet meeting was part of a campaign
Four-fifths of the Maldives’ land area lies less than 1 m (39 in.) to draw global attention to the impacts of climate change.
above sea level. The world’s oceans rose 10–20 cm (4–8 in.) Nasheed followed this with a high-profile role at international
during the 20th century as warming temperatures expanded climate talks in Copenhagen, where he pleaded with the
ocean water and as melting polar ice discharged water into United States, China, India, and other major polluting nations
the ocean. According to current projections, sea level will rise to unite in efforts to reduce emissions of gases that warm the
another 18–59 cm (7–23 in.) by the year 2100. atmosphere.
Higher seas are expected to flood large areas of the Back home in the Maldives, Nasheed announced a plan
Maldives and cause salt water to contaminate drinking water to make his nation carbon-neutral by 2020. But already resi-
supplies. Scientists expect storms intensified by warmer water dents had to be evacuated from several of the lowest-lying
to erode beaches and damage the coral reefs that are vital to islands, and Nasheed arranged to begin buying land in main-
the nation’s tourism and fishing industries. “If things go busi- land nations in case his people one day need to abandon their CHAPTER 18 • Glob al Cli M aT e Chan G e
ness as usual,” former president Mohamed Nasheed has said, homeland.
“our country will not exist.” Then in 2012, Nasheed—the nation’s first democratically
Although small island nations like the Maldives are respon- elected president—was forced from power at gunpoint, and
sible for very few of the carbon emissions that drive global cli- the vice-president was installed in his place. Nasheed’s sup-
mate change, these nations are the ones bearing the earliest porters called it a coup d’etat. His detractors said he had
consequences. The Maldives’ political leaders have made sure abused power by illegally imprisoning the nation’s chief judge.
the world knows this. In 2009, President Nasheed donned They put him on trial, which many viewed as simply an attempt
scuba gear and dove into the blue waters of Girifushi Island to keep him out of the 2013 presidential election.
lagoon, followed by his entire cabinet. These officials held the Despite the political turmoil, the people of the Maldives
world’s first underwater cabinet meeting. Sitting at a table remain united in their concern over climate change. The new
beneath the waves, they signed a declaration reading: president, Mohamed Waheed, proposed to continue the 501

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